Jake Muhleisen Season 2001-02

Achievements

• Team captain (2003, 2004, 2005)
  All-Tournament Team Top of the World Classic (2002), ASU Hoops Classic (2002)First-Team Academic All-Big 12 (2004)Big 12 Commissioner’s Fall Honor Roll (2001, 2002, 2003)Big 12 Commissioner’s Spring Honor Roll (2002, 2003, 2004)

Outlook

Back for his final season as a Husker, Jake Muhleisen (pronounced MULE-high-sen) looks to guide Nebraska to a second straight postseason berth in 2005. Entering his third year as team captain, Muhleisen provides outstanding leadership on and off the floor while contributing heavily to NU’s success on both ends of the court.

Over the past three seasons, Muhleisen has proven to be one of the top all-around players in Nebraska history. This year he has a chance to become just the fourth Husker ever with 1,000 points, 350 rebounds, 250 assists and 100 steals in a career, joining Eric Piatkowski, Erick Strickland and Cookie Belcher on the elite list.

A fan favorite while wearing the Scarlet and Cream the past three seasons, the Lincoln product had a successful return to the court last season after suffering a fractured hip socket at the beginning of the conference campaign as a sophomore. Muhleisen was on crutches for nearly two months following the injury, but quickly regained his spot in the starting lineup during fall practice as he returned to full health.

Behind his team-first approach, Muhleisen went on to start all 31 games, playing primarily on the wing while also seeing time as NU’s point guard ? where he started his first two seasons ? at the end of tight games. Entering 2004-05, Muhleisen’s leadership and play-making ability has helped him start 72-of-73 career games, as the only time he has come off the bench was on Senior Day during his freshman season.

Muhleisen hopes to return to the form of his first two seasons when he averaged 11.7 points and 3.6 assists per game. Despite his lower numbers last year, Muhliesen still provides NU with another capable scoring threat, as he is the Huskers' leading returning career scorer. While he still has a knack for finishing shots after slashing through the lane, Muhleisen has made major improvements in shooting from behind the arc. Last season, he hit a career-high 35.5 percent from three-point range.

While looking to improve his offensive consistency, Muhleisen will continue his development on the defensive end. He added more than 10 pounds before his junior campaign, which helped him last year when he turned in several outstanding defensive performances in his first season playing on the wing against larger opponents.

Off the court, Muhleisen is a diligent student who has been named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll every semester since enrolling at Nebraska. In 2004, he was one of a conference-record six Huskers named to the first-team academic All-Big 12 squad. He looks to become just fourth Husker to be named an academic All-American in 2004-05.

2004 Australian Summer Tour

Muhleisen was the most consistent performer on the Huskers' foreign tour, according to Coach Collier. Playing overseas for the second time in his Husker career ? also summer 2002 with the Big 12 All-Star team ? Muhleisen averaged 13.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while hitting 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the floor. He was second on the team in three-point shooting by hitting at a 31.6 percent clip (6-of-19) and added a team-high 14 steals in six contests. He recorded a Husker tour-best 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting against the Sydney Kings after scoring 16 points with nine rebounds and four steals in the opener against the Hunter Pirates.

2003-04 (Junior)

Returning from a devastating injury suffered midway through the 2002-03 season, Muhleisen quickly rounded back into form. He started all 31 games as a junior, the only Husker to earn more than 26 starts on the season. He was one of only two players to average more than 23 minutes per game, as he logged 26.7 minutes a contest for a career-high 827 minutes on the season. Muhleisen ended the year averaging 7.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

While his numbers were slightly down as a result of playing a new position, Muhleisen still hit a solid 46.7 percent from the floor to rank fourth on the squad (second among returning players in 2004-05). He hit at least 50 percent of his shot attempts in 19 games, but attempted more than nine shots in only three games.

Muhleisen finished the year ranked third on the team in three-point field-goal percentage, as he hit a career-best 35.5 percent from behind the arc. A renewed focus on his long-range shooting helped Muhleisen connect on multiple treys in seven games, including a season-high four three-pointers in the Big 12 opener at Iowa State. He added 17 of his 27 three-pointers during league play.

