NEBRASKA BASKETBALL Game Date: Nov. 19, 2008 Tipoff time: 7:05 p.m. Venue: Daniel-Meyer Coliseum (7,201) NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS Game: Game 2 2008-09 Record: 1-0 Head coach: Doc Sadler Record at NU: 38-27 (3 years) Record at Division I: 86-45 (5 years) Career Record: 206-84 (9 years) THE MATCHUP VS. TCU HORNED FROGS Game: Game 4 2008-09 Record: 1-2 Head coach: Jim Christian Record at TCU: 1-2 (1 year) Career Record: 139-60 (7 years) HUSKER GAME DAY TV: CBS College Sports Play-by-play: Carter Blackburn. Color: Greg Anthony. Radio: Husker Sports Radio Network stations Play-by-play: Kent Pavelka. Color: Matt Davison. Internet Radio: Free on Huskers.com Satellite Radio: None NEBRASKA MEDIA RELATIONS Jerry Trickie, Assistant Media Relations Director Office: 402-472-7779 Cell: 402-540-0269 E-mail: jtrickie@huskers.com Address: One Memorial Stadium, Lincoln, NE 68588 Web site: Huskers.com COMING UP The Cornhuskers will continue a quick first week as NU plays its third game in seven days when it plays host to Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday, Nov. 22, at the. The game will tip off at 1 p.m. and will be followed by the Nebraska women s basketball team s contest against Southern Utah at 5 p.m. HUSKERS HIT ROAD FOR FIRST TIME IN 2008-09 The Nebraska men s basketball team will hit the road for the first time in the 2008-09 season when it travels to the Lone Star State to take on the TCU Horned Frogs on Wednesday, Nov. 19. The Huskers and Horned Frogs will tip off at 7:05 p.m. at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. The contest against TCU will be Nebraska s first televised game of the season. Overall, the Huskers will be seen on television at least 24 times this winter, including all 11 regular-season road contests (three nonconference and eight Big 12 games). Wednesday s matchup, which will be one of at least eight nationally televised Husker games this season, will be seen on CBS College Sports (channel 305 on Time Warner Cable in Lincoln) with Carter Blackburn calling the action and Greg Anthony adding color commentary. All of Nebraska s games can also be heard on the IMG Husker Sports Radio Network, consisting of 31 stations around the state, and for free around the world on the Internet at Huskers.com, the official Web site of Nebraska Athletics. Veteran play-by-play man Kent Pavelka and color analyst Matt Davison will call the action. Nebraska will be trying to open with a 2-0 record for the sixth straight season, and third time under Coach Doc Sadler. The Huskers have won at least three straight to open each of Sadler s first two seasons on the sideline in Lincoln, however, all of those contests came at home in the. The Huskers have lost their first game away from Lincoln in 10 of the last 12 seasons, with the two wins coming in neutral-site matchups at exempt tournaments. Nebraska s last win in the first game away from home was a 68-45 victory over Centenary at the Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, to open the 2002-03 season. Overall, NU will be looking to snap a streak of 12 straight losses in true road openers dating to an 88-67 victory at Creighton in the first true road game of the 1995-96 season. The last time Nebraska played a true road game before Nov. 19 was the season opener to the 2000-01 campaign, on Nov. 18, 2000, when NU lost at Oral Roberts, 87-83. During the Big 12 era (1996-97 to present), Nebraska has played just two true road games before Dec. 1, the contest vs. Oral Roberts in 2000 and last year at Creighton (Nov. 24). In that period, the Huskers have played nine neutral-site contests before the start of December. NU is 3-8 while playing away from home in November since the formation of the Big 12 Conference. NEBRASKA S POSSIBLE STARTING LINEUP No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Pts. Rbs. Other Notes 4 Steve Harley G 5-11 180 Sr. 4.0 6.0 3.0* Tied career high with six rebounds vs. SJSU 5 Sek Henry G 6-3 200 Jr. 7.0 4.0 4.0# Versatile guard; one of team s top defenders; 4 steals vs. SJSU 11 Ade Dagunduro G 6-5 200 Sr. 2.0 3.0 2.0* Athletic guard; 49.1 pct. from floor last year 44 Ryan Anderson G 6-4 205 Jr. 7.0 5.0 2.0# Third-year starter; needs 4 treys to reach NU career top 10 32 Chris Balham F 6-8 235 Jr. 0.0 2.0 1.0@ Made first career start vs. SJSU; 63.0 pct. from floor in 07-08 HUSKERS OFF THE BENCH No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Pts. Rbs. Other Notes 1 Eshaunte Bear Jones G 6-4 180 Fr. 4.0 4.0 1.0% Athletic guard who can create own shot; impressive from 3-pt. range 3 Brandon Richardson G 6-0 190 RFr. 6.0 3.0 4.0# Strong defender; great basketball IQ; one of team s top shooters 24 Cookie Miller G 5-7 165 So. 4.0 1.0 4.0* Ultra-quick, explosive PG; 61 career steals in 31 games 25 Paul Velander G 6-2 200 Sr. 9.0 0.0 3.0% Hustle/energy guy; ranks in NU career top 10 for 3-pt. percentage 30 Toney McCray G 6-6 205 RFr. 17.0 9.0 1.0@ Led team in scoring and rebounding in exhibition and vs. SJSU *- assists per game #- steals per game %- 3-pointers per game @- blocks per game
