Talented, Taller Huskers Look to Overcome Inexperience in 2009-10

Expectations are on the rise in Lincoln. After back-to-back postseason appearances and 55 wins over the past three seasons under coach Doc Sadler, the Huskers look to take the next step in their progression toward the top of the Big 12 Conference when they open the 2009-10 campaign.

Every year, coaches open the season talking about how different their team is from a year ago. Players graduate, newcomers join the program and the trek starts all over again with thoughts of dancing in March still in their head.

When Nebraska coach Doc Sadler talks about his 2009-10 Cornhuskers, there will be no way to understate how different this team will be from the one that won 18 games and earned a postseason bid last year. That was a veteran squad defined by the effort it displayed, a fact shown by its eight wins in Big 12 play – the most in a decade – despite being the shortest team in Division I.

Throw those heights, statistics and records out the window this year as only four scholarship letterwinners return from that squad. New this season will be three mature junior college players, four highly talented true freshmen and the addition of two redshirted players who could have made significant contributions last year. Among those in the running to see bountiful minutes of playing time are four players standing at least 6-8, three more than NU had available last year. Add in the stout defensive principles Sadler teaches, mix it all together and what Husker fans hope to see is a recipe for success.

Expectations on the Rise
The recent expectations of Husker fans have been on the upswing since Sadler arrived in 2006. Each year of his tenure, Nebraska has found a way to improve in the win column during Big 12 Conference play. Every one of his teams has won at least 17 games and the past two have ended the year with postseason appearances.

Those type of accomplishments are rare in Lincoln, placing greater outside expectations on Sadler’s squad. But the veteran coach is quick to point out the expectations raised by last year’s team do not necessarily translate to this year’s squad.

"One thing about last year’s team that will be different than this year’s team is that I think there was carryover as far as expectations within the program," Sadler said. "This team this year is more like my first year here. For the most part, they don’t know what to expect of me, nor am I going to know what to expect of them because of the number of new people.

"The good thing is that from this point forward, there will be good carryover because there are so many younger players."

Bringing the younger players up to speed on his way of playing will be easy for Sadler, who has a reputation as a master motivator.

"You almost have to start completely over. You have to start from ground level this year," Sadler said. "We need to teach them what we stand for. As I’ve said from the start, we are going to be a team that day-in and day-out plays hard and does things the right way. Because of that, winning will take care of itself. Obviously with so many new guys, effort is something we have to teach this team."

While trying to get so many newcomers on the same page may be a challenge, one benefit of the influx of talent is the additional depth the Huskers have compared to recent years. Sadler believes that it will produce a more competitive atmosphere and will push players to be on top of their game starting from the first practice of the season.

"I think the thing I’m most encouraged about is the competition we’re going to have in practice," Sadler said. "It’s really going to be the first time since I’ve been here that I think competition for every position is wide open. That’s only going to make us better over time. I’m looking forward to that competition, and hopefully that’ll lead to more wins down the road. I don’t know if it will or not, but I do like these guys and what they bring to the table."

 

Building on the Foundation
Sadler focuses on teaching effort and toughness. Those two principles are needed for his players to be able to play the game – especially defense – the way Sadler expects it to be played. And playing defense is a staple of what the Huskers have come to stand for under Sadler.

Nebraska has led the Big 12 Conference in scoring defense each of the past two years and the Huskers were among the top 25 nationally in scoring defense. Last season, they even led the Big 12 in scoring defense during league play for the first time in history.

As Nebraska looks to continue its defensive success under Sadler this season, it may have more talent on the squad to employ than in previous seasons.

"I really like this basketball team as far as the talent and the size," Sadler said. "The guard play -- their size and athleticism – is as important as it is for the big guys inside. We’re starting to look more like a Big 12 team athletically and size-wise, and that is a good sign for the future."

Part of what Sadler is building at Nebraska is centered around the fact that while size and skill will help, effort remains the foundation of everything the Huskers are trying to do on the court.

"The thing I have always said is that the guys who play the hardest, regardless of their size, are the ones who will play," Sadler said. "It helps to have big guys who play hard. But just because you’re tall doesn’t mean you should get minutes if you don’t play as hard as the guys beside you. That’s never going to change with me, but I do believe the big guys we have will eventually be guys you look out and say those guys play hard too.

