WBB Coaches Staff Page 2024-SB 5264

Honors & Awards

  • Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar (Third Team, 2022)
  • Academic All-Big Ten (2022)
  • Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2020; Spring 2021, 2022)
  • Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2022)
  • All-California (Second Team, 2019)

Feature Story - Huskers. Together. (Nailah Dillard, 2020)

Graduate (2022-23)
Nailah Dillard (pronounced NY-EE-luh) did not see action for the Huskers in 2022-23. The graduate student also missed the entire 2021-22 campaign after suffering an injury in preseason workouts. She missed the 2020-21 season after suffering a hip injury that required surgery during the season.

The 5-9 guard from Sacramento, Calif., made the most of her time off the court by completing her bachelor's degree in just three years. She earned her degree in August of 2022 as a criminology and criminal justice major.

Redshirt (2021-22)
Dillard missed the 2021-22 season after suffering a knee injury in preseason workouts that required surgery.

Academically, she earned recognition as an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar and was also an Academic All-Big Ten selection before earning her bachelor's degree from Nebraska in August of 2022.
    
Sophomore (2020-21)
In her first season as a Husker, Dillard was bothered by a hip injury late in the summer and was limited during the fall. She underwent season-ending hip surgery on Dec. 15, 2020.

Freshman (Texas Tech, 2019-20)
Dillard averaged 3.6 points and 1.7 rebounds in just under 10 minutes per game for the Lady Raiders. She appeared in 23 contests while making a pair of starts. She scored a career-high 10 points in a career-high 28 minutes in a win over Oklahoma (Jan. 22). Dillard added a pair of steals while knocking down a career-high-tying three threes against the Sooners.

Dillard added nine points in 27 minutes the next time out against Big 12 champion Baylor (Jan. 25). She hit a pair of threes against the Lady Bears.

Early in the season, Dillard scored nine points in just nine minutes in a win over Florida A&M (Nov. 18). She established her career high with three threes against the Rattlers. She also grabbed a career-high four rebounds and dished out a career-best two assists against FAMU.

High School
Dillard was one of the top players in California at Inderkum High School in Sacramento. She averaged 22 points per game as a senior to earn second-team all-state honors. As a junior at Inderkum, she scored a career-high 40 points in a 68-36 win over Woodland (Jan. 10, 2018). Five days earlier, she scored 34 in a win over Yuba City. They were two of 14 games during Dillard's junior season in which she scored 25 or more points.

She competed for West Coast Premier, one of the top travel teams in California, and she led the EYBL in three-point percentage as a junior.

Dillard was an honor roll student and graduated magna cum laude from Inderkum.

Personal
The daughter of Jason Dillard and Damia Dillard, Nailah was born Nov. 7, 2001. She has a twin sister, Naomi, and a younger sister, Samaya. A criminology and criminal justice major, she earned her bachelor's degree from Nebraska in August of 2022.She is pursuing a master's degree in applied science. An Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar, Dillard was an Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2022. She is also a three-time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll choice. She was a member of the 2022 Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.

"I chose Nebraska because I wanted to play for coaches who would invest in me and value me as a person on and off the court. I wanted to play for a program that values success, and I am looking forward to playing with teammates and for coaches who love to win as much as I do."

Nailah Dillard's Career Bests
Points - 10 vs. Oklahoma, Jan. 22, 2020 
Rebounds - 4 vs. Kansas, Feb. 12, 2020; 4 vs. Florida A&M, Nov. 18, 2019 
Assists - 2 vs. UTSA, Dec. 29, 2019; 2 vs. Florida A&M, Nov. 18, 2019
Steals - 4 vs. UTSA, Dec. 29, 2019
Blocks - 1 vs. West Virginia, Feb. 15, 2020
FGM - 3 Three Times, last vs. Baylor, Jan. 25, 2020
FGA - 10 vs. Oklahoma, Jan. 22, 2020
3FGM - 3 vs. Oklahoma, Jan. 22, 2020; 3 vs. Florida A&M, Nov. 18, 2019
3FGA - 8 vs. Oklahoma, Jan. 22, 2020
FTM - 4 vs. Louisiana-Monroe, Dec. 22, 2019
FTA - 4 vs. Louisiana-Monroe, Dec. 22, 2019; 4 vs IPFW, Nov. 29, 2019

Dillard's Career Statistics

Year G-GS FG-FGA Pct. 3FG-FGA Pct. FT-FTA Pct. TRB-Avg. PF-D A TO Blk ST Pts.-Avg.
2019-20 23-2 22-72 .306 18-52 .346 20-27 .741 39-1.7 18-0 11 13 1 10 82-3.6
Totals 23-2 22-72 .306 18-52 .346 20-27 .741 39-1.7 18-0 11 13 1 10 82-3.6