Johnson Tabbed Preseason Newcomer of the Year, Huskers Picked 10th - Huskers.com - Nebraska Athletics Official Web Site

Junior guard Nate Johnson was selected the Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year in a poll of the Big 12 coaches, the conference office announced Wednesday. Johnson is the fourth Husker to receive preseason Big 12 honors, as Tyronn Lue (1997-98), Venson Hamilton (1998-99) and Kimani Ffriend (2000-01) were tabbed preseason first-team All-Big 12 selections by the coaches.

In the league coaches poll, Nebraska was picked to finish 10th in the conference standings, while 2002 Final Four participant Kansas was selected to repeat as league champion.

A native of Kansas City, Kan., Johnson transferred to Nebraska from Penn Valley Community College, where he earned NJCAA Division II Player-of-the-Year honors last season while leading Penn Valley to the national title game. At the national tournament, Johnson was tabbed tourney MVP after setting a tournament scoring record with 30.5 points per game, including a 48-point outburst on 17-of-30 shooting from the floor in the national semifinal.

Johnson, who mainly played point guard, averaged 26.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game while helping his team to a 26-10 record as a sophomore. Johnson