Husker Letterwinners Enjoy Interactive Hoops Experience

Randy York’s N-Sider

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In the mid-1960s, Larry Bornschlegl earned three Nebraska baseball letters and a basketball letter. Since he and his wife, Shirley, recently moved to Lincoln from Hastings, where he was an elementary school principal, they decided to reconnect with his alma mater and are they ever glad they did.

On Tuesday night, the Bornschlegls were two of 100 people who attended an N-Club event with a new twist and a compelling format – an interactive experience with the Nebraska Women’s Basketball Team in the Hendricks Training Complex.

“Wow!” said Bornschlegl. “I’ve never had season tickets to women’s basketball, but we’re ready to get some, especially after what we saw tonight.”

Bornschlegl was amazed watching and listening to coaches who explained how Nebraska scouts its opponents. “I remember how little we knew about our opponents when we played,” he said. “I was fascinated how deep these women go into scouting, which includes pictures, big screens and hard copies. I know one thing. When they go into a game, they’re going to be prepared to play.”

And Larry and Shirley will be eager to watch, thanks to the insight they gleaned from a variety of stations fans visited inside the training complex. In addition to the scouting and film breakdown, there was a free throw station and work stations for guards and post players, plus multiple opportunities for question-and-answer sessions inside the Huskers’ locker room.

Prime Opportunity to Highlight Staff and Welcome Head Amy Gusso Williams

Ashley Stone, director of Post Eligibility Opportunities for Nebraska Athletics, was pleased to see letterwinners embrace the interactivity of a format designed to intensify interest.

“This was a prime opportunity to highlight a new coaching staff and Coach Amy Gusso Williams, a beloved letterwinner alum, in a unique and memorable way,” Stone said.

Nebraska women’s basketball administrative assistant Katie Adams also played an instrumental role “in dreaming up the event and planning and coordinating the interactive sessions where both coaches and student-athletes were involved,” Stone said, adding that Williams delivers energy in her return to Lincoln.

“I can say with 100 percent certainty that the most proud I’ve ever been in my life was wearing that Husker logo on my chest,” Williams said seriously before injecting an element of humor.

“I remember talking to my brothers and asking them if they can believe I'm now the head coach for the team I played,” Williams said. “One brother said ‘you are using that term lightly, right?’”

Former Husker Jamie Hagedorn works with assistant coach Chuck Love in Tuesday night's N-Club gathering.

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Asked what she thought was the biggest administrative change upon her arrival at Nebraska, Williams said “the number of people we deal with on a regular basis because they’re here to support all of our student-athletes.”

In jobs leading up to coaching at Nebraska, Williams worked with one person in compliance. “At Nebraska, we have eight or nine people in compliance, so you have to know who has the special expertise in their area. It’s a great support system.”

Williams also respects and appreciates unique strengths in the Nebraska Athletics Performance Laboratory and in Nutrition. “They’re all here to support our student-athletes,” Williams said, “so we have to make sure we’re all on the same boat and rowing in the same direction.”

Jessica Shepard, Nebraska’s 6-foot-4 sophomore forward who averaged 18.5 points per game as a freshman, enjoyed working her station with Husker assistant coach Chuck Love. “Tonight was the most fun I’ve had,” she said. “This was a very different opportunity for us and our fans. I loved seeing the smiles on their faces, and it works both ways. We look up to the alumni because they’ve kind of made this what it is. If they’re in a bit of awe about us, they should know so are we about them.”

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