NU Hoops Blog -- January 2010

Posted by: Jerry Trickie
Jan. 29, 2010, at 3:55 p.m.

A Winn, A Helping Hand and A Big Guy
Yes, everyone is looking forward to the Huskers' first Big 12 win. And trust me, the coaches and players are as disappointed as the fans -- even more -- with the recent struggles, but they're continuing to work hard and are keeping their heads up and are going to do everything they can to bring one home this weekend. I'm sure of that.

But that's not what this post is about. And no, the start of the headline was not a typo. It's in reference to a person, not a victory.

Luke Winn of Sports Illustrated stopped by Boulder on Wednesday when we were in town to take on the Buffs. He was on his way to the West Coast to catch up with the Gonzaga team that went on to win a big game at Santa Clara last night. They have a freshman from Germany, Elias Harris, who is making a splash for the nationally ranked Bulldogs.

Anyway, Luke called and wanted to talk with Doc and assistant Walter Roese about international recruiting and the edge that teams can get when they look overseas for players. So he came by practice for a bit and he got a little time with each of them for a story he's doing for the magazine (I didn't ask, but I assumed it would be online as well). So you may want to check it out to see what they had to say. It should be out in the next couple weeks.

In reference to the other part of this post's headline, I wanted to make sure everyone knew some of the things going on at the Devaney Center on Saturday for the Huskers' game against Oklahoma. That includes:

• The coaches for both Nebraska and Oklahoma will be wearing sneakers with their suits as part of the Suits and Sneakers weekend to bring awareness to the fight to save lives from cancer. The Coaches vs. Cancer program is a partnership between the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the American Cancer Society. For more information on the national event that runs throughout the weekend in college and high school basketball games, check out www.coachesvscancer.org or www.cancer.org/coaches.
• The Red Cross will be collecting money on Saturday for the Haiti Relief Fund. More than $10,000 was collected at last weekend's women's basketball game at the Devaney Center. This is the first home men's game since the money raising initiative was announced through the Nebraska Athletic Department.  
• During halftime of Saturday's game, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is expected to be on hand to be recognized by the athletic department for the numerous national awards he won this past fall.
• At the under 4:00 media timeout of the first half, former Husker player and coach Bob Gates will be recognized. A guard on the 1948-49 and 1949-50 Nebraska teams that won Big Seven championships, Gates played on the first Nebraska team ever that climbed into the national rankings. He was the leading scorer in a home game against Oklahoma the week the Huskers entered the rankings in 1950, scoring 13 points. Gates later was an assistant coach for basketball and baseball for the Huskers.  

Thanks again for checking in at NU Hoops Blog this week. Don't forget that you can email us at NUhoopsblog@hotmail.com or tweet us at www.twitter.com/nuhoopsblog with your questions and comments.

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Posted by: Jerry Trickie
Jan. 26, 2010, at 12:05 p.m.

TV Update
Here is a reminder that Wednesday's game at Colorado will be televised on FS Rocky Mountain live in the state of Colorado and will be telecast on tape-delay starting at 10 p.m. CT in Nebraska on FS Midwest.

As an UPDATE, Fox Sports has told us today that the game will be available on Dish Network on channel 453, but will not be seen on DirecTV due to bandwidth constraints. So hopefully that will make the game available to many more of you who want to see it. Otherwise, you can still listen to the action live with Kent and Matt on the Husker Sports Radio Network starting with the pregame show at 8 p.m. CT.

Thanks again for checking in at NU Hoops Blog this week. Don't forget that you can email us at NUhoopsblog@hotmail.com or tweet us at www.twitter.com/nuhoopsblog with your questions and comments.

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Posted by: Jerry Trickie
Jan. 25, 2010, at 5:55 p.m. 

Monday Recap
Just a quick little interview today as we make a fast turnaround to get on the road Tuesday heading to Colorado.

And a reminder that the game will be seen on tape delay on Wednesday at 10 p.m. CT on FS Midwest. I'm waiting to hear about DirecTV and Dish Network whether they will carry the game at that time or not have it at all.

