Nebraska Set to Face Athletes in Action in Final Exhibition

The Nebraska men's basketball team plays its final tune-up for the 2003-04 regular season on Friday, Nov. 14, at 7:05 p.m., when it takes on Athletes in Action in an exhibition contest at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Following the contest, the Huskers will spend the next week preparing for the season opener against Fairleigh Dickinson at home on Nov. 22.

The game against Athletes in Action can be heard live on the Pinnacle Sports Network and on Huskers.com, with Randy Lee calling the action and first-year commentator Matt Davison serving as color analyst. Live stats and video are also available on Huskers.com.

The Huskers look to continue their hot hands against Athletes in Action, after NU opened the exhibition season to favorable reviews Monday. The Huskers easily outdistanced Alaska-Fairbanks, 83-54, avenging a loss to the Nanooks in last year's Top of the World Classic.

The victory was the sixth straight exhibition win for Nebraska under fourth-year head coach Barry Collier. The game also marked the fifth time in seven exhibition games under Collier that the Huskers have held their opponent to less than 60 points.

Nebraska may look to apply the same continuous defensive pressure against AIA after its solid performance against the Nanooks. NU forced UAF into 25 turnovers while recording 11 steals, and the Huskers' fullcourt press also limited the Nanooks to just 30.3 percent shooting from the field for the game. UAF hit just 24.2 percent in the opening period.

Coming into the season, much of the focus was on the play of the backcourt, where Nebraska has eight players battling for playing time. While the guard play was good, it may have been the production in the post that was the most pleasing in the early season contest.

Junior forward John Turek erupted for a team-high 19 points in the victory, hitting 8-of-11 attempts from the field. Turek's accuracy helped Nebraska connect at a 51.6-percent clip as a team, including 57.1 percent in the second period when NU outscored UAF 49-35.

Turek was praised by Collier for turning in a solid all-around performance, as the Council Bluffs, Iowa, native added a team-high nine rebounds to go with two blocked shots and one steal. As a team, Nebraska outrebounded the Nanooks by a 47-42 margin.

Nebraska's guards were also productive, as senior Nate Johnson was second on the team with 12 points, while sophomore Jason Dourisseau came off the bench to add nine points on 4-of-5 shooting in 19 minutes.

The Huskers' intensity was lifted by the return of junior guard Jake Muhleisen, who made his first appearance on the court after missing the final 16 games last season with a fractured hip. Muhleisen, who has moved from the point to the wing this year, added seven points and three assists, while NU's two new point guards, junior transfer Marcus Neal Jr. and freshman Charles Richardson Jr., combined for 13 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals.

Scouting Athletes in Action
While Nebraska has just one game under its belt this season, Athletes in Action heads into Friday's matchup having played nine games since Oct. 27. AIA has earned a 4-5 record after picking up an 85-76 victory at Pac-10 foe Washington on Wednesday. AIA has also earned victories over Mt. Vernon Nazarene (109-61), Elon (73-62) and preseason No. 20/21 Wake Forest (77-75).

In Wednesday's contest, AIA came back from a 14-point first-half deficit to outscore the Huskies, 52-40, in the second half. AIA shot 54.9 percent from the floor, although UW outshot AIA by an 87-51 margin. AIA also hit 20-of-27 attempts from the charity stripe while the Huskies were just 4-of-9 at the foul line.

AIA also fashioned an impressive victory over one of the top teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference, as AIA limited Wake Forest to 38.5 percent shooting before holding on for a two-point win last Saturday. The Demon Deacons trailed by nine, 47-38, at the intermission, as AIA hit 55.2 percent from the floor in the opening frame. WFU rallied to outscore Athletes in Action by seven in the second stanza, holding AIA to 36.0 percent shooting, but came up just short.

Athletes in Action also played solid but came up on the short end against Indiana, falling by two, 70-68, in overtime. The Hoosiers hit 13-of-17 from the free throw line, and needed all of them to hold on for the win, including nailing 6-of-8 from the charity stripe in the extra period.