2 HUSKERS.COM SCOUTING THE TCU HORNED FROGS TCU enters Wednesday s matchup with the Huskers riding a two-game losing streak to end the ESPN Charleston Classic. The Horned Frogs are 1-2 overall, defeating Western Michigan, 67-63, on Friday before falling to Clemson, 70-58, and College of Charleston, 86-75. Through three games, TCU is allowing 73.0 points per game while opponents hit better than 48 percent (80-of-165) from the floor. Opposing teams have also posted an amazing 20-1 advantage in blocked shots. TCU is hitting 43 percent (74-of-170) from the field and 34 percent (17-of-49) from long range while gaining 66.7 points per contest. The Horned Frogs have been led by Edvinas Ruzgas, who has averaged a team-high 15.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in 34.7 minutes per game. He has hit 9-of-22 from outside the arc, more than half of the team s 17 3-pointers on the season. Along with Ruzgas, Kevin Langford has raised his average to 13.0 points per game although he is also averaging 4.0 fouls per contest. Langford posted 27 points with seven boards in 29 minutes against College of Charleston on Sunday. He hit 10-of-14 from the field and all seven attempts from the line while five of his boards came on the offensive end. Wednesday s contest will mark the home debut of first-year coach Jim Christian (Rhode Island, 1988), who came to TCU after six seasons at Kent State. Christian won at least 20 games every year at Kent State and enters the midweek contest with Nebraska with a 139-60 record. THE SERIES Nebraska and TCU are meeting for the sixth time in series history with the Huskers holding a slim 3-2 series advantage. The last matchup came in the postseason when the Horned Frogs outslugged the Huskers in a 101-89 victory in the 1999 National Invitation Tournament (NIT). That contest was the third in the series played at Fort Worth, where TCU owns a 2-1 record over the Huskers. TCU won the first meeting between the teams in Fort Worth in 1951, taking a one-point victory, 58-57, in overtime. NU then evened the series with a road victory, 69-64, in 1970. A pair of Husker wins then followed in Lincoln in 1972 (72-58) and 1983 (67-57). The Huskers own an all-time record of 34-21 against current Mountain West teams. The last time Nebraska played a MWC team was a 73-58 victory over Wyoming at the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii in 2006. NU s last true road contest against an MWC team came in the 1999 NIT game. ENERGY GUYS Following Sunday s season-opening contest against San Jose State, Coach Doc Sadler praised several players for their energy and hustle, especially the ones off the bench. Leading the way was redshirt freshman Brandon Richardson, who posted six points, three rebounds, an assist and four steals in 16 minutes. Richardson s numbers did not tell the whole story as he made several dives to the floor and other hustle plays to ignite NU in the second half after SJSU cut the lead from 18 points to five. His steal off an inbounds and three-point play turned the game around, helping NU score 10 points in less than a minute to pull away for good. Senior Paul Velander also came off the bench to push the Huskers. He finished 3-of-6 from 3-point range for nine points with an assist and a steal in 20 minutes. A scrappy, hardnosed player, Velander collected three charges against the Spartans in the second half, helping stem the SJSU offensive surge. NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS 2008-09 NUMERICAL ROSTER No. VL Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Home town (High School/Last School) 1 Eshaunte Bear Jones G 6-4 180 Fr. Fort Wayne, Ind. (North Side/Hargrave Military [Va.] Academy) 2 ** Nick Krenk G 6-0 185 Sr. Nebraska City, Neb. (Nebraska City) 3 