Huskers look to bounce back vs. SHSU

Head coach Fred Hoiberg and junior guard Trey McGowens met with media on Thursday to discuss Nebraska’s upcoming home game vs. Sam Houston State.

Here’s a full recap of what they had to say…

***Hoiberg said senior guard Kobe Webster (back) and junior forward Lat Mayen (ankle) both practiced on Thursday and would hopefully be able to make their season debuts against Sam Houston State.

***Hoiberg said freshman center Eduardo Andre was available against Western Illinois but did not play per coach’s decision. Hoiberg said Andre would need to be ready to go when his name was called this season.

***Hoiberg said Nebraska had “two tough, physical days” of practice following the loss to Western Illinois, including a long and honest film session on Wednesday.

***The message over the past two weeks has, as you might expect, focused on rebounding. McGowens said the team watched all 23 offensive rebounds they gave up to WIU and pointed out what allowed each one to happen.

***McGowens added that assistant coach Nate Loenser had him working with the bigs the past two days in practice to try and make him rebound with more physicality.

***Hoiberg said Nebraska would get another challenge on the glass against Sam Houston State, which he said would play as hard as any team the Huskers will face this season.

***Hoiberg pointed out that SHSU had 27 offensive rebounds (albeit against Division III LeTourneau) and would have “four guys on the floor at all times” that would crash the boards after every shot.

***McGowens called the BearKats as “a bunch of junkyard dogs” that “shoot just so they can rebound… They’re not afraid to miss.”

***Hoiberg said NU rebounded pretty well through the first 16 minutes vs. Western Illinois, but it gave up eight offensive boards to end the first half and it kind of snowballed from there.

***Hoiberg said getting off to a fast start would be critical for the Huskers. He noted that Sam Houston State opened on a 12-0 run in its first game, and that allowed it to turn up the pressure defensively and dictate the pace on both ends of the floor.

The BearKats ranked 12th in the nation last season in defensive steal rate.

***Overall, Hoiberg said the Huskers had responded to the loss well, and the veteran player leadership had done a good job setting the tone in practices.

But that would only matter if NU carried it over into games when adversity hit and the players needed to talk each other through tough times.

***Hoiberg said part of Nebraska’s stagnant ball movement on offense vs. WIU had to do with its decision-making on mismatches created by defensive switches.

When a guy gets a favorable matchup, he can’t just force up a shot when the open shots or straight-line drives weren’t there.

***Hoiberg said his general coaching philosophy was to give his players the freedom to run the offense on their own. But he admitted that when the ball movement was as bad as on Tuesday night, he needed to do a better job of stepping in and calling more designed sets.

However, he said NU played well enough offensively to win the game by scoring 42 points and shooting 48% from the field in the second half. They just needed to make the winning shots at the end.

***Hoiberg said he was excited about the four 2022 signees Nebraska inked on the first day of the fall signing period on Wednesday.

On Denim Dawson – Hoiberg said he had a “throwback player mentality” and was a great “talker and communicator” on the floor. Hoiberg said he “fell in love” with Dawson when he first watched him play in person and was impressed with his “willingness to defend,” athleticism, and shooting.

On Blaise Keita – Hoiberg pointed to Keita’s physicality, winning pedigree, rebounding (“He’s got great hands.”) and finishing ability at the rim. Hoiberg noted that Keita suffered an injury and would be in a walking boot for two more weeks.

On Jamarques Lawrence – Hoiberg called him a “knock-down shooter” but said he was also “a complete player” who could put it on the floor and defend on the other end. Hoiberg praised Lawrence’s ability to space the floor offensively.

On Ramel Lloyd Jr. – Hoiberg said that when Lloyd arrived on campus next summer, he would be “as versatile as any player on our roster” next season. Hoiberg said Lloyd’s blend of size, strength, and skill could allow him to play multiple positions, maybe 1-4 depending on the lineups.