Coach John Farwell's squad includes a couple of familiar faces to Nebraskans. Among the 11 players on the traveling roster are Shawn Redhage and Ryan Sears, who each have local connections. Redhage prepped in Lincoln before playing for Arizona State, while Sears played a key role in Creighton's recent move into the national spotlight over the past few years.

Redhage has seen action in eight games, averaging 13.5 points per game off the bench and has added 5.7 rebounds over the past six contests. Sears has started all nine contests while averaging better than nine points and six assists per game.

Also coming up big for AIA this season has been Joe Crispin, a sharp-shooter who played at Penn State. Crispin has averaged 18.3 points in seven contests, including pouring in a game-high 28 points in the victory over Wake Forest. Crispin hit 9-of-15 shots from the floor against the Demon Deacons, including 8-of-12 from three-point range. Crispin also came up big against Washington, hitting 6-of-13 shots from the floor and 9-of-10 from the free throw line for a game-high 23 points.

Doling out the 'D'
Nebraska was one of the top defensive units in the rugged Big 12 Conference in 2002-03 and looks to continue that trend this season.

The Huskers finished last year ranked first in the league in three-point field-goal percentage defense by allowing opponents to hit just 30.2 percent (193-of-639) from behind the arc. The total was a Nebraska single-season record, breaking the previous mark of 30.3 percent (154-of-508) set by the 1992-93 squad.

Nebraska held 25-of-30 opponents under 40 percent from outside the arc, including 14 to less than 30 percent from downtown. Five opponents were held to less than 20 percent shooting from outside. Kansas State shot an opponent season-low 9.1 percent (1-of-11) from three-point range, as NU snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 68-61 home victory.

The overall defensive effort by the Huskers was also outstanding. Nebraska limited opponents to just 40.8 percent shooting from the field for the season to rank seventh in the league statistics. The top six in the conference were also among the top 30 nationally.

The total was the third-lowest at Nebraska since 1960-61, which is the last time the Huskers limited their opponents to less than 40 percent from the field for a whole season.

Nebraska held 13 opponents to less than 40 percent from the field in 2002-03, including six to less than 35 percent. Nebraska’s first opponent of the season, Centenary, felt possibly the toughest defense of the year, as the Huskers limited the Gents to just 20.0 percent shooting (10-of-50) for the game.

Tremendous Transfers
Seniors Andrew Drevo and Nate Johnson made their mark on the Nebraska basketball program in their first year with the team in 2002-03. This season, they will each look to etch their names among the greatest two-year players at Nebraska.

The two transfers ? Johnson from Penn Valley CC and Drevo from Division II Morningside College ? finished the season ranked first and second in scoring (Drevo, 13.9; Johnson, 13.3) for NU; second and third in free throw percentage (Johnson, 72.8; Drevo, 67.3); first and third in three-pointers (Drevo, 48; Johnson, 18); third and fourth in field-goal percentage (Drevo, 41.1; Johnson, 40.6); first and fifth in rebounding (Drevo, 7.3; Johnson, 3.8); second and fourth in assists (Johnson, 63; Drevo, 38); and second and fifth in steals (Johnson, 30; Drevo, 21).

Johnson and Drevo, who both ranked among the top 25 in overall and league-only scoring, put themselves among elite company in their first year with the Huskers. Only 10 of the top 60 scorers in NU history were two-year players after transferring into Nebraska’s program. While Johnson and Drevo did not make it onto the NU career list in 2002-03, they are set up nicely to reach it this season. In fact, if Drevo records another season like he did in his first year (402 points to lead the team), he would break Bernard Day’s mark for a two-year player at Nebraska, which stands at 802 points.

Drevo and Johnson finished 2002-03 ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in scoring average among first-year transfers at Nebraska, respectively. Day, who ranks 39th on the NU career scoring list (802 points, 12.7 ppg over 63 games in 1985-86 and 1986-87), previously held the highest scoring average for a first-year transfer with 13.1 points per game (392 total) in 1985-86, while only two others on the NU career list have averaged at least 12.0 points per game in their first year with the program (Derrick Chandler, 12.3 ppg in 1991-92; Kimani Ffriend, 12.0 ppg in 1999-2000). Tony Farmer, who averaged 12.4 points in 1990-91, would have likely also made the career list, but only played one season at Nebraska.