Brandon Richardson G 6-0 190 RFr. Los Angeles, Calif. (Hawthorne) 4 * Steve Harley G 5-11 180 Sr. Temple Hills, Md. (Marriott/South Plains [Texas] College) 5 ** Sek Henry G 6-3 200 Jr. Los Angeles, Calif. (Lynwood/Patterson [N.C.] School) 11 * Ade Dagunduro G 6-5 200 Sr. Inglewood, Calif. (Inglewood/Antelope Valley CC) 12 Matt Karn G 6-3 190 Jr. Philpot, Ky. (Ohio County/Shawnee [Ill.] CC) 13 Ross Ferrarini G 6-2 175 Fr. Omaha, Neb. (Westside) 14 Christopher Niemann# C 6-11 265 Fr. Kühlungsborn, Germany (Urspringschule) 15 Alonzo Edwards F 6-7 230 RFr. Houston, Texas (Klein Forest) 24 * Cookie Miller G 5-7 165 So. Charleston, W. Va. (Capital/Harmony Community [Ohio] School) 25 *** Paul Velander G 6-2 200 Sr. Blacksburg, Va. (Blacksburg) 30 Toney McCray G 6-6 205 RFr. Missouri City, Texas (Fort Bend Elkins) 31 Alex Chapman F 6-9 240 RSo. Canby, Ore. (Canby/Sheridan [Wyo.] College) 32 ** Chris Balham F 6-8 235 Jr. Kansas City, Kan. (Shawnee Mission West) 34 * Andrew Wicklund G 6-5 170 So. Colorado Springs, Colo. (Rampart) 35 ** Ben Nelson F 6-8 230 Jr. Atwater, Minn. (Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City) 43 * Cole Salomon G 6-5 220 Jr. Omaha, Neb. (Millard North/Nebraska-Kearney) 44 ** Ryan Anderson G 6-4 205 Jr. Seattle, Wash. (Rainier Beach) # - Due to NCAA ruling, Niemann is ineligible to play in 2008-09 season. NEBRASKA COACHES AND STAFF Head Coach: Doc Sadler (Arkansas, 1982) Assistant Coaches: Philip Mathews (UC Irvine, 1970) David Anwar (Fitchburg College, 1998) Walter Roese (BYU-Hawaii, 1994) Director of Operations: Chris Croft. Video Coordinator: Jim Shaw. Basketball Strength Coach: Rusty Ruffcorn. Equipment Manager: Pat Norris. Team Manager/Player Development: Bill Shaw. Graduate Athletic Trainer: R.J. Pietig. PRONUNCIATION GUIDE Chris Balham... BAHL-um Ade Dagunduro...ah-deh DAH-gun-der-oh Ross Ferrarini...FAIR-ruh-ree-nee Eshaunte Jones...E-shawn-tay Christopher Niemann...NEE-man Walter Roese...Roe-eez Paul Velander...VUH-land-er
NEBRASKA BASKETBALL 3 MCCRAY MAKING NAME FOR HIMSELF Redshirt freshman Toney McCray has already started to make a name for himself among Husker fans. The lanky 6-6, 205-pound guard has led the team in scoring and rebounding in NU s exhibition win over Chadron State (18 points, 7 rebounds) and the season-opening win against San Jose State (17 points, 9 rebounds). McCray hit 6-of-15 shots from the floor against the Spartans on Sunday while only one other Husker had at least eight shot attempts (Steve Harley, 2-of-9). McCray just missed becoming the first Husker freshman to record a doubledouble in his first career game since Aleks Maric accomplished the feat in 2004-05. TURNING IT OVER Nebraska will try to turn up the defensive pressure at times this season, especially while playing with a heavily guard-oriented lineup, including at times five guards on the floor at once. That strong defensive push was evident in the Huskers opener as they forced 25 San Jose State turnovers. Spartans point guard Justin Graham was frustrated into 10 turnovers while going 0-of-5 from the floor in 33 minutes of action. The 25 turnovers Nebraska forced in the season opener against San Jose State were the second-highest total under Coach Doc Sadler. The most turnovers a Husker squad has forced in Sadler s tenure is 26 last season against North Carolina Central. NU had 16 turnovers of its own, including seven combined between freshmen Toney McCray and Eshaunte Jones. Nebraska posted 16 steals in the strong defensive effort, the most by the Huskers under Sadler. The previous best under Sadler was 15 steals against North Texas in 2006. Seven Huskers recorded a steal, including two posting career bests. Junior guard Sek Henry had four steals, tying redshirt freshman Brandon Richardson for the team lead. The 16 steals and 25 turnover forced led to a 31-11 advantage for the Huskers in points off turnovers. NEW LINES DRAWN Entering the 2008-09 season, teams around the country are adjusting to one new rule that could have a significant impact on the outcome of games. That is especially true for teams like Nebraska that will be playing without the benefit of a deep front court, making rebounding especially defensive rebounding more important that ever. With the 3-point line moving back one foot from 19-9 to 20-9 for the first time in men s college basketball this season, the Huskers smaller lineup could benefit from the floor opening up from longer