He had nine double-figure scoring games ? four in conference action ? with his most productive day coming in the opening round of the NIT. Making his first career postseason appearance, Muhleisen poured in 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field in a one-point win over Creighton on the road. Muhleisen played a season-high 37 minutes in the contest and added five rebounds and two assists. Muhleisen's offense was valuable but it was his defense (two blocked shots, one steal) that helped spark the Huskers to come back from nine points down with less than five minutes to play.

Muhleisen began the season on a high note as he averaged 10.3 points over the first four games while hitting 16-of-31 (51.6 percent) attempts from the field. In his first game back against Fairleigh Dickinson, he scored nine points with four assists and two steals while tying his career high with eight rebounds. It was one of nine games that he recorded at least five rebounds.

Despite making the move from point guard to the wing, Muhleisen showed his ball-handling skills had not diminished as he added 12 assists with just six turnovers in the first five games. He added a season-high five assists without a turnover against South Florida and had a solid four assists without a turnover in a two-point loss at No. 18 Texas.

Muhleisen returned from the loss to the Longhorns ? in which he had a last-second shot attempt to win the game bounce off the rim ? to record eight points on 3-of-3 shooting, including a pair of three-pointers, against Baylor. He helped NU cruise past the Bears by adding three boards, two assists, one block and a career-high five steals. It was one of 10 contests with at least two steals.

Showcasing his knack for breaking up the pass, Muhleisen recorded three steals to go with 10 points, as NU won its regular-season home finale on Senior Day, 68-65, over rival Iowa State. Muhleisen shadowed ISU's Jake Sullivan, one of the most accurate free throw shooters in the country, as he tried to receive the inbound pass with less than a minute to play and the Cyclones ahead by one. Muhleisen disrupted the play enough that the ball bounced out of bounds off Sullivan's knee to set up NU's go-ahead play.

Muhleisen added 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting at Kansas in the next contest, marking the only time all season he scored double-figure points in back-to-back games against league competition.

2002-03 (Sophomore)

Muhleisen was limited to just 14 games because of the season-ending injury, finishing with 11.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists per contest. He scored 164 points, including eight double-figure contests, and would have surpassed the 500-point plateau for his career had he been healthy.

Muhleisen started the season on a solid note, hitting for a career-high 28 points in the second contest of the year against Alaska-Fairbanks at the Top of the World Classic. He set career highs for field goals (10), field-goal attempts (16) and three-pointers (5) while finishing with a team season-high point total. He was the only Husker named to the all-tournament team.

In the team’s first home contest against UT-San Antonio, Muhleisen hit 5-of-7 field-goal attempts with five assists, one of four games he dished out at least five assists. He set a career high with 10 assists in an upset of nationally ranked Minnesota at home two games later. It was the first double-figure assist game by a Husker since the 1999 campaign.

Eight times Muhleisen hit at least 45 percent from the floor in a game, including more than 60 percent three times. His field-goal percentage was outstanding, especially inside the arc where he hit 57.5 percent (46-of-80) from two-point range on the year.

Muhleisen hit 6-of-11 shots against UC Santa Barbara at the ASU Hoops Classic, while scoring 15 points to help the Huskers come back from a 10-point halftime deficit, NU’s only victory all season after trailing at the intermission. Muhleisen then added 15 points and five assists against host ASU the following night to earn all-tournament honors.

Muhleisen nearly had his second 20-point game of the year against Denver, when he pitched in 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including hitting 3-of-5 attempts from long range.

Off the court, Muhleisen continued his solid run in the classroom. He was named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll during both the fall and spring semesters for the second straight year.

2001-02 (Freshman)

Muhleisen was one of the Huskers' most consistent performers during his rookie season, when he ranked among the top five on the Husker freshman charts in five categories.

Muhleisen ranked second on the squad with 11.7 points per game while adding a team-high 3.8 assists per contest (105 total). He added 3.5 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game and led the team with 821 minutes played, the first freshman in Nebraska history to lead the team in minutes.

The Lincoln native quickly moved up the Husker freshman charts, where he ranked fourth in points scored, third in scoring average, second in assists, third in three-pointers and tied for fifth in steals.