And now on to what our intern, Brandon, found out before practice today:

Freshman guard Ray Gallegos gave the Huskers a needed boost off the bench on Saturday afternoon at Missouri. The Utah native kept Nebraska in the game with his hot second-half shooting, scoring all eight of his points in the final 20 minutes while hitting 3-of-7 field goals. He connected on two 3-pointers, with the second half while pulling the Huskers within one point (45-44) with 10:49 remaining. We sat down with Ray on Monday afternoon before practice to talk about his increased playing time and solid performance last week.

NU Hoops Blog: Talk a little about Saturday's game. You had your best offensive performance in a few weeks. Is that something you think you can bring to the table more consistently in conference play?
Ray Gallegos: "In practice, coach (Sadler) has been telling me to be more aggressive on offense, so that's what I have been trying to do. When he called me to go in the game, that's what I was thinking about. If I have the mentality to be more aggressive, it's possible I can continue to do that."

NU Hoops Blog: Your playing time has increased a lot in conference play since the we started Big 12 games a couple weeks ago. How did you stay mentally prepared for when you started seeing more action?
RG: "The coaches kept telling me to keep my head in it, stay focused and practice hard. They said my time would come and now it has. Basically, I was just staying focused and being patient."

NU Hoops Blog: What's the mindset for a good shooter like yourself, trying to have the same success shooting on the road that you do at home?
RG: "I just try to block the crowd out and keep my mind on the game. There's really nothing else to it. It's all about staying focused."

NU Hoops Blog: Now that you've been on the road twice in Big 12 play, how tough is it playing on another team's home court in this league?
RG: "I think it's different because when the home team has momentum, the crowd can be a big factor. At some points in the game it can get a little shaky when it's really loud. That's about the only difference though. If you can get through that, you'll be fine."

NU Hoops Blog: Since you've played in a few Big 12 games, have you seen the speed and athleticism of other team's get noticeably better than in non-conference play?
RG: "Yeah, it definitely has. Now that we're in conference play it's not going to get any easier from here on out either. It's more physical, too."

NU Hoops Blog: You have a young team but yet you have been in every conference game with eight minutes to go. How are you going to stay upbeat and positive to get over that hump?
RG: "We just have to come out here and practice hard. Once you get over that hump in the last seven or eight minutes, then we'll start winning more games. We just have to get over that right now. I know eventually we will."

Thanks again for checking in at NU Hoops Blog this week. Don't forget that you can email us at NUhoopsblog@hotmail.com or tweet us at www.twitter.com/nuhoopsblog with your questions and comments.

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Posted by: Jerry Trickie
Jan. 22, 2010, at 11:36 a.m.

Little This and That
Just thought I'd drop a little info here before practice today so that those of you who read this regularly (there are a few of you, right? At least one, right? I hope) have some light lunchtime reading.

• Saturday's men's basketball game between Nebraska and Missouri in Columbia, Mo., will be carried on the Big 12 Network and ESPN FullCourt. It will be on like normal in Lincoln (KLKN and KXVO) and Omaha (KXVO), but there is a technical issue in carrying this weekend's game in North Platte on KIIT. Because of this issue, the Husker game will not be seen on KIIT like normal. Instead the Big 12 Network has gained a clearance for the game to be viewed on Altitude Channel 75 on Charter Cable in the North Platte demographic area.
• We've heard from Fox Sports and it sounds like we will have the Colorado game next week in Boulder televised here after all, but on delay. What I've been told is that it will be on Wednesday night, starting at 10 p.m. CT, about an hour after tipoff. It will be on FS Midwest like normal, but it will be the Colorado announcer crew of Drew Goodman and Ceal Berry. So you'll have your choice of listening to Kent and Matt live on the Husker Sports Radio Network or waiting an hour and watching the action for yourself.

In addition to the TV listings, I thought I'd drop a few Big 12 notes here for your enjoyment. Thanks to the league's communications office for the information.

BIG 12 NOTES
The Big 12 is rated as the No. 1 conference in the nation in the latest Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).  The Conference has seven teams in the top 40 of the RPI - the most of any league. 