Hitting 100
One of the most prolific long range shooters in Nebraska history, forward Brian Conklin looks to get back on track in his final year in Lincoln in 2002-03. The 6-11, 240-pounder finished second on the squad with 22 treys last year although he hit just 25.9 percent from three-point range.

Despite the sub-par performance, Conklin became just the ninth Husker in history to record at least 100 career three-pointers last season. He finished the year with 110 career treys and enters this season ranked seventh on the NU career list, just 37 three-pointers shy of moving into the school's top five. Cary Cochran owns the NU career mark with 268 three-pointers in his four-year career.

Conklin surpassed the 100 mark against Oklahoma State, when he recorded three triples. Two weeks later, Conklin hit a season-high five three-pointers against Baylor. The five treys tied the team season high, which Jake Muhleisen established in the second game of the year against Alaska-Fairbanks.

While Conklin hit 25.9 percent (22-of-85) in 2002-03 as opponents keyed on him outside the arc, he still finished the year ranked sixth in the NU record book for career three-point field-goal percentage at 38.9 (110-of-289). Conklin set the NU sophomore record when he drained 65 treys while helping NU set the school record with 267 three-pointers. He also ranks seventh on the NU freshman chart with 23 in 2000.

Lead Blockers
Junior forward John Turek returns for this third year in the lineup after leading the team in blocked shots each of the past two years. Turek could become just the fourth player to lead Nebraska in blocked shots for three straight seasons, and only one Husker (Dave Hoppen) has ever had at least a share of the team lead for four consecutive years. Turek ranks sixth in the NU record book for career blocks with 91, making him only the second sophomore in NU history to have at least 90 blocks.

Last season, Turek recorded 52 of Nebraska's 96 blocked shots and ranked sixth in the Big 12 Conference for blocked shots with 1.73 per game. Overall Nebraska returns 98.9 percent of its blocked shots from last season, including those from Andrew Drevo (19) and Corey Simms (8).

Home Sweet Home
When the Huskers open the regular-season home slate against Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 22, Nebraska will be looking for its 23rd straight victory in a home opener. The last time NU lost its first home contest of the year came in the 1980-81 season, when NU fell to Wyoming, 62-59, in overtime. Included in that streak was a 71-69 upset of No. 5 Michigan State in 1990-91.

Nebraska has been outstanding at home since moving into the Bob Devaney Sports Center in the 1976-77 season. The Huskers hold a 317-100 (.760) record at home during that span, including 21 seasons (of 27) of at least 10 home wins. Last year, Nebraska went 9-6 at the Devaney Center, including a pair of three-game winning streaks in the non-conference season. Nebraska has defeated a ranked team at home 21 times during that span, including once in each of the past three seasons under Coach Collier.

Tough Schedule Ahead
Nebraska’s schedule will again be one of the toughest in the nation, as it has been the past three years when the Huskers ranked among the top 60 nationally in schedule strength. NU will face a slate of teams that posted a 407-280 record last year, including 12 teams that reached postseason play (eight NCAA, four NIT).

The Huskers' non-league slate is normally set to help Nebraska get ready for the Big 12 season, and this year will be no different. Nebraska plays teams from some of the top leagues in the nation in non-conference play, including teams from the Big Ten, Pac-10, Southeastern and Missouri Valley conferences, and Conference USA.

NU begins its eighth season in the Big 12 Conference in 2003-04. Nebraska has a 107-109 overall record since the start of Big 12 play, including a 47-65 mark against league foes. Nebraska has defeated eight ranked league opponents since the start of Big 12 play, but has not been ranked in the top 25 since joining the Big 12. The league has sent two teams to the NCAA Final Four in each of the past two years, with Big 12 teams producing a 500-299 record during that time.

Huskers Succeed On and Off the Court
Forward John Turek and center Tony Wilbrand were among 15 student-athletes named to the 2003 academic All-Big 12 Team last spring, something that is becoming a common site for the Husker basketball team. Turek, who became the 33rd Husker to be named to the academic all-conference first team, was the third Husker to be selected to the first team under coach Barry Collier, joining Cary Cochran and Brian Conklin who earned the honor in 2002. Over the previous 10 years, only five Huskers had been named to the first team.

