Time to Join Growing Husker Fanbase

Buy Women's Season Basketball Tickets Here

Randy York N-Sider

Official Blog of the Huskers

I walked into Jeff Griesch's office with an easy question: How tough can it be to convince people to get excited about following Nebraska women’s basketball when a once-in-a-generation athlete chooses to play in her home state? Nebraska’s director of communications operations smiled. He knows I’m referencing Jessica Shepard, so why would a guy who’s entering his 16th season as a radio color commentator and has spent 23 years closely tied to the Nebraska women’s basketball program take the time to debate the issue?

Griesch knows me well enough to understand that I’m not kidding. The sidekick for Husker women’s play-by-play voice Matt Coatney, Griesch helps me dig deep to prove my point. Both announcers can’t wait to call games that feature one of the nation’s best inside players, even as a true freshman. They’ve seen enough action to know the passionate pursuit of perfection. Griesch, after all, once made 178 free throws while wearing a suit after arriving early to call a game years ago at KU’s legendary Allen Field House, as Coatney rebounded each shot and threw the ball back to his broadcast partner.

Few, if any, enjoy the search for excellence more than that fully functioning radio tandem. Coatney and Griesch are so good together that Nebraska’s staunchest fans bring transistors inside the building. Fans show the same respect inside their homes whenever Husker games are televised. Not surprisingly, Griesch and Coatney both believe that Big Red fans across all sports should take notice of the potential of something special happening at Pinnacle Bank Arena over the next four years. The next four months, of course, launch the rocket.

A first-team prep All-American and two-time Nebraska High School Player of the Year, Shepard averaged 35.5 points and 12 rebounds in 21 minutes per game in a pair of exhibition wins to open the 2015-16 season. A 6-4 forward from Fremont, Neb., Shepard had only two full weeks of 5-on-5 practice since her return from an ACL injury sustained 10 months ago.

A Dynamic Duo: All-American Theriot and Post Shepard

Griesch doesn’t dispute Shepard’s once-in-a-generation player label. He insists she has the ability to provide a memorable performance every time she sets foot on the floor. Now that Shepard (pictured above in a preseason moment) is paired with All-America point guard Rachel Theriot, you don’t have to close your eyes to envision a dynamic duo that could become an almost unstoppable inside-out punch for the Huskers, coached by Connie Yori.

After helping the Huskers to an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance as a freshman and a Big Ten Tournament title as a sophomore, Theriot averaged 23.5 points and 5.5 assists in slightly over 30 minutes per game in exhibition play this year.

That’s not all. Joining Shepard and Theriot are 2014 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year Kyndal Clark, 2015 Nebraska High School Player of the Year Maddie Simon (Lincoln Pius X), sophomore sensation Natalie Romeo and emerging freshman forward Rachel Blackburn.

Regular Season Begins Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena

The Huskers lost four starters from their 2014-15 team, but Yori’s lineup is stocked with a full cupboard of options. Because Shepard and Theriot are poised to lead the Huskers to new heights this season, I offer up sincere and strategic advice – get your season tickets right here right now, so you can have them in your hands in the last days before the Huskers tip-off to the regular season against Arkansas Pine Bluff on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

If you prefer to taste an appetizer, buy single-game tickets here, priced at $3 each for youth/seniors, $5 for adult general admission and $10 for public reserved seats. No phone calls nor will-call windows…just pay online, print online and see for yourself.

The 2015-16 Huskers already have set the single-season record for season tickets sold while closing in on 4,000. The most family-friendly ticket in Husker sports, no donation is required for women’s basketball and adult reserved seats are just $180 for 18 regular-season home games. With Theriot and Shepard working the pick-and-roll to perfection, every night just might end up being worth the season ticket price.

With ultra-major help from Griesch, here are 10 reasons why it makes sense to jump on the bandwagon now, so you can say that you followed the most gifted female basketball player in Nebraska history from the moment she arrived, until the curtain comes down on one career and goes back up at another level.