carooms after missed 3-pointers. In Sunday s season opener against San Jose State, the teams hit 11-of-37 from beyond the arc, leaving many opportunities for long rebounds. NU took advantage as it held a 42-38 rebounding lead. Five Huskers collected at least four rebounds with 6-6 guard Toney McCray leading the way with nine. Junior Ryan Anderson, who despite standing just 6-4 has played the 4 spot for the Huskers the past two seasons, is one of the Big 12 s top returning rebounders from last season. The Seattle, Wash., native ranked 18th in the league in rebounding last season, averaging 5.6 boards per game. Nebraska s other guards, who combined for 14.2 rebounds per game last year, could benefit more from the spread floor, gaining rebounds further from the basket. HARLEY SET TO LEAD Guards Ade Dagunduro and Steve Harley look to lead NU to its second consecutive postseason appearance in their senior seasons. The pair came from the junior college ranks, and while it took some time to adjust to the Division I level of play, each finished the 2007-08 campaign on a high note, setting the tone for this season. Both Dagunduro and Harley were named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team by the league's sportswriters for their play at the end of last year. Dagunduro struggled in the early part of league play in 2008 but stepped up down the stretch, helping Nebraska to a 7-5 record in the final 12 Big 12 contests. During that period when the Huskers had the third-best record in the league, Dagunduro averaged 6.6 points per 2008-09 NEBRASKA SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time/Result Nov. 7 Chadron State (exh.)... W, 85-54 McCray leads team in pts. (18), reb. (7) Nov. 16 San Jose State... W, 63-46 McCray 17 pts., 9 reb.; NU forces 25 TOs Nov. 19 at TCU (CBS College Sports)...7 p.m. NU leads 3-2 / 1998-99 Nov. 22 Arkansas-Pine Bluff...1 p.m. NU leads 2-0 / 2006-07 Nov. 25 Saint Louis (Fox Sports Midwest)...7 p.m. Series tied 3-3 / 1990-91 Nov. 29 Creighton (Fox Sports Midwest)...7 p.m. NU leads 23-18 / 2007-08 Dec. 3 Alabama State (Fox Sports Midwest)...7 p.m. First meeting Dec. 7 at Arizona State (FSN)...1 p.m. Series tied 3-3 / 2007-08 Dec. 13 at Oregon State (Fox Sports Midwest)...7 p.m. OSU leads 5-3 / 1996-97 Dec. 20 IPFW...7 p.m. NU leads 2-0 / 2007-08 Dec. 23 UMBC (Fox Sports Midwest)...7 p.m. NU leads 1-0 / 1988-89 Dec. 30 South Carolina State...7 p.m. First meeting Jan. 3 Maryland Eastern Shore...2 p.m. NU leads 1-0 / 2007-08 Jan. 5 Florida A&M...7 p.m. NU leads 1-0 / 1993-94 Jan. 10 Missouri* (ESPN2)...1 p.m. MU leads 122-90 / 2007-08 Jan. 14 at Iowa State* (Fox Sports Midwest)...7 p.m. NU leads 129-99 / 2007-08 Jan. 17 Kansas State* (Big 12 Network)...5 p.m. KSU leads 122-92 / 2007-08 Jan. 21 at Oklahoma* (ESPNU)...8 p.m. OU leads 103-81 / 2007-08 Jan. 24 Oklahoma State* (Big 12 Network)...3 p.m. NU leads 62-51 / 2007-08 Jan. 28 Kansas* (ESPN2)...6:30 p.m. KU leads 164-71 / 2007-08 Jan. 31 at Texas Tech* (Big 12 Network)...7 p.m. NU leads 14-9 / 2007-08 Feb. 4 at Colorado* (Fox Sports Midwest)...9:30 p.m. NU leads 74-68 / 2007-08 Feb. 7 Texas* (ESPN)...1 p.m. UT leads 15-4 / 2007-08 Feb. 14 at Missouri* (Big 12 Network)...12:30 p.m. Feb. 18 Feb. 21 Feb. 24 Feb. 28 March 4 Colorado* (ESPNU)...8 p.m. at Kansas* (Big 12 Network)...3 p.m. Texas A&M* (ESPN2)...8:30 p.m. NU leads 11-5 / 2007-08 at Kansas State* (Big 12 Network)...7 p.m. Iowa State* (Fox Sports Midwest)...6:30 p.m. March 7 at Baylor* (Big 12 Network)...3 p.m. NU leads 11-7 / 2007-08 March 11-14 at Big 12 Championship... TBA *Big 12 Conference game. All times are Central. Home games in red played at Bob Devaney Sports Center. Date, time and television are subject to change. Check Huskers.com for the most up-to-date information. WEEKLY MEDIA PLANNER... Note: Media interviews are typically before practice. Practices are open to public. Monday Nov. 17 1:15 p.m. Tuesday Nov. 18 1:15 p.m. Travel to Fort Worth Wednesday Nov. 19 Game at TCU 7 p.m. (TV: CBS College Sports) Thursday Nov. 20 TBA Friday Nov. 21 1:15 p.m. Saturday Nov. 22 Game vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff 1:05 p.m. Sunday Nov. 23 4 p.m.
