Thorir Thorbjarnarson

Honors & Awards

• Iceland Senior National Team (2017-present)
• Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2020) 
• Academic All-Big Ten (2019, 2020, 2021)
• Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020; Spring 2020, 2021)
• Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2019)

2020-21 (SENIOR)
Thorir Thorbjarnarson (pronounced Thor-EAR thorb-YAR-nar-son) was one of four Huskers to appear in all 27 games in 2020-21, as he also made 12 starts on the year. He averaged 3.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game, but also had a solid 1.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He moved into the starting lineup for the Huskers’ final five games, averaging 6.8 points, 5.4 rebound and 3.8 assists per game in that stretch. Thorbjarnarson closed his career with a season-high 12 points, including four 3-pointers, against Penn State in the B1G Tournament. He put one of his best all-around games together at Northwestern, finishing with eight points along with season highs in assists (six) and rebounds (eight). He returned to the starting lineup for Senior Night when he reached double figures for the first time in 2020-21 with 10 points and four rebounds in a win over the Gophers. He totaled eight or more points nine times on the season, including five times in Big Ten action, and dished out five-or-more assists four times, including three of the last four contests.

2019-20 (JUNIOR)
Thorbjarnarson emerged as a vital part of the Huskers’ offensive attack and one of the most improved players in the Big Ten. He played in all 32 games, making 24 starts, and averaged 8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game, finishing 10th in the Big Ten in steals. Thorbjarnarson shot 46 percent from the field and a team-best 37.2 percent from 3-point range to rank 14th in the conference. He reached double figures 13 times on the season, highlighted by a trio of 17-point performances.

He was one of two Huskers to start all 20 Big Ten games and averaged 10.6 ppg while leading NU in both field goal percentage (.455) and 3-point percentage (.364). Thorbjarnarson ranked second on the Huskers in rebounding (5.5 rpg), third in assists (1.7 apg) and fourth in steals (1.0) in Big Ten play. He finished among the Big Ten leaders in both 3-pointers per game (1.8 per game) and rebounding (20th) in league action, while his 9.1 ppg increase in conference play from last season was the third-largest jump in the Big Ten, trailing only Big Ten Player of the Year Luka Garza and All-Big Ten pick Daniel Oturu.

Thorbjarnarson came off the bench for the Huskers’ first eight games before a breakout performance at Georgia Tech in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge showed his all-around game. He finished with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting and seven boards in 21 minutes and moved into the starting lineup for the first time in 2019-20 at Creighton with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting. He established a career high in scoring for the third straight contest with 17 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, in an overtime loss at Indiana. His best performance of the season came against Iowa on Jan. 7, when he propelled the Huskers to a 76-70 win with season highs in both points (17) and rebounds (nine), including back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Huskers the lead for good after the Hawkeyes tied the score at 59 with just over five minutes remaining. He continued his strong play later in January, averaging 14.5 points per game in a four-game stretch, including 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range at Ohio State and a 17-point, eight rebound effort in a 75-72 loss at No. 24 Rutgers, where he hit five 3-pointers for the second time in 2019-20. Thorbjarnarson played well in NU’s last-second loss at No. 9 Maryland on Feb. 11, finishing with 15 points and seven rebounds. He grabbed seven or more rebounds nine times, including a season-high nine caroms against Indiana and Northwestern. 
Thorbjarnarson played in three games for Iceland’s Senior National Team during the Games of the Small States of Europe in 2019, averaging 10 points per game in about 20 minutes per contest. He had 14 points against Montenegro and closed out the event with 14 points against Cyprus in the third-place game.

2018-19 (SOPHOMORE)
Thorbjarnarson made an impact, as he played in 25 games, including seven starts, as NU made its second straight NIT appearance. He averaged 2.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, while posting a 2.2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in just over 12 minutes per game. He earned a spot in the rotation after a season-ending injury to Isaac Copeland Jr., and played in 16 of the Huskers’ final 17 contests, including all five postseason games. 