Muhleisen, who started every game but one (Senior Night at the Devaney Center), was among the top five freshmen in the league standings for scoring (11.7), assists (105 total, 3.8 apg), three-pointers (35) and steals (28, 1.0 spg). He scored in double figures 20 times and posted at least five assists in 10 contests. Muhleisen also led the Huskers in assists a team-high 16 times, including a season-high eight assists on two occasions (in his first collegiate game vs. North Carolina A&T at home and Iowa State on the road). Muhleisen's assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1-to-1) ranked in the top 15 in the league.

Muhleisen started the season on a strong note, hitting double-figure points in his first five games and adding at least five assists in five of the first nine games. He played one of his best non-conference games against Minnesota, hitting 4-of-9 shots from the floor, including 4-of-6 three-point attempts. He finished the night with 13 points, five assists and four rebounds.

In conference action, Muhleisen got off to a slow start in the first four games, but came on strong as the season progressed. He recorded double-figure points in 10 of the Huskers' last 12 league games, including a season-high 21 points in a victory over Kansas State on Feb. 9. He hit 4-of-8 shots from the field against the Wildcats and made a career-high 11-of-11 attempts from the foul line. His total at the charity stripe was the best single-game free-throw percentage in the league during the season.

The Lincoln native came back with 13 points, eight assists and five rebounds at Iowa State. He added 15 points and six assists at Texas A&M before posting 13 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals against No. 1 Kansas. Muhleisen guided a Husker offense that hit a school-record 18 three-pointers against the Jayhawks and led the top-ranked team in the nation by 12 points midway through the second half before falling, 88-87.

Muhleisen finished the regular season on a solid note. He collected 15 points in a 75-55 victory over Baylor to end the home schedule before adding a career-high eight rebounds with six points, five assists and two steals in the regular-season finale at Kansas State. He finished the year with 13 points against Colorado in the Big 12 Tournament.

During the summer of 2002, Muhleisen worked out with teammates in Lincoln before taking part in the Big 12 All-Stars’ European tour. Muhleisen, who was one of just two sophomores on the team, was the fourth-leading scorer by averaging 10.3 points per game. He hit better than 57 percent from the floor, while nailing 7-of-14 shots from three-point range. Muhleisen collected double-figure points in five of the team’s six games, as the All-Stars finished a perfect 6-0. He tied for second in steals with nine and was fourth on the team with 13 assists.

In the classroom, Muhleisen was selected to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for Fall 2001 and Spring 2002. Muhleisen was also named to the College of Business Administration Dean’s List in Fall 2001.

High School

Muhleisen played at Lincoln Southeast High School for Coach Jeff Smith, a former Husker assistant coach. A three-year letterman, Muhleisen led the Knights to a 20-2 record and a No. 1 state ranking as a senior.

Muhleisen averaged 16.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.5 steals per game as a senior while being tabbed captain of the super-state first team by the Lincoln Journal Star. He was also an all-state selection by the Omaha World-Herald. Muhleisen was selected Nebraska's Mr. Basketball and state player of the year by USA Today.

Following his junior season at Southeast, Muhleisen was a Class A second-team all-state selection after averaging 16.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 3.4 assists per game. Muhleisen hit 40.3 percent from three-point range that year.

Muhleisen also played football for Southeast, where he lettered two times. He was named to the academic all-state team following both his junior and senior seasons and was an honor roll student all four years of high school.

Personal

Jake is the son of David and Cindy Muhleisen. He has one brother, Adam, who played golf at Drake University. Jake was born Nov. 18, 1982, and is majoring in finance at Nebraska, where he is on pace to graduate with his bachelor's degree in May 2005.

Career Highs

Points 28 vs. Alaska-Fairbanks (11/23/02)

Field goals 10 vs. Alaska-Fairbanks (11/23/02)

Three-point field goals 5 vs. Alaska-Fairbanks (11/23/02)

Rebounds 8 three times (last vs. Fairleigh Dickinson 11/22/03)

Assists 10 vs. Minnesota (12/8/02)

Steals 5 vs. Baylor (1/21/04)

Blocks 2 at Texas (1/19/02)

Minutes played 38 four times (last vs. Denver (1/4/03)

Muhleisen Bio with stats