4 HUSKERS.COM 2008-09 TEAM LEADERS Double-Figure Scoring Games Double-Figure Rebounding Games None Double-Doubles None 20-Point Games None Games Leading NU in Scoring* Games Leading NU in Rebounding* Games Leading NU in Assists* Cookie Miller 1 Games Leading NU in Blocks* Ryan Anderson 1, Chris Balham 1, Sek Henry 1, Games Leading NU in Steals* Sek Henry 1, Brandon Richardson 1 *includes ties HUSKERS ON THE RADIO The IMG Husker Sports Radio Network is in its 13th year producing and marketing live broadcasts of University of Nebraska football, men s and women s basketball, volleyball, baseball and softball games. The Husker Sports Network has created a large network of state and national affiliates. All regular-season men's basketball games and any postseason contests will be broadcast on a 31-station basketball network in 2007-08. KFAB (1110 AM) is the Omaha affiliate, KLIN (1400 AM) is the Lincoln affiliate and while KRVN (880 AM) in Lexington also serves as a primary state affiliate. All the men's basketball games can be heard around the world for free on Huskers.com. A great number of Nebraska's games will also be heard live on SIRIUS Satellite again this season. Veteran radio announcer Kent Pavelka leads the NU men's basketball broadcast in 2008-09, along with former Husker letterwinner Matt Davison. Former Husker Andy Markowski will also fill in as the color analyst for a limited number of contests. Lane Grindle serves as the host of Sports Nightly, a live daily call-in show. Grindle will also host the Doc Sadler Radio Show on Monday nights throughout the season beginning at 7 p.m. 2008-09 NETWORK STATIONS Ainsworth KBRB-AM...1400 Alliance KCOW-AM...1400 Aurora KRGY-FM...97.3 Beatrice KWBE-AM...1450 Broken Bow KBBN-FM...95.3 Chadron KCSR-AM...610 Columbus KJSK-AM*...900 Falls City KTNC-AM...1230 KLZA-FM...101.3 Fremont KHUB-AM...1340 KFMT-FM...105.5 Grand Island KRGI-AM...1430 Hastings KLIQ-FM...94.5 KHAS-AM...1230 KICS-AM...1550 Holdrege KUVR-AM...1380 KMTY-FM...97.7 Kearney KGFW-AM...1340 Lexington KRVN-AM...880 Lincoln KLIN-AM...1400 McCook KSWN-FM...93.9 Norfolk KNEN-FM...94.7 North Platte KODY-AM...1240 Ogallala KOGA-AM...930 Omaha KFAB-AM...1110 Scottsbluff KNEB-AM*...960 Sidney KSID-AM...1340 Superior KRFS-FM...103.9 Valentine KVSH-AM...940 Wayne KTCH-AM...1590 West Point KTIC-AM...840 *will air only Big 12 Conference games game while hitting 47.0 percent from the field. His offensive output was improved but still modest, yet his defensive intensity was turned up several notches as he was one of the Huskers' best man-to-man defenders. He helped Nebraska lead the league in scoring defense and field-goal percentage defense. Over the final 12 league games and the postseason, Harley assumed a lead role in the Husker offense, ranking second on the team with 11.0 points per game as he hit 45 percent from the floor including nearly 43 percent from 3-point range. He shot better than 78 percent from the charity stripe in that stretch. ANDERSON NEARING RECORD BOOK At 6-4, guard Ryan Anderson may be a little undersized to play in the front court, but he is one of the biggest players on the court when he steps outside the 3-point line. Anderson has made a living with the long ball in Lincoln, hitting 99 treys in his career. He ranked second on the NU freshman list with 48 3-pointers in 2006-07 and last year posted 50 treys to rank third on the Huskers' sophomore chart. Only Nebraska's all-time 3-point leader, Cary Cochran, has made more shots from outside the arc by the end of his sophomore season, as Cochran had 101 through two years. Anderson became the only Husker ever to post at least 48 treys in each of his first two years at NU. Anderson needs just four 3-pointers to tie Chris Cresswell for 10th on the NU career list. By hitting his average of 49 3-pointers this year, Anderson would move into sixth place on the chart and put himself in position to become just the third Husker in history with at least 200 3-pointers, joining Cochran (268) and Eric Piatkowski (202). Nebraska Career 3-Point Field Goals Made 1. Cary Cochran (1999-2002)...268 2. Eric Piatkowski (1991-94)...202 3. Jaron Boone (1993-96)...181 4. Erick Strickland (1993-96)...179 5. Brian Conklin (2001-04)...176 6. Cookie Belcher (1997-2001)...146 7. Tyronn Lue (1996-98)...145 8. Joe McCray (2005-06)...117 9. Ray Richardson (1989-90)...105 10. Chris Cresswell (1990-92)...103 -- Ryan Anderson (2007-present)...99 ANDERSON, VELANDER AMONG HUSKERS MOST ACCURATE DUOS Ryan Anderson is not the only 3-point ace for the Huskers as senior guard Paul Velander has also proven to be one of the most accurate long-range shooters in Nebraska history. The only fifth-year player for the Huskers this season, Velander enters his final year ranked ninth in NU history for 3-point field-goal percentage at 38.4 percent (71-of-185) from beyond the arc in his career while coming off the bench in 60-of-61 contests. With another year similar to the last two (36 and 32 3-pointers, respectively), Velander will also have a shot to reach the Nebraska career top 10 in made 3-pointers. 