• The Big 12 has the best record in the nation amongst the six major conferences when playing each other (through January 22): BIG 12 - 28-11 (.718), ACC - 24-20 (.545), SEC - 25-26 (.490), Big Ten - 18-19 (.486), Big East - 16-21 (.432), Pac-10 - 9-24 (.273).
• The Big 12 is 141-30 (.825) in non-conference play in 2009-10, including 8-5 versus Associated Press top 25 opponents.  The .825 winning percentage is the best in the nation and the 30 losses are the fewest of any league.
• The Big 12 was the first conference in the nation this season to have every team post a double-digit victory total.  The Big 12 has the most squads (8) with 13 wins or more.
• The Big 12 is 123-6 (.953) at home this season, the best home record of any conference in the nation.  In non-conference play, the league is 106-1.
• The Big 12 has two of the nation's six teams with winning percentages of .900 or better.  The total matches the most of any conference.
• Every team in the Big 12 has a win percentage of .556 or better, with 11 squads at .611 or higher and eight at .700 or better.  The Conference is second behind the ACC for the most teams at or above the .700 mark.
• The 141 non-conference wins by the Big 12 is a league record for the most in regular-season play.  The non-conference winning percentage (.825) would also be a Big 12 record. 
• The Big 12 has six teams with home-court winning streaks of 13 games or more.  All six squads rank in the top 18 nationally, led by No. 1 Kansas (51 games) and No. 3 Missouri (30).
• At least four league teams have been ranked in the top 25 each of the past seven weeks.  Seven conference squads have been in the top 25 at some point this year - the most in one season in Big 12 history. 

Thanks again for checking in at NU Hoops Blog this week. Don't forget that you can email us at NUhoopsblog@hotmail.com or tweet us at www.twitter.com/nuhoopsblog with your questions and comments.

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Posted by: Jerry Trickie
Jan. 21, 2010, at 2:27 p.m.

Helping Hand
Every little bit counts and when we're talking about such a large disaster as what has happened in Haiti, that saying is magnified 100 times. So if you haven't already, hopefully you'll be able to lend a little help as the Nebraska Athletic Department joins numerous other organizations in collecting funds for disaster relief in that area hit by the recent earthquake.

Check out the full release about when and where you can give and join us as we try to lend a helping hand.

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Posted by: Jerry Trickie
Jan. 19, 2010, at 11:27 p.m.

And He Ain't Done Yet
With yesterday being a holiday, we decided to push back the Monday Recap until today, which gave me a little more time to think about who we should catch up with. After running through the game notes and seeing the stats, there were several options. But easily heading the list was senior Ryan Anderson.

Now, usually we catch up to recap the past week's games, and I kind of did that. But for Ryan, it was more than just his weekly stats that stood out as a reason to have a little chat. With 11 rebounds in the two games last week, the 6-4 guard who plays as a 4 man crossed the 500-rebound plateau, which I believe is quite an accomplishment.

In fact, I thought it was such a remarkable feat, I went ahead and looked up all the 500-rebound players in the Husker annals to put here, which is why I'm posting it so much later than normal tonight.

(NOTE: I'm sure there were a few guys from the 1950s and earlier who might belong on here -- like Bus Whitehead and other notable Huskers who could have had 500 rebounds -- but our statistics are not complete that far back, so unfortunately, we can't include them. They are complete through the early 1960s, so it still covers nearly 50 years of Husker hoops)

Nebraska All-Time Rebound List (min. 500)
Venson Hamilton, 1996-99                1,080
Aleks Maric, 2005-08                       1,015
Leroy Chalk, 1968-71                       782
Dave Hoppen, 1983-86                      773
Rich King, 1988-91                           761
Andre Smith, 1978-81                      753
Chuck Jura, 1970-72                        740
Carl McPipe, 1976-79                      723
John Turek, 2002-05                        682
Rex Ekwall, 1955-57                       679
Eric Piatkowski, 1991-94                 669
Mikki Moore, 1994-97                      661
Bob Siegel, 1974-77                        632
Herschell Turner, 1958-60                626
Bruce Chubick, 1991-94                  618
Stuart Lantz, 1966-68                     571
Bill Johnson, 1952-54                      569
Andy Markowski, 1996-99               568
Cookie Belcher, 1997-2001              526
Larry Florence, 1997-2000               519
Terrance Badgett, 1993-96              506
Ryan Anderson, 2007-present       505
Dapreis Owens, 1989-92                 505
Erick Strickland, 1993-96                 503

As you're looking at that list, keep in your mind how tall each of those guys are. By my count, Rex Ekwall (6-4), Herschell Turner (6-2), Stuart Lantz (6-3) and Cookie Belcher (6-4) are currently the only Huskers on that list ahead of Anderson who stand 6-5 or shorter. And Ryan likely will pass Belcher before he's done this season.

