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Opening Statement
“First of all, welcome back to another year. I guess we’ve got a few things that have happened over the summer. It’s been a pretty good summer actually. I know there have been some questions asked about the roster and other things. As always we try to wait until school starts to address that. I guess, as Coach Osborne said, it’s sometimes good to have a coach that doesn’t know how to count. This year, maybe it’s a little bit of a benefit. I guess we can talk about that first. <?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>
“Christian (Standhardinger) got in here Friday night and then got cleared on Monday to start working out with us, and worked out with us yesterday. We got clearance that he will be allowed to play this year, but it’s going to be with basically a 15-game period that he can’t play. He’ll be able to play in the two exhibition games, he’ll be able to practice with us, but he will have to sit out 50-percent of our regular-season games, and that will put us basically at the first league game.
“It was good news for us. Christian is a guy that I think will eventually be a very, very good player for us. With the injury we have now to Christopher Niemann, (Standhardinger) is going to add some depth for us. It was an unfortunate situation for Christopher, but that’s part of it and we’ll deal with it and we’ll move on. Unlike last year, at least we do have some size in the program with Brian Diaz, Quincy Hankins-Cole and maybe even some with Brandon Ubel, and Christian. So we do have some size and we will at least look more like a basketball team even with the injury to Christopher.
“We’ve worked out now for a week. I really like this basketball team as far as the talent and the size. Athletically, I think for the first time with size, we at least look like a team that belongs to be a member of this league that we play in. Unfortunately we’re looking like that team in a bad year, because this league is going to be really, really difficult. As most people know, it’s going to be considered the top league in the country. You’ve got two teams that legitimately have a chance to win probably a national championship. And then some teams had some guys, like Iowa State and Colorado...it’s no question going to be the best teams they’ve had. As far as league schedule is concerned, it’s going to be difficult. As far as non-conference, people look at your schedule and they can pick and choose whatever they want. I know that Tulsa, BYU and Nevada in the tournament we’re in (in Las Vegas) are all three picked to win their leagues. Saint Louis at Saint Louis is going to be difficult. Creighton obviously will be picked to win or be at the top of their league. Oregon State returns everybody from a team that was really playing well at the end of the year. So our non-conference schedule, with the youth that we have, will be difficult.
“Even though I’m saying it’s a talented basketball team, you’re looking at (only) two guys that have basically gotten significant minutes in Sek Henry and Ryan Anderson. Toney McCray and Brandon Richardson are the other two who’ve played a little bit. But even saying that, I think the thing I’m most encouraged about is the competition we’re going to have between last week and when we actually start practicing in October and into the first game. It’s really going to be the first time that I think competition for every position is wide open. That’s only going to make us better in time. I’m looking forward to them. Hopefully that’ll mean wins. I don’t know if it will or not, but I do like these guys.”
On if he can play all 14 scholarship players this season
“We would have had to redshirt someone. Now that Christopher’s out, that kind of takes care of that. He’ll be the guy that won’t be playing.”
On if he felt like Nebraska didn’t look like a Big 12 team last year
“(It would) if you just look at it in warm-ups, but I thought once we started playing, those guys definitely belonged there and they competed like they belonged there. But if you just walk through the airport, you probably wouldn’t have looked like a Big 12 team. At least now when we walk through an airport, we’ll at least look like a team.”
On the addition of Adrien Coleman
“He was a guy we added because we didn’t feel like Christian was going to be eligible. He brings size, 6-4 wing guy, athletic. We were very fortunate to pick up a player like him that late. A friend that I’ve known for a long time that was an assistant coach at UAB called me about him. He’s going to add depth.”
On the chances Niemann gets a year of eligibility back from the NCAA
“That will have to be a waiver filed when he’s finished playing. We won’t know on that. He’ll definitely get a medical redshirt this year. He’ll still have three years to play.”
On the 50-percent ruling on Standhardinger
“It changes for different guys. My understanding is that he basically played for a whole season, and so the maximum penalty, I believe, is 50 percent of the games.”
On if he gets to choose the 50-percent Standhardinger must sit out
“No, it’s the first 50. I wish it was that way. It’s pretty much what it would be anyway.”
On if Standhardinger is the kind of talent that can come in and contribute in the Big 12 Conference
“I don’t know if he is or not. A lot depends on how well he picks up a lot of things. It’s not like we do a lot of things anyway. It’s not like we’re really complicated. He’s going to be coming in at midseason. If you’re winning a lot of games, it’ll be hard to go with a lot of new people. If you’re losing a lot of games, you’ll probably be glad he does come. I hope it’s the first more so than the latter.”