3-Point FG Pct. (min. 90 att.) 3FG 3PA Pct. 1. Brian Conklin (2001-04) 176 407.432 2. Cary Cochran (1999-2002) 268 630.425 3. Jay-R Strowbridge (2007-08) 50 122.410 4. Clifford Scales (1988-91) 45 110.409 5. Henry T. Buchanan (1987-88) 67 165.406 6. Ryan Anderson (2007-pres.) 99 249.398 7. Chris Cresswell (1990-92) 103 261.395 8. Marcus Perry (2006-07) 98 249.394 9. Paul Velander (2006-pres.) 71 185.384 10. Ray Richardson (1989-90) 105 278.378 MILLER READY TO ROLL Cookie Miller was the only true freshman to play for the Huskers last year when he posted near-record numbers for assists (109) and steals (58). This year, he will try to take it a step higher as he is one of the top returning point guards in the Big 12 Conference. Miller ranked sixth in the league for assists per game (3.6) last year and was the only freshman to rank in the top 10 for assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7). He was fourth in the Big 12 for steals per game (1.93), and owned the top spot with 2.0 steals per game in Big 12-only contests. Former Husker great Cookie Belcher owns the Nebraska freshman record for steals with 87 and holds the NU and Big 12 Conference record with 253 steals in his career. Miller will try to join Belcher and Erick Strickland as the only Huskers with at least 100 steals at the end of their sophomore seasons. Belcher had 162 in his first two years while Strickland had 107. Nebraska Career Steals (since 1978) 1. Cookie Belcher (1997-2001)...353 2. Erick Strickland (1993-96)...257 3. Venson Hamilton (1996-99)...186 4. Clifford Scales (1988-91)...177 5. Brian Carr (1984-87)...159 6. Tyronn Lue (1996-98)...154 7. Larry Florence (1997-2000)...137 8. Jaron Boone (1993-96)...131 9. Eric Johnson (1988-89)...128 Jack Moore (1979-82)...128 -- Ryan Anderson (2007-pres.)...74 -- Cookie Miller (2008-pres.)...61 -- Sek Henry (2007-pres.)...56 ADDING TALENT Coach Doc Sadler said from early on in his tenure that he would continue to add talented and athletic players to the roster, and his first two scholarship classes have done just that. Nebraska signed eight players for 2007-08 and added two more for this season.
NEBRASKA BASKETBALL 5 Among the eight newcomers last year, four redshirted, including Alex Chapman, Alonzo Edwards, Toney McCray and Brandon Richardson. Of the four who did not redshirt, three Steve Harley, Ade Dagunduro and Cookie Miller played significant roles as they combined to make 76 starts last year. Harley (9.1 ppg, 20 starts) and Dagunduro (8.9 ppg, 32 starts) ranked second and third on the team in scoring, while Miller led the squad in assists (109, 3.6 apg) and steals (58, 1.9 spg). This year's newcomers include freshmen Eshaunte Jones and Christopher Niemann. Jones is athletic and possesses a tremendous basketball IQ, but due to a foot injury, he could opt to redshirt. Niemann will not play in 2008-09 as he must sit out under an NCAA ruling. Jones, a native of Fort Wayne, Ind., played last season at Hargrave Military Academy where he averaged 15 points over the first 12 games before a season-ending injury. He was a first-team all-state player as a senior in Indiana. Niemann came to Nebraska from Germany and will be the fourth foreign-born player to compete at NU under Sadler. According to Sadler, Niemann is expected to provide an offensive force in the paint in future seasons. HUSKERS SIGN FOUR FOR 2009-10 Third-year coach Doc Sadler announced Friday, Nov. 14, that a strong lineup of four talented athletes, including three standing 6-8 or taller, have signed National Letters of Intent to join the Nebraska basketball squad for the 2009-10 season. Among the signees are: 6-10, 220-pound center Vander Joaquim from Luanda, Angola; 6-8, 210-pound forward Christian Standhardinger from Munich, Germany; 6-9, 220-pound forward Brandon Ubel from Overland Park, Kan.; and 6-2, 175- pound point/shooting guard Rayes Gallegos from Jordan, Utah. I m excited about this class and what they can bring to Nebraska, Sadler said. When we go on the road, something we look for