Making that chart just by itself is an impressive career by any standard. And that it doesn't count in his 152 career steals which already rank seventh (he needs seven to move into the top five) and the fact that he needs just 37 points to become only the 25th Husker in history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. To say that he will be remembered for a long time as one of the most well-rounded players in Nebraska history is not overstating the facts.

But as you'll see from his answer to my last question, he could also rank among the most passionate Huskers in recent memory as well.

NU Hoops Blog: Considering you're basically a 6-4 guard, coming into your career did you envision getting 500 rebounds and ranking among the top 25 rebounders in school history? Was that something you planned to focus on?
Ryan Anderson: I've always enjoyed rebounding; it's something that kind of helps me get into the rhythm of the game, getting physical, getting a feel for game. It helps me more on offense than people will understand, just knowing how physical the game will be. Rebounding is something I really enjoy doing. I try to put myself in situations to be in the right place at the right time, anticipating on the rebound.

NU Hoops Blog: How do you get that way, understanding how to anticipate a rebound?
RA: It mostly comes from desire to want to have it. If you have a desire to really have the rebound, you'll probably get it.

NU Hoops Blog: Does that tie in with you being able to create so many steals?
RA: That's kind of same thing as rebounding. I've been blessed with long arms and I try to use them to the best of my ability. Shooting passing lanes, that's anticipation. It's like a linebacker watching the quarterback's eyes. The little stuff like that, reading him, looking to see if he's going to make that pass, things like that, because you know, once they make that pass, they can't go back on it. Anticipating that passing lane, that's something I enjoy doing and it's something I've been doing since high school. I've really just been polishing and getting crafty as a veteran.

NU Hoops Blog: On Saturday, you had one of those steals and it led to a breakaway dunk. It was your first dunk in a game as a Husker. How'd that feel?
RA: That felt good. I've dunked before plenty of times (in practice and high school), but people kept asking when I would get one in a game; hopefully that wasn't the last one to come. This year I really focused on my body a lot. I can't express it enough, the off-season regimen, what I did with the team, and individually taking my health serious and getting my body ready for this year. I'm seeing the benefits now after working hard this summer.

NU Hoops Blog: There is still a lot of season left for the team and for you individually to reach some more milestones. But looking back, has your career gone the way you envisioned it starting in that first week as a freshman when you had to work so hard to show you belonged?
RA: I was going to work hard regardless. The outcome is really nice as an individual, but I just want to win, man. Me and my wife (Danielle) were having this conversation the other day: I'd trade all this in a blink. I'd trade everything I have, all my individual stats to be 3-0 (in Big 12 play), you know what I mean? Winning is more important. You know, people look at Allen Iverson... great player, never won a championship. That's something as a competitor that hangs over your head. You don't want that individual stat, you want the team, you really want it to be a winner. And as a leader that's what I want for this team this year, to go and do something that hasn't been done. It's kind of discouraging to be 0-3, but I think with determination we can turn it around.

I'd have to agree with Ryan that there's still plenty of season left to turn things around. And this group, while young, has some of that determination to go along with Ryan's. Good thing they have a proven leader to show them the way.

Thanks again for checking in at NU Hoops Blog this week. Don't forget that you can email us at NUhoopsblog@hotmail.com or tweet us at www.twitter.com/nuhoopsblog with your questions and comments.

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Posted by: Jerry Trickie
Jan. 15, 2010, at 4:49 p.m.

Few Tidbits
Here are five things to note about the Nebraska Cornhusker basketball team heading into the Jan. 15, 2010 game against Iowa State at home.

