Newcomers give Hoiberg more variety with Nebraska basketball

NU had a very defined skill set in 2023-24. The Huskers could stretch the floor and knock down 3-pointers. Their big, brawny starting lineup matched up well with most Big Ten teams and played hard defensively. They didn’t have a traditional ball handler or much recourse against longer, more athletic teams.

All eight of the Huskers’ rotation players in 2023-24 shot at least 30% from 3-point range. Given the recent histories of some of its newcomers, NU is unlikely to have that level of consistency across the board again. But its talents are more diffused across the basketball spectrum.

“This team, I don’t think there’s gonna be any agendas with this group,” Hoiberg said. “It’s gonna be all about coming in and doing whatever it takes to win.”

With its four most prolific rebounders in the starting lineup, NU didn’t have any personnel changes to make when it got out-muscled under the basket. Everyone on the bench who played meaningful minutes was a guard, and the Huskers were outrebounded 82-64 in their last two games of the season.

Braxton Meah doesn’t have the skill or shooting touch of other big men, but that’s not what Nebraska needs him to be. The springy Washington transfer is 7-foot-1 with a 7-5 wingspan and had the 36th best defensive rebounding rate in the country last season. Whether or not he plays major minutes — he averaged 17 per game for the Huskies — he can stem the onslaught of offensive rebounds that too often dragged Nebraska down.

“I really haven’t ever had a guy like that that I’ve coached at either level, in college or in the NBA, just because of what he can do above the rim,” Hoiberg said.

Meah’s size and leaping ability also make him a lob threat out of the pick-and-roll, where he’ll have veterans capable of feeding him. Jamarques Lawrence, who transferred to Rhode Island in the spring, and Brice Williams, both shooting guards for most of their careers, played point for Nebraska last season. The Huskers’ leader in assists was Rienk Mast, a 6-foot-10 forward. There were games in which Nebraska struggled with turnovers.

The Huskers now have two experienced point guards in Ahron Ulis and Rollie Worster. Ulis was ineligible a season ago amid the fallout of his gambling-related charges in Iowa. Worster spent the year at Utah. Neither has a history of being a particularly good 3-point shooter, but both are steady with the ball in their hands and give NU more flexibility on the perimeter, flanked by shooters in Gavin Griffiths and Connor Essegian.

“It’s very hard to speed up Ahron Ulis. He is really good at handling pressure, and the same with Rollie,” Hoiberg said. “And then certainly with Brice, his ability to handle it. When you talk about a multiple-handler system and a positionless offense, I think we’re gonna have a lot of different options in that area.”