"I think for the first time with size, we at least look like a team that belongs as a member of this league. 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 a national championship. And then some teams in the second level, it’s no question they’re going to have the best teams they’ve had in a while, so it’s going to be difficult every night."

 

Overcoming Inexperience
Last year, the Huskers had five players returning who had started at least 19 games the previous season and had 11 letterwinners overall back from a 20-win squad. The benefit of experience will not be on Nebraska’s side this year as only four scholarship letterwinners return. Of those, only two have played more than 500 minutes in their career.

"Even though I’m saying it’s a talented basketball team, you’re looking at only two guys who have gotten significant minutes so far in their careers in Sek Henry and Ryan Anderson," Sadler said. "Toney McCray and Brandon Richardson are the other two who’ve played a little bit, but we’re going to need to have others who’ve never been in a Division I game step up too."

Outside of those four, Sadler may need to keep a roster handy at practices as new faces will be stepping on the court on every possession. All told, there are 19 players on the squad this season and only six have ever played in a Division I contest.

Every season, coaches hope to see their seniors provide the necessary leadership within the team. With that amount of inexperience, Sadler knows that his senior leaders – Ryan Anderson and Sek Henry – will need to raise the bar even higher. The benefit is that Anderson and Henry both came in Sadler’s first season and have come to understand Sadler’s demands on the court.

"We obviously lack experience in a lot of areas, so we need Ryan and Sek to step it up. If we have success this year, those seniors have to play like we know they’re capable of every day," Sadler said.

Anderson is the Huskers’ most proven offensive threat entering the season. The savvy 6-4 guard – who has played the 4 spot each of his first three years – begins his final season already ranked among the top 10 3-point shooters in school history in both made treys and 3-point percentage. He’s also quietly moved up the career scoring chart, and is within reach of becoming the 25th 1,000-point scorer in school history.

Though Anderson may be the Huskers’ active leader in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals, he struggled much of last season playing without the benefit of a true low-post presence. The Huskers are hoping with the addition of several young big guys in the paint in 2009-10 that Anderson will regain his form from his freshman year when he played with all-conference center Aleks Maric.

"Ryan is the kind of player who feeds off other people," Sadler said. "His experience always comes into play, and Ryan’s forte is to play hard. He gets baskets from playing hard and hopefully he can get more from that with a low-post presence on the floor with him again this season."

While Anderson may have better career offensive numbers, Henry has earned a reputation as one of the Huskers’ top man-to-man defenders, leading to his appearance in every Husker contest (95 games entering the season) since he arrived in Lincoln in 2006. This year, his focus will be on being more consistent on the offensive end where he’s shown flashes of an explosive game but never for an extended period of time.

"That’s what we need Sek to do," Sadler said. "He’s a senior and needs to play the best basketball this year since he’s been here."

 

Opportunities Await
Nebraska returns only 37 percent of its scoring from last season, presenting a great chance for a number of players to step up into new roles.

"I like to think that there’s an opportunity out there," Sadler said of where the team’s scoring will come from this year. "One reason we struggled some scoring last year was our depth. We got tired, but I don’t think that will be a problem with our depth now. I also think we’ll be able to score better on the low post and that always helps open things up.

"I don’t think there are any labels for anyone right now. The thing they have to do is go out and play as hard as they can play, play with confidence and do the things we ask them to do. If they do that, things will turn out good."

While Anderson and Henry will be heavily counted on to lead by example, a pair of returning sophomores and a handful of newcomers could also fill scoring roles this season.

Toney McCray is a talented young wing who has excellent size and a solid skill set. He can score in a variety of ways and provided solid help on defense last year as a redshirt freshmen, ranking eighth on the NU freshman chart for blocked shots. He showed a glimpse of his ability when he was selected the Big 12 Rookie of the Week on two occasions last year.

Sadler also looks forward to seeing the development of sophomore Brandon Richardson. Despite being slowed early in the conference slate last year with an injury, he showed promise as one of the team’s strongest shooters from the perimeter.

"We need them to provide some experience, but they haven’t played a whole lot of college basketball," Sadler said of McCray and Richardson. "With that said, they are two of our more experienced guys and for sophomores, they have to take on quite a bit. They have to come through for us to have a good season."

 

New Faces to Provide a Lift
The back court will be crowded this season with a number of newcomers looking to step in and provide a lift. While he isn’t technically a newcomer, guard Eshaunte Jones can be added to that list as he will likely see the first significant action of his career after sitting out all but four games last year with an injury. He received a medical redshirt and following surgery to repair his foot, looks to show he’s back to 100 percent of the player who was considered one of the top five prep players in his native Indiana as a senior.