• 1. Fast starts.... The Cornhuskers have now opened the season with a 12-5 record three times in coach Doc Sadler's four years in Lincoln. The 12-5 record to open the season ties for the best mark by the Huskers through 17 games in the Big 12 era, also matched four other times. A win Saturday over Iowa State would give Nebraska its best 18-game start in the Big 12 era. The Huskers have been 12-6 on five previous occasions through 18 games, including each of the past four seasons, but have not had a better start since 1995-96 when NU opened 14-4.
• 2. Dominating Diaz... Redshirt freshman center Jorge Brian Diaz has picked up his game in the past few weeks, something coach Doc Sadler has noticed in practice. "He's been starting to get it more, not just physically but mentally, in the past couple weeks. It's starting to click for him (offensively) and it's showing on the court." Diaz is currently third in the Big 12-only stats entering the weekend as he has hit 70.6 percent (12-of-17) from the floor while leading Nebraska with 12.5 points per game. He hit 7-of-10 from the field for 15 points against No. 3 Kansas on Wednesday night.
• 3. Young Guns... Nebraska has averaged 62.5 points per game in two league games, but more than half of that total has come from freshmen or sophomores. Redshirt freshman Jorge Brian Diaz has led NU in its two Big 12 games with 12.5 ppg, while sophomore Brandon Richardson is a close second at 12.0 ppg. In third and fourth, respectively, are true freshman Christian Standhardinger and redshirt freshman Eshaunte Jones with 10.5 ppg each, giving NU 45.5 ppg from freshmen and sophomores in Big 12 play.
• 4. Streaking... Junior point guard Lance Jeter has had at least five assists in eight games this season, including each of the past six consecutive contests. The six straight games with at least five assists is the longest streak by a Husker in the Big 12 era, surpassing the five straight games Charles Richardson Jr. had at least five assists in 2006-07. Jeter leads the team and is sixth in the league with 4.4 assists per game this year. NU has had only two people (Richardson in 2008, 5.8 apg; Cookie Belcher, 2001, 4.2 apg) who have averaged at least 4.0 apg over a whole season.
• 5. Three more... Senior Ryan Anderson, who stands 6-4 and weighs in at 195 pounds this season, leads the team with 4.8 rebounds per game in 2009-10. He is just three rebounds away from his 500th career board, as he has 497 rebounds in 107 career games despite playing at a severe height and weight disadvantage while at the '4' spot all four years.

I don't know if we'll have any tickets for Twitter Ticket Trivia on Saturday morning, but if we do, you should plan on check the tweets around 11 a.m. Either way, I hope we see you there at the Devaney Center again on Saturday night. As everyone could see on Wednesday, a packed house definitely gets the guys' competitive juices going.

Thanks again for checking in at NU Hoops Blog this week. Don't forget that you can email us at NUhoopsblog@hotmail.com or tweet us at www.twitter.com/nuhoopsblog.

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Posted by: Jerry Trickie
Jan. 11, 2010, at 5:01 p.m. 

Monday Recap
Now that our web site editing tool has knocked my story off twice in a row, hopefully this time it will stay active so you can see it. No guarantees, but if you do see this and want to drop me a line so that I know it's working outside in the real world, feel free to send a note to the address below.

Normally after struggling to get the page to load correctly, I'd just jump into the Monday Recap, but I have a video link here I'd like to make sure you see.

For those of you who follow the blog, you will remember that last week I gave a little update on signee Andre Almeida. Well, the basketball team's right-hand man in HuskerVision, Brad Colee, must have been thinking just like me as he had a video feature about Andre on Doc's TV show this week. Brad had assistant coach Walter Roese, who coached Andre on a Brazilian junior national team this summer, get some video and Brad pieced it together with some quotes from Doc and Walter.

The big guy will definitely make fans have to look up (he's the largest human being to ever walk into my office... that's the only way I can describe him up close). And looking up will be the only way to check out Nebraska's possible front line next year with the 6-11 Andre alongside 6-11 Christopher Niemann, 6-10 Jorge Brian Diaz and 6-10 Brandon Ubel, not to mention 6-8 Christian Standhardinger. Wow, that's something to look forward to.

But for now, let's stick to this year and to winning this season. The players and coaches are, so we should to.

With that in mind, we sent intern Brandon over to practice today to get some thoughts about last week's performances. He's what he found out.

The Big 12 season is off and running after 10 teams opened the conference schedule this past weekend (Kansas and Iowa State played non-conference games). Nebraska battled to the final minutes in its first league game at Texas A&M before falling late, 64-53, despite holding a one-point lead with eight minutes remaining.