On Lance Jeter and Quincy Hankins-Cole
“Lance is getting in better shape, probably needs to, like a lot of us and at least myself, he could probably afford to lose a few pounds, but he’s doing that. Quincy has a ways to go. He’s not in the shape we need him to be in. When he’s out there in individual workouts, you can tell he could really help us. We’ve got now until October to get him in that type of shape, and I think we’ll be able to do that.”
On if his style will change much with so much roster turnover
“I doubt it. I think we’re probably going to be the same team. We want to defend and get down there as fast as we can and take a good shot, and make more than we miss. I don’t think that’s ever going to change.”
On if walk-ons Drake Beranek and Mitch Albers have been working out with the team
“Yeah, I’ve been really pleased with those guys. That was something over the summer that was a pleasant surprise, one that was unfortunate for the other two programs. I basically tried to talk both those kids, Drake and Mitch, into strongly considering not doing this. As most kids in Nebraska grow up, they dream of playing out here at Nebraska. And so, they’ve got an opportunity. Mitch has been sick, so I haven’t gotten as much a chance to see him as much as Drake. Drake’s been impressive. Neither one of them can play this year. As I told them, if they play harder and they shoot better, they’re going to play. Right now, especially Drake, he would be ahead of a lot of guys because of his age. Maybe he’ll get a chance to play.”
On what impresses him about Beranek
“Obviously he’s been in a great program the last three years. It’s not like he’s a freshman out there. His experience would be the first thing. You can tell he’s excited to be out there. I think there are so many positives to have players from Nebraska on your team, just the respect, tradition, the pride that comes with playing for Nebraska means a lot to those kids. Sometimes it means more and maybe they understand it better than some kids from California or whatever. There’s that pride factor that you can just see, he realizes how much he’s sacrificed. He’s here to play. There’s going to have to be some guys who have to beat him out, I think.”
On Myles Holley and the progress of Brian Diaz
“Holley is probably not near as big, but some of you guys remember a player at Texas Tech, Darvin Ham. Myles Holley is that kind of an athlete. Physically, he’s not an inside player, but he is a high-rising dude that shoots it better than I thought, competes hard in the individual workouts. He could be somebody that could get a lot of time this year. Brian Diaz is a guy that stayed here all summer and has gotten stronger. Now he’s going to be kind of forced to play a position that’s probably not his position in the low post. By him being here for a semester and the summer, he’s gotten stronger at least. In the long run, it’s going to help him. I was really looking forward to playing him and Christopher (Niemann) together, because then you really look like a team. And they complement each other because they pass so well. But now he’s going to basically be the guy who has to play down low a lot.”
On if his initial philosophy of wanting to redshirt players has changed since he came to Nebraska
“My philosophy hasn’t changed, but being realistic about it, I don’t know that kids will let you do it. I don’t know if the patience is there. It’s definitely going to benefit Toney McCray and Brandon (Richardson). But kids want that immediate satisfaction of playing right now. It’s going to be really looked at long and hard before I do it again. They’re going to have to convince me that’s what they want more so than me trying to say ?Hey, this is in your best interest.’ We’ve had a couple guys I thought that could’ve helped us not so much this year, but the next two years who didn’t want to sit and wait, which is fine.”
On what Beranek must improve this season to play in the Big 12 next season
“As with all these guys, he’s going to have to get stronger. The intensity of the workouts, in time, will be OK. But he’s like most of them, he’s got to improve a lot of things. He wants to be out there. That’s saying a lot right there.”
On if Toney McCray is ready to make a leap to be a go-to player
“He’s worked hard, he’s gotten stronger. I personally haven’t seen him work out, because I’m not allowing him to work out with the team right now, and he’s having to do it on his own. We’ll see how it goes.”
On if his recruiting strategy will change in the future
“As we talked in my first year, I knew that this year was going to be an issue. That was one of the reasons we did some of the redshirting that we did, to try to hopefully balance out classes so we wouldn’t have the turnover that we did. Because we lost three of those guys in that class, that’s the reason that you’ve got the turnover. But now it looks like we’re going to be in good shape. Right now we’ve only got one scholarship to give for next year. The following year will be a big class, but we’ve got to get it balanced. I don’t think we can go out and sign four or five Big 12 players every year. We’ll be lucky to get maybe two. And now that’s what you want.”