in addition to talent is character, and that has been a continued priority this year. I feel good about the way they will represent Nebraska. On the court, I feel they will help us continue to improve and compete for a Big 12 championship. Joaquim averaged 21.1 points and 16.8 rebounds per contest last year with 89 blocks. He was ranked the No. 12 high school center in the country by Scout.com (71st nationally overall) and No. 15 center by Rivals.com (115th nationally overall). Joaquim was tabbed the No. 2 power forward on the West Coast by Scout.com before moving to West Virginia to attend Mountain State Academy in 2008-09. Standhardinger was named the MVP of the NBBL in 2008 and in the final of the 2008 U19 German Championship, he scored 37 points and posted 12 rebounds. He also earned top scorer honors at the Europe s Best Junior Tournament in 2007 and was the MVP of the German Top 4 in 2007. Standhardinger also was a member of the German Junior National Team in 2007 and 2008. This season, Standhardinger has averaged 19.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.1 assists per game for his club team. Ubel is a skilled forward with a nice touch from outside who also possesses the ability to score off a number of post moves and midrange jumpers. Last year as a junior, he helped Blue Valley West to the state tournament and his team won the Class 6A state title during his sophomore season. During the summer AAU circuit, Ubel averaged close to 20 points and eight rebounds per game for the Wedman Pumas. He owns a 4.1 grade-point average in high school and his sister, Kayla Ubel, is a sophomore on the NU track team. Gallegos came on during the summer AAU circuit when he averaged about 25 points per game. Gallegos was rated the No. 53 shooting guard in the country by Scouts.com and was tabbed the No. 7 shooting guard on the West Coast. Gallegos was the team s third-leading scorer at 10.5 points per game as a junior, helping the team to the state tournament. SCHEDULE NOTES Nebraska faces a rugged schedule as it will play 13 of its 29 regular-season games against teams that reached the 2008 postseason. Eight of the 13 game against postseason teams will be played at the. Among the Huskers' opponents that reached last year's NCAA Tournament were: NCAA champion Kansas (twice), Elite Eight participant Texas, NCAA second-round qualifiers Kansas State (twice) and Texas A&M along with NCAA qualifiers Baylor, Oklahoma and UMBC. NU will also face Arizona State, Creighton, Alabama State and Oklahoma State, all of which played in the postseason NIT. The Huskers will play 18 regular-season games at the for the second straight season. Last year, the Huskers went 15-3 in the building with the only losses coming to eventual national champion Kansas and NCAA qualifier Baylor, along with an overtime setback to Missouri. Nebraska played its 500th game in the Bob Devaney Sports Center last season and will be gunning for its 400th win in building history in 2008-09. The Huskers own a 385-121 record in their 33rd season at the, good for an impressive.760 winning percentage. RECAPPING THE SAN JOSE STATE GAME The Huskers 63-46 victory over San Jose State marked the third straight season-opening win under coach Doc Sadler and the eighth consecutive overall for Nebraska. NU is now 11-2 in season openers in the Big 12 era and has not lost a season opener at home since the 1980-81 season. The win was Nebraska s 26th consecutive home non-conference victory, including 25th straight at the. Head Coach Doc Sadler also improved to a perfect 21-0 in home non-conference games in his NU career. Nebraska s last home nonconference loss came in a 73-72 setback to UAB on Dec. 3, 2005. Nebraska improved to 3-2 against San Jose State all time and is now 17-14 against teams from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). Coach Sadler improved to 3-0 against the Spartans in his career. Junior center Chris Balham made his first career start against the Spartans in his 59th career game. Ryan Anderson scored the first points of the season with a 3-pointer at the 18:01 mark. With one 3-pointer against San Jose State, Anderson needs just four to move into the NU career top 10 as he now has 99 in his career. Paul Velander knocked down 3-of-6 3-pointers, marking his 11th career game with three or more 3-pointers, including six of his last nine games dating back to last season. Four players made their career