"When he is healthy, his strength is that he can shoot the basketball. When he has an opportunity to get open shots, he can be a guy you can count on to make some," Sadler said.

Junior college transfers Lance Jeter, a honorable-mention All-American last year, and Myles Holley also figure to challenge for immediate playing time in the back court. The pair bring a strong work ethic, tremendous size and athleticism, and could give the Huskers a new dimension.

"Obviously Lance brings size at point guard and Myles brings athleticism that we haven’t had before," Sadler said. "I’ve said so many times that I think we’ve been an OK team before Big 12 play starts, but once we’ve gotten into the Big 12, the stakes are bigger, the players are bigger and our size became an issue. Over a 30-game schedule, we would break down. With the way it is now with our size, hopefully we’ll be better once we get into those Big 12 games."

The Huskers also have a pair of freshmen guards who could make an impact this season. Ray Gallegos will be one of the quickest Huskers on the court and his ability to break down defenses will be a boost for the NU offense. Adrien Coleman brings good size and is a slasher with the ability to get to the basket off the dribble.

"Of all the guys, early in the year I’ve been most pleased with the true freshmen," Sadler said. "They work hard. The good news is that I really believe for first time that I can look beyond this year and say that we could put a run together for two or three straight years with these guys. And that’s good and that can only happen because I have that much confidence in the freshmen and sophomores that are here now."

Among that group of freshmen are a pair of forwards who are likely to make contributions this year. Brandon Ubel (6-10, 225) has impressed coaches and teammates with his ability and savvy despite being the third-youngest player in the Big 12 this season, while Christian Standhardinger (6-8, 210) is a highly touted rookie who has a significant background playing at the highest levels in his native Germany.

Redshirt freshman center Brian Diaz may be the most intriguing addition to the Husker lineup this season. The Huskers’ tallest player at 6-11, Diaz has a variety of offensive post moves and an impressive set of skills that includes range out to the 3-point line.

"Brian may be one of the more skilled big guys I’ve coached, but we’ve still never seen him in college competition other than practices," Sadler said. "He’s never been in game situations so it’s going to take some time for him to adjust, but I do think he can be a very good player."

Diaz practiced with the team during the second semester last year and benefitted from a redshirt season that included daily battles with 6-11, 265-pounder Christopher Niemann. The German sophomore was expected to be a stalwart in the paint this season but a torn ACL in the last week of August will sideline him for the season.

While Diaz may be the tallest Husker, newcomer Quincy Hankins-Cole, who stands 6-8, 240, will eat up as much space in the paint as anyone. Hankins-Cole was one of the nation’s top rebounders in junior college and will provide a key ingredient for the Huskers, who were last in the conference in rebounding a year ago.

 

Tough Road Ahead
With so many newcomers, it may take a little time for the team to come together, however, it does not have the benefit of an easy schedule. The non-conference slate is packed with pitfalls including five difficult games away from home against Saint Louis, USC, Creighton, Tulsa and either BYU or Nevada. Add in the fact the Huskers play in arguably the toughest conference in the country, and the 2009-10 schedule may be the most difficult in years.

"This non-conference schedule is going to get us ready for Big 12 play, but I think for this team, it’s probably a little more difficult than I would have liked," Sadler said. "I don’t like the idea that we have five games away from the Devaney Center; that’s not good for an inexperienced team. But, it is what it is and we’ll prepare and be ready for what’s ahead of us."

Add that difficult schedule to the fact that Nebraska will be among the most inexperienced teams in the country and it may lead to pundits picking the Huskers low in the preseason. That’s fine with Sadler, who said the only time he cares about rankings and standings is at the end of the season.

"I don’t think we’ve been picked high any year since we’ve been here, and that doesn’t bother me," Sadler said. "I think we have built a foundation where we are ready to maybe take another step. I think the players in this program are talented enough to do that. I just hope it’s this year.

"I’m never going to lose sight of the big picture, and I’ve said so many times that this is not a quick fix problem, and I didn’t want it to be. That would mean you don’t have a good foundation. I think our foundation is really good – and I’m thankful to the players who started that – but these players now are good enough to build on that foundation. I think down the road people will see that too."