After a rash of season-ending injuries in the backcourt, he moved into the starting lineup for the Huskers’ postseason run and filled in admirably.  He averaged 5.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game over NU's final five games, closing the year with eight points, three assists and two steals in the second-round NIT loss at TCU. Thorbjarnarson had a career-high four assists and three steals in the first-round win over Butler. He played a major role in NU’s win over No. 21 Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament, recording a personal-best five steals. He also had five points against No. 19 Wisconsin and four against both Maryland and Rutgers.

Thorbjarnarson’s biggest moment of the year came in the final seconds of overtime against Iowa in the regular-season finale, as he blocked Jordan Bohannon's 3-point attempt to preserve NU's 93-91 win. He had four points, three assists and two blocked shots as NU rallied from a nine-point deficit in the final 50 seconds of regulation. He played double-digit minutes five times in Big Ten play. He took advantage of an opportunity against No. 24 Wisconsin, grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds in 17 minutes. That performance started a string of four straight games in which he played at least 10 minutes, including starts against nationally ranked Maryland and at Purdue. In all, he played in 11 of NU’s final 12 Big Ten games. His biggest offensive effort came in the season opener against Mississippi Valley State, when he scored a career-high nine points and grabbed four rebounds in 21 minutes. He also provided a spark against Oklahoma State, dishing out two assists in a four-minute stint that helped NU erase a seven-point deficit.

Thorbjarnarson played for Iceland's U-20 National Team in July of 2018. At the FIBA U-20 European Championships, he averaged 9.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game, ranking second on the team in scoring and first in assists. He closed tournament action with three straight double figure efforts and averaged 18.5 points on 67 percent shooting, including 55 percent from 3-point range, in Iceland’s final two contests.

2017-18 (FRESHMAN)
Thorbjarnarson was one of three true freshmen to earn playing time on NU's 22-win team. He played in nine games, totaling eight points, four rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes of work. His best performance of the year came in the win over Delaware State on Dec. 22, when he had six points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and an assist in four minutes of action. He also had a basket, rebound, assist and steal in just two minutes against Marist on Nov. 24. He appeared in three Big Ten games, as well as the Big Ten Tournament opener against No. 13 Michigan at Madison Square Garden. He tallied two rebounds and an assist in the win over No. 23 Michigan on Jan. 18.

BEFORE NEBRASKA
Thorbjarnarson was one of the top youth players in Iceland, playing in the country's top league as well as in the national team program. Thorbjarnarson made his national team debut in 2017, representing his nation in the Small States of Europe event, helping Iceland to a third-place finish. He also played for the U-20 national team at the FIBA European Championships. At the 2016 FIBA U-18 European Championships, Thorbjarnarson was the third-leading scorer in the tournament, averaging 19.6 points per game, including a 39-point effort and three other 30-point games. He also chipped in 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 4.9 steals per game. In 2016, he was selected as MVP of the Nordic Championships with the U-18 team, including a 33-point performance in the finals to lead Iceland to victory. Thorbjarnarson played for KR Reykjavik in the Icelandic League for three years, helping the team to three straight titles and a pair of Icelandic Cups in 2016 and 2017. In his final season, he averaged 10.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game for a team that went 26-8 and won the league championship in the top pro league in the country. Throbjarnarson shot 53 percent from the field, including 38 percent from 3-point range and was selected as the top young player in the league. He also considered UMass, UConn, Utah, Drexel and UAB before signing with Nebraska.

PERSONAL
The son of Thorbjorn Jonsson and Hildur Fridleifsdottir, Thorir was born on May 26, 1998, in Akureyri, Iceland. Thorir graduated from Menntaskólinn i Reykjavik in May of 2017. He has three older brothers, Leifur, Jon Askell and Kristofer. A psychology major, Thorir earned his bachelor's degree in psychology from Nebraska in May of 2021.