I caught up with freshman guard Eshaunte Jones before practice Monday and talked to him about the start of the Big 12 season and the challenges that lie ahead. Here's what he had to say...

NU Hoops Blog: Did you notice a big difference between last Tuesday night's game against Southeastern Louisiana and Saturday's league opener at Texas A&M?
Eshaunte Jones: "Yeah, the physicality of the game and just all the difference in speed. They were a bigger team, too. I just have to adjust to that. I think we all have to adjust. We really have to pick up the intensity on the defensive end and rebound better."

NU Hoops Blog: You guys were in position to knock off the Aggies in the second half. Why do you think the game got away from you in the final minutes?
EJ: "Like coach said, it was quick shots, including myself. I think that kind of took the game away from us. We missed a lot of open shots. When we missed those, they took advantage of it and didn't look back. It was a big point swing and we were hurt from that."

NU Hoops Blog: You redshirted last season, but watched a Nebraska team that had a very small lineup. How much do you think having more height will help this conference season?
EJ: "It's going to help us. Last year, we had a lot of heart and a lot of speed. That helped too. I think this year the height is going to help, but to win, we need to pick up the intensity and rebound better."

NU Hoops Blog: Christian Standhardinger played in his first regular season game at Texas A&M. What's your outlook on him?
EJ: "Christian is going to be a big player for us. He's always worked hard in practice; even when nobody is in the gym, he is still working. A lot of people see that, including myself. I think Christian is going to be a great player in this league."

NU Hoops Blog: The Big 12 is being perceived as the toughest league in college basketball. How do you guys approach this type of challenge, including Wednesday night's game against No. 3 Kansas?
EJ: "That's why we came to Nebraska. We want to play the best teams in the country. That's why we're here. We want to compete with them and we want to win. We need to just look at it as another game. It's a big game, but we've played basketball just like they have. To me, it's not going to be any different than any other game. I think if we just stick together as a family and play together, we'll be just fine."

Thanks for checking in at NU Hoops Blog this week. Don't forget that you can email us at NUhoopsblog@hotmail.com or tweet us at www.twitter.com/nuhoopsblog.

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Posted by: Jerry Trickie
Jan. 8, 2010, at 9:16 a.m.

Almeida Update, and Some Doc Talk
A few years ago, there was an NCAA rule change that actually helped schools be able to publicize their incoming recruits, once they had signed with the school. Previously, I couldn't mention Andre Almeida after he signed with us, other than to say that he had signed. Now, I can bring you the following update, including stats.

Andre is off to a good start this season. Actually, looking at his statistics, he's off to a great start. He's helped Arizona Western College to a No. 16 national ranking this week in NJCAA Division I. The team won again earlier in the week and is now 13-1 on the season.

The 6-11, 315-pound Brazilian is averaging team highs with 13.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game. He also leads the team by hitting an outstanding 68.9 percent (80-of-116) from the floor. Andre has hit just 60 percent from the free throw line, so there are areas to improve on, but, hey, who doesn't have something to get better at, right?

If you want to follow Andre's stats this season, you can check out the link to the NJCAA web site.

Quotes of the day: There were a couple of good quotes from Doc on the Big 12 Teleconference on Thursday. You can follow him and all the Big 12 coaches each week on Mondays from now till the end of the season. Just log onto www.Big12sports.com at 10 a.m. on Monday mornings and you can listen to the whole teleconference live.

Here's some of what Doc had to say Thursday (the first teleconference before Big 12 play started):

What is the significance of 12 wins in non-conference for your team?
"At the beginning of the year if you had told me we would get 12 wins in preseason I would think that was unbelievable. Because we lost guys really before the season started with (Christopher) Niemann and (Toney) McCray, and that's big. So it's significant because of the number of injuries (we've had). Young guys have had to play so frequently and a lot of minutes, that's the biggest significance. The thing most concerning about that is they got a lot of minutes, but we're still having to play too many young players and they have never been in the Big 12. We only have three guys who have played (in conference). Mental toughness has got to get better and we're not close to where we need to be to compete in the league this year."  