debut for Nebraska including redshirt freshmen Toney McCray, Brandon Richardson and Alonzo Edwards, along with true freshman Eshaunte Bear Jones. McCray, Richardson and Jones made their way into the lineup in the first half while Edwards played in the second period. McCray barely missed a double-double with a game-high 17 points and a team-high nine rebounds. The last player to record a double-double in his first career contest was Aleks Maric to open the 2004-05 season. Sek Henry hit 2-of-3 from behind the 3-point line, marking just the eighth time in 65 career games that he has hit more than one 3-pointer in a game. Overall, Nebraska hit seven of its first 10 shots from behind the arc before finishing 8-of-21. Steve Harley, who was celebrating his 23rd birthday Sunday, tied his career high with six rebounds, including five in the first period. The game marked the third time in the Big 12 era Nebraska held an opponent to under 50 points in the season opener, joining the efforts against Arkansas- Pine Bluff (40 points) in 2004-05 and Centenary (45 points) in 2002-03. With the win, Doc Sadler became the first Husker coach to win the season opener in each of his first three seasons since E.O. Jumbo Stiehm won his first three season openers from 1911-12 to 1913-14. The only coach in Nebraska history with a longer streak is R.G. Clapp, who was a perfect 6-0 in season openers during his career (1903-04 to 1908-09).
2008-09 Nebraska Basketball Nebraska Combined Team Statistics (as of Nov 17, 2008) All games RECORD: OVERALL HOME AWAY NEUTRAL ALL GAMES... (1-0) (1-0) (0-0) (0-0) CONFERENCE... (0-0) (0-0) (0-0) (0-0) NON-CONFERENCE... (1-0) (1-0) (0-0) (0-0) ---TOTAL--- ---3-PTS--- ----REBOUNDS---- ## Player GP-GS Min--Avg FG-FGA Pct 3FG-FGA Pct FT-FTA Pct Off Def Tot Avg PF FO A TO Blk Stl Pts Avg ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 30 McCray, Toney... 1-0 23 23.0 6-15.400 0-3.000 5-8.625 5 4 9 9.0 3 0 0 4 1 1 17 17.0 25 Velander, Paul... 1-0 20 20.0 3-6.500 3-6.500 0-0.000 0 0 0 0.0 1 0 1 0 0 1 9 9.0 05 Henry, Sek... 1-1 21 21.0 2-4.500 2-3.667 1-2.500 1 3 4 4.0 1 0 1 3 1 4 7 7.0 44 Anderson, Ryan... 1-1 22 22.0 3-7.429 1-2.500 0-1.000 2 3 5 5.0 3 0 1 1 1 2 7 7.0 03 Richardson, Brandon 1-0 16 16.0 2-4.500 1-2.500 1-1 1.000 0 3 3 3.0 1 0 1 0 0 4 6 6.0 24 Miller, Cookie... 1-0 22 22.0 2-5.400 0-1.000 0-1.000 0 1 1 1.0 2 0 4 2 0 3 4 4.0 04 Harley, Steve... 1-1 24 24.0 2-9.222 0-0.000 0-0.000 2 4 6 6.0 1 0 3 1 0 1 4 4.0 01 Jones, Eshaunte... 1-0 16 16.0 1-3.333 1-3.333 1-1 1.000 1 3 4 4.0 0 0 0 3 0 0 4 4.0 15 Edwards, Alonzo... 1-0 4 4.0 1-2.500 0-0.000 1-2.500 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3.0 11 Dagunduro, Ade... 1-1 21 21.0 1-6.167 0-1.000 0-0.000 1 2 3 3.0 3 0 2 1 0 0 2 2.0 43 Salomon, Cole... 1-0 1 1.0 0-0.000 0-0.000 0-0.000 0 1 1 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 02 Krenk, Nick... 1-0 1 1.0 0-0.000 0-0.000 0-0.000 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 32 Balham, Chris... 1-1 8 8.0 0-3.000 0-0.000 0-2.000 1 1 2 2.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.0 35 Nelson, Ben... 1-0 1 1.0 0-0.000 0-0.000 0-0.000 0 0 0 0.0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.0 TEAM... 1 3 4 4.0 0 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Total... 1 200 23-64.359 8-21.381 9-18.500 14 28 42 42.0 16 0 13 16 4 16 63 63.0 Opponents... 1 200 18-50.360 3-16.188 7-11.636 7 31 38 38.0 19-8 25 6 7 46 46.0 TEAM STATISTICS NU OPP DATE OPPONENT W/L SCORE ATTEND -------------------------------------------------- ------------ -------------------- --- ----- ------ SCORING... 63 46 11/16/08 SAN JOSE STATE W 63-46 9527 Points per game... 63.0 46.0 Scoring margin... +17.0 - FIELD GOALS-ATT... 23-64 18-50 Field goal pct....359.360 3 POINT FG-ATT... 8-21 3-16 3-point FG pct....381.188 3-pt FG made per game. 8.0 3.0 FREE THROWS-ATT... 9-18 7-11 Free throw pct....500.636 F-Throws made per game 9.0 7.0 REBOUNDS... 42 38 Rebounds per game... 42.0 38.0 Rebounding margin... +4.0 - ASSISTS... 13 8 Assists per game... 13.0 8.0 TURNOVERS... 16 25 Turnovers per game... 16.0 25.0 Turnover margin... +9.0 - Assist/turnover ratio. 0.8 0.3 STEALS... 16 7 Steals per game... 16.0 7.0 BLOCKS... 4 6 Blocks per game... 4.0 6.0 ATTENDANCE... 9527 0 Home games-avg/game... 1-9527 0-0 Neutral site-avg/game. - 0-0 SCORE BY PERIODS: 1st 2nd Total ------------------------- ---- ---- ---- Nebraska... 38 25-63 Opponents... 20 26-46