10 Great Reasons to Get Your Season Tickets

Reason 1: Miracle in the Middle – Jessica Shepard is the top recruit in the history of the state of Nebraska and might end up as the best freshman and best player in the history of the program. At 6-4, she has the hands of the Mailman (Karl Malone), the feet of the Dream (Akeem Olajuwon) and the skills of Sampson (Ralph Sampson)…all with the personality and demeanor of a truly homegrown Husker.

Reason 2: The Riot - @RachTheRiot, a.k.a. All-America point guard Rachel Theriot is back after a season-ending foot injury a year ago. Theriot has led the Big Red to a conference championship and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance, and after being forced to miss the postseason, Nebraska’s smooth-and-silky point guard is hungry to take the Huskers deep into the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments as a senior. Take the time to see the nation’s best floater. Theriot throws that dagger time after time in one of the most special individual shots in women’s college basketball today.

Reason 3: Romeo, Romeo, Romeo – A high energy and explosive shooting guard, Natalie Romeo gave the Huskers a taste of her ability last year with Theriot out. Romeo tied the school record with seven threes in a Big Ten Tournament win over Illinois and averaged three threes per game as a starter. This summer, she averaged 20 points per game against professional teams in Australia.

Reason 4: Simon Says – Maddie Simon was the 2015 Nebraska High School Player of the Year at Lincoln Pius X. She’s dreamed about playing for the Huskers her entire life, and it shows. The 6-2 guard’s energy, athleticism and versatility belong on the big stage at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Very few have ever been more proud and excited to wear a Big Red uniform.

Reason 5: K.C. and the Sunshine Band – Kyndal Clark was the 2014 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year as a junior at Drake. The 5-7 guard suffered a season-ending injury in her first game last year and was forced to sit out. She graduated and transferred to Nebraska for a final season. Lucky Nebraska. Clark’s all-around game is a perfect complement to Theriot, Romeo and the rest of the Husker backcourt. Her smile, leadership and exuberance on the floor are contagious.

Reason 6: Some R&B – Rachel Blackburn is the kind of player Husker fans love. The 6-3 forward from Leavenworth, Kan., plays all out, all the time and is a fierce competitor on the boards. An emerging player, her intangibles give Nebraska a dangerous complement inside to fellow freshman Shepard.

Reason 7: All that Jas – Jasmine Cincore spent much of her freshman season battling injuries, but the sophomore from Tennessee brings a strong, physical presence to the Nebraska perimeter, which will be important during Big Ten play. The 5-10 Cincore averaged 10 points per game this summer in Australia, and her leadership helps the Huskers every day in practice. Now she’s looking to bring versatility to the Big Red on game day.

Reason 8: ADAA – This is not the American Dodgeball Association of America, and these are no Average Joe’s. We’re talking about Allie Havers, Darrien Washington, Anya Kalenta and Alicia Ostrander. If the 6-4 Shepard and the 6-3 Blackburn are not enough for some inside, how about the 6-5 Havers, the 6-2 Washington, the 6-3 Kalenta and the 6-3 Ostrander for a super six of size in Lincoln. Havers is NU’s most experienced post, Washington might be the most explosive, and Kalenta is a stat machine that can fill it up from three-point range. Ostrander is on a volleyball scholarship and hoping to make a second NCAA Tournament run after volleyball season ends.

Reason 9: Follow the Crowd – Nebraska has ranked 11th nationally in average home attendance the last two seasons at Pinnacle Bank Arena, averaging more than 6,000 fans per game. The fan base for women’s basketball is clearly growing with record season ticket sales the last three years. Quick question: Is there a better place in the country to watch a basketball game or a better area to celebrate a Husker win before or after the game than the Haymarket?

Reason 10: Big Ten is B1G Time – The Huskers are facing 2015 NCAA Final Four teams UConn and Maryland on the road this year, but expect those big names in Lincoln next season. This season, 2015 postseason squads Iowa, Rutgers, Northwestern, North Carolina State, Creighton and Arkansas State come to Lincoln, along with perennial Big Ten powers Michigan State, Penn State and Purdue. It really might be true…at Pinnacle Bank Arena, every night is like the NCAA Tournament.

Send a comment to ryork@huskers.com (Please include city, state)

Follow Randy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RandyYorkNsider

N-Sider Archives