Talk a little about what you've seen from the league, top to bottom, so far this year.
"Everyone knew that Kansas and Texas in the preseason were going to be two teams when it's said and done could be playing for a national championship. In the preseason I made a statement that teams like Colorado, Iowa State, Texas Tech and I think Baylor, teams in the bottom of the league (in preseason predictions) are going to be the strongest they've ever been, and it's proven to be that. Besides the two teams, the other 10 teams have shown they can go places on the road and win, all have done that. And they can take care of home court, they've all done that. So it sets up for an unbelievable year as far as fans and players are concerned, along with the coaches. Each and every night, you better have the team ready to play, I don't care who it is." 

Thanks for checking in at NU Hoops Blog this week. Don't forget that you can email us at NUhoopsblog@hotmail.com or tweet us at www.twitter.com/nuhoopsblog.

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Posted by: Jerry Trickie
Jan. 7, 2010, at 5:10 p.m.

Freshman Props
Hopefully I'll be able to add a few more notes to the blog tonight or Friday morning before we leave for College Station, but figured this one should get up here sooner than later as it's good news. Everyone here in Lincoln who has seen the team knows that we're relying heavily on freshman talent as we have four - and soon to be five - freshmen getting solid playing time this season.

Well, one of them has obviously been making the best of it as Eshaunte Jones has been ranked No. 25 in the freshman class to date. Here is the link to the top-25 list created by basketballprospectus.com.

Jones leads the Big 12 Conference in 3-point percentage by hitting 50.0 percent, knocking down 23-of-46 trey attempts this season. He's only averaging 18 minutes per game but is likely to see his time increase as Doc has said that he will be cutting down the rotation to 8-9 guys in league play, meaning everyone in the rotation will see increased minutes.

Nice job, Eshaunte.

Now let's hope he can keep it rolling through the league slate.

Thanks for checking in at NU Hoops Blog this week. Don't forget that you can email us at NUhoopsblog@hotmail.com or tweet us at www.twitter.com/nuhoopsblog.

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Posted by: Jerry Trickie
Jan. 6, 2010, at 9:21 a.m.

On to the Real Fun
It's here. Big 12 Conference play is now not just around the corner, it's straight ahead and not getting out of the way. Doc talks all the time about how this inexperienced squad has to grow up in a hurry and won't know what to expect until they're in it. Well, they're about to be in it real quick, starting Saturday.

It should be fun watching this squad. I know there will be plenty of bumps along the way when you have five freshmen (redshirts and true) and two sophomores playing among your 11 active scholarship players, but hey, that's why you play, right? They'll compete. Doc will make sure of that. And they will probably sneak up on a few teams as well, especially at home.

Last night was a good way to end non-conference as the team beat a decent Southeastern Louisiana squad (mark it down now that you heard it here: that team will be in the top two in its league, pushing for a NCAA spot. It's same league that has Northwestern State, which won an NCAA game a few years ago if you remember). With the win, the Huskers have a 12-3 record, their best non-conference mark in 15 years. That's something to build on.

So hopefully you're as excited as I am and ready to start watching tons of college hoops. If you want to see the Huskers this weekend, they'll be playing on the Big 12 Network (formerly ESPN Plus). In Lincoln, that will be seen on KLKN and in Omaha, it will again be on KXVO. It can also been seen in the North Platte viewing area on KIIT.

Click here for a PDF that includes all of this weekend's TV affiliates around the country that will carry the game. The Big 12 office provides this to us and I'll try to post here each week as it's updated so those of you out of the state will have a chance to follow the Huskers. Just keep checking back here often. Or follow us on Twitter.

Thanks for checking in at NU Hoops Blog this week. Don't forget that you can email us at NUhoopsblog@hotmail.com or tweet us at www.twitter.com/nuhoopsblog.

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Posted by: Jerry Trickie
Jan. 4, 2010, at 10:32 p.m.

Monday Recap
Now that we're getting back on schedule, here is what our intern, Brandon Gries, came up with for this week's Monday Recap when he went over to practice this afternoon to talk with point guard Lance Jeter:

Lance Jeter has only been playing Division I basketball for two months, but you wouldn't know it but watching the junior guard. The Cincinnati native comes from a vast basketball background that includes a 2005 Class AA Pennsylvania state title and two years at Polk (Fla.) Community College, where he was a NJCAA honorable-mention All-American.

