Huskers Add Alabama Transfer Juwan Gary

Lincoln — Nebraska Men’s Basketball Coach Fred Hoiberg announced the addition of Alabama transfer Juwan Gary (pronounced Juh-WAHN) to the 2022-23 Husker roster.
Gary, a 6-foot-6, 218-pound forward from Columbia, S.C, spent the past three seasons at Alabama, helping the Crimson Tide to Southeastern Conference regular-season and postseason titles in 2021 and a pair of NCAA appearances. A former consensus top-100 player in the class of 2019, he will have two seasons of eligibility remaining at Nebraska.

“Juwan adds a different dimension to our roster with his combination of athleticism and versatility,” Hoiberg said. “He plays with physicality and can be used all over the floor.  Juwan also has the experience of playing in two NCAA Tournaments and winning an SEC title in 2021, which gives him the understanding of what it takes to be successful at the highest level.”

Last season, Gary played in 29 games, including 16 starts, for an Alabama team that went 19-14 and reached the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 6.5 points per game on 51 percent shooting, along with 3.4 rebounds per game. Gary was fourth on the team in blocked shots with 16. He recorded eight double-figure efforts, including a season-high 19 points in wins over both Houston and at Florida. Gary also had 15 points off the bench on 7-of-8 shooting in a win over No. 4 Baylor and 10 points in the Crimson Tide’s NCAA Tournament game against Notre Dame. He finished the 2021-22 season with a pair of double-doubles against Louisiana Tech (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Drake (14 points, 10 rebounds).

As a redshirt freshman, he played 30 games, including a pair of starts for an Alabama team that went 26-7 and reached the NCAA Sweet 16. He averaged 3.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game and played significant minutes in the Tide’s postseason run. Over Alabama’s final six games, he averaged 7.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while going 17-of-23 from the field. That included an eight-point, eight-rebound effort in 17 minutes against LSU in the SEC title game and six points and seven boards in a start against Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Gary scored a season-high 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench against LSU.

Gary, who redshirted in 2019-20 after suffering a torn ACL, was one of the top players in the class of 2019. He was ranked No. 64 overall by ESPN and was No. 82 in the RSCI Composite. The No. 2 prospect in the state, he averaged 25 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game for Liberty Heights charter school and Head Coach Mike Wright. He played at Gray Collegiate Academy as a sophomore and junior, leading the school to its first-ever Class 2A state title in 2018. That season, Gary was named the Class 2A Player of the Year by the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association averaging 20.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. He earned second-team all-state accolades as a sophomore after he averaged 18.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. Gary, who played for Team United on the EYBL Circuit, took part in the USA Men’s Junior National Team minicamp in 2016 and 2017.  

Gary is the second transfer to join the Husker program this offseason, joining North Dakota State transfer Sam Griesel. They join an incoming recruiting class which is ranked No. 25 nationally by Rivals. That class includes a pair of top-150 recruits in Ramel Lloyd Jr. and Jamarques Lawrence as well as junior college transfer Blaise Keita, who is the No. 4 overall player by JUCORecruiting.com.