Behind Turek and Wilbrand’s effort, the Huskers succeeded in the classroom as the team held a cumulative grade-point average above 3.0 through the spring. Eight Huskers were named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for their academic achievement in the 2002 fall and 2003 spring semesters, including one with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Overall, six Huskers have accounted for 23 honor roll certificates over the past four years.

The academic all-conference team was made up of student-athletes who competed in at least 60 percent of their team’s games and held at least a 3.2 GPA (cumulative or the past two semesters) for the first team and between a 3.0 and 3.19 for the second team.

There Is No Place Like Nebraska
The Huskers have set out to keep the best players in the state at home and the results have been positive. Nebraska has two state players of the year (Jake Muhleisen, 2001; Wesley Wilkinson, 2002) on its current roster, and now have eight in-state players on the roster. Last season, NU had nine players from the Cornhusker state, the most in 30 years.

Huskers Sign Two to National Letters of Intent
Shooting guard Joe McCray (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Laurinburg [N.C.] Institute) and center Aleks Maric (Sydney, Australia; Life Center [N.J.] Academy) signed national letters of intent to attend the University of Nebraska and play basketball starting in the 2004-05 season, Nebraska Coach Barry Collier announced on Wednesday, Nov. 12.

McCray has gained the most attention of the signees so far after earning high national rankings by several publications. He was tabbed No. 53 among high school seniors by The Sporting News, and among the top 100 seniors by ESPN.com, Athlon and Lindy’s. McCray is also listed No. 13 nationally among all players by breakdownmagazine.com, and was rated the country’s best scoring guard by Rivalhoops.com. He was rated the No. 20 shooting guard in the 2004 class by Athlon.

A 6-5, 185-pound shooting guard, McCray played his way up the rankings after a stellar summer that included a breakout performance at the ABCD Camp in New Jersey. He was ranked as the second-best wing forward at the camp by HoopMasters.com and No. 24 overall out of 250 elite high schoolers. McCray also averaged 30 points and helped Team Breakdown to the semifinals of the Super Showcase, a tournament that features more than 100 nationally ranked players.

McCray led Dillard (Fla.) High School to four straight state titles in Florida’s largest class (6A), the first large school to win four consecutive championships in Florida. Playing for coach Darrel Burrows, McCray helped Dillard move into the USA Today Top 25 last year, as the team went 32-1. The Ft. Lauderdale native scored a team-high 19 points in the 2003 state title game while being named to the Florida Sports Writers Association All-Tournament Team for the second straight year. As a junior, McCray was named the state finals MVP after scoring 19 points with six rebounds and six assists in the title game.

McCray is attending prep school at the Laurinburg (N.C.) Institute this year under Coach Chris Chaney. Last year, McCray averaged nine points and six rebounds playing a partial season at Dillard as a senior, earning third-team all-state honors. As a junior, he averaged 17 points and nine rebounds. A versatile athlete, McCray was also a top prospect at wide receiver before receiving interest in his basketball talents from several top schools, including Connecticut, Michigan State, Alabama and Miami.

A 6-11, 269-pounder, Maric (pronounced MAR-itch) is a talented post player who is a physical presence in the paint. He also possesses a solid shooting touch and range with tremendous strength and has the ability to run the floor well for a big man.

A native of Sydney, Australia, Maric came to the United States just three weeks ago, but has already been ranked among the top 70 prep players nationally by Hoop Scoop. Playing at the Australian Institute for Sport under Coach Marty Clarke last year, Maric averaged 10 points and 13 rebounds last season, helping AIS to the gold medal at the Under-19 World Championships in Greece in 2003. Under the guidance of Coach Rob Beverage, Maric helped his New South Wales team to the silver and gold medals in his state the previous two years, respectively.

Maric, who played soccer for seven years before turning his talents to the hardwood three years ago, is enrolled at Life Center Academy, an independent private Christian high school in Burlington, N.J., where he will complete his high school requirements this season.