Upon his arrival in Lincoln this fall, Jeter was immediately relied upon to fill Nebraska's point guard role. The junior has dished out 10 assists to just two turnovers the past two games, and has averaged 5.0 assists per game the past five contests. More and more, he seems to be hitting his stride just in time for conference play.

NU Hoops Blog: You have done a nice job of controlling the offense and taking care of the ball, moreso these past few non-conference games. What's been working for you these first two months?
Lance Jeter: "I'm just trying to help us get a good shot every possession. I'm trying to be a leader out there with Ryan (Anderson) and Sek (Henry) and be a positive player on the court. We need to keep everyone comfortable and confident. If we're confident, more shots will fall on those possessions."

NU Hoops Blog: You're a newcomer to the Division I level, but you have played a lot of basketball in your life time. What has helped prepare you for these challenges?
LJ: "I played against great competition in high school in Pennsylvania. There was good basketball in junior college in Florida, too. Juco basketball is very big down there. That was very helpful because you're going against D-I athletes every game. The Big 12 is so different, though, so it is something I'll need to get used to with the quickness and strength. I'm still getting used to it but at the same time I'm coming along quick."

NU Hoops Blog: You're averaging nearly eight points per game (7.6). Is that important to you or are you more concerned about running the offense and being more of a coach on the floor?
LJ: "There are some games where I am going to score a lot and there are others where I realize that me scoring is not going to help us win. When it comes down to the last five minutes, we need a good shot on every possession. I need to take care of the ball in those situations. That's my job, so that's what I have to do so that we can win."

NU Hoops Blog: There is only one non-conference game left (Tuesday at 7 p.m. vs. Southeastern Louisiana). How have these contests helped prepare you for what's to come beginning Saturday at Texas A&M?
LJ: "It has definitely helped us. We've played some great teams like USC, Oregon State, BYU, TCU - teams that are good and show us different looks that we need to see. The Big 12 is going to have high-pressured defense, but we've got used to it a little bit with some of these games. We're going to keep practice and get ready for it."

NU Hoops Blog: How are you going to mentally prepare for the conference season?
LJ: "After tomorrow's game is when we'll get ready. The Big 12 is so powerful this year. It's the best conference in America. If the game is Saturday, you have to get ready on Wednesday. You can't just wait until Friday, it's got to be days before. That's what we're going to do to make sure the team is focused."

Thanks for checking in at NU Hoops Blog this week. Don't forget that you can email us at NUhoopsblog@hotmail.com or tweet us at www.twitter.com/nuhoopsblog.

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Posted by: Jerry Trickie
Jan. 1, 2010, at 8:32 p.m.

Welcome Back
I just wanted to say welcome back to the NU Hoops Blog. Sorry I've been gone the past couple weeks, but keeping up with the blog from the road has been difficult. It was a good trip to Las Vegas with hoops and since I also work with football, it was a great road trip and win to end that season in the Holiday Bowl. Now, it's back on to hoops full-time.

So with that in mind, how about you help us out and send some of your questions. What do you want to know about the team? Got anything you want to ask the players? How about something for Doc or the coaches? Send us your questions and we'll try to get them answered.

Starting Monday, Jan. 4, we'll have our weekly blogs back in place, beginning with the Monday Recap, which will talk with a player and get his thoughts of the past week's games. And then on Friday, Jan. 8, we'll have the first edition of the new year for Five For Fridays, when we have five, off-the-court (and sometimes off-the-wall) questions for players to help you get to know them as people too.

Send us your questions and give us your thoughts on what you'd like to see here on the blog. We're always looking for better ways to get information (and the right stuff at that) to you, the biggest Husker basketball fans we know.

Happy New Year and I hope you had a great holiday break. Now let's get back to it on Saturday with a hoops win to start the year out right. And get ready for a fun ride in the conference slate that will start next week. This is a young team and it'll have it's ups and downs, but I'm telling you now, it will have some really exciting moments. Just watch. Or better yet, buy a ticket and come see for yourself.

Thanks for checking in. Don't forget that you can email us at NUhoopsblog@hotmail.com or tweet us at www.twitter.com/nuhoopsblog. I will tweet live during the rest of the games this season, home and away, so try to keep up with us. It'll be almost as much fun as the offense was on Tuesday when it put up 94 points.

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