2021-2022 expectations

[Nebrasketballer]

1 hour ago, Norm Peterson said:

People asking lots of questions.

 

Who's going to play what position? Will the newcomers come in and command a bunch of minutes and starts? At whose expense will the newcomers gain minutes?

 

A window into answering some of those questions might come from looking at the 4 factors: Shooting; rebounding; turnovers; free throws.

 

We sucked last year because we were the worst rebounding team in the Big 10. We were second-to-last in free throw percent. And bottom five in shooting and turning the ball over. That's a recipe for futility.

 

Among the guys who need to make big strides in the off-season, Dalano Banton was the team leader in turnovers. He was also a marginal free throw shooter. And he was bad from beyond the arc, although this was somewhat mitigated by his ability to finish (he shot over 50% from 2-point range.)

 

Banton was also far and away our best rebounder, corralling nearly 40 more boards than 2nd place Lat Mayen. On a team with better shooters, his deficiency from downtown might be camouflaged. If you want to knock him out of the starting lineup and give his minutes to someone else, you mind explaining who will grab the boards for us?

 

Speaking of Lat, he wasn't terrible. Some people act like he was gawd-awful. He wasn't. In fact, I thought he looked better and more comfortable as the season progressed. He didn't turn the ball over a ton. He rebounded reasonably well for his position. He made the most 3-pointers of anyone on the team. And he was our #1 freethrow shooter at nearly 80%. If you want to play someone else at the stretch 4 position, you better show me someone who can hit better than 35% from deep and rebound the basketball.

 

I'm open to discussing freshmen coming in and starting. In fact, I think we'd be nuts not to start our first 5-star recruit ever. But everyone else is going to have to legit beat someone out. And that's actually a good thing. Position battles make the whole team better.

I’m not sure if any of this is in response to me, but I’ll give a few responses in case it is.

 

I like both Banton and Lat and think both will be very important pieces of this teams success next season. I think Lat will start at the 4 spot and I think Banton will come off of the bench. 
 

“If you want to knock [Banton] out of the starting lineup and give his minutes to someone else, you mind explaining who will grab the boards for us?“

 

Wasn’t Banton already knocked out of the starting lineup at the end of last season? And the offense looked much better when he wasn’t running the PG and when he was coming off of the bench. If Banton was knocked out of the starting lineup last season with the talent level that was on this team, I don’t think that it’s out of line to think that after adding all of the talent Nebraska is adding to the roster this offseason that Banton will continue to come off of the bench.

 

And I think Banton is very valuable coming off of the bench as the 6th man, because he can effectively come in and play 1, 2, 3, or 4 depending on the flow of each game, but I expect that he will come off of the bench to play the 3 spot most of the time.

 

To me, Wilcher looks to clearly be a better shooter than Banton and I think he fits the starting 3 spot much better in Hoiberg’s offense. 
 

I’ve said multiple times that I think the starting lineup that makes most sense to me for Hoiberg’s system is Trey, Bryce, Wilcher, Lat, and Walker. I think that has a great mix of shooting, length, ball handling, and ability to get to the rim on offense, as well as the length and athleticism across the board to basically switch all screens on defense.

 

I’m not suggesting that I think Edwards will start in place of Lat at the 4 spot (although I don’t think it’s impossible), but rather I was just saying that I thought it would be a fun option to switch it up with a small-ball option to have a lineup of Trey, Bryce, Wilcher, Edwards, and Walker and that I think I would also be interested to see what Banton could do at the 5 spot in that small-ball lineup in place of Walker.

 

I think Lat looked pretty good shooting the ball once Walker came into the lineup for the end of the season. One of the biggest issues for him is poor defense at times that gets him into bad position so he gets into quick foul trouble which takes him off of the floor for extended periods of time, which seems to take him out of rhythm. The good thing about the lineup next season is that this team should have enough other shooters/scorers that they can carry that load when he’s on the bench with foul trouble.

 

Edited April 20, 2021 by Nebrasketballer

[Norm Peterson]

Wasn't really directing it at anyone consciously. I just saw some recurring comments across a number of threads and gave them some thought. Probably not enough thought. But that's an interesting reply, @Nebrasketballer

[Nebrasketballer]

7 minutes ago, Norm Peterson said:

Wasn't really directing it at anyone consciously. I just saw some recurring comments across a number of threads and gave them some thought. Probably not enough thought. But that's an interesting reply, @Nebrasketballer

Cool. I figured that might be the case. To expand on my last post, I’m also intrigued by the idea of Banton starting at the 4 spot, due to the rebounding factor that you mentioned, but I would be hesitant to replace Lat’s 3 PT shooting with Banton’s 3 PT shooting. But if Banton was able to get his 3 PT shooting up to a similar level to Lat’s over the off season, then I think he could start at the 4 spot because you could have that 3 PT shooting in addition to Banton’s rebounding. And if Banton’s 3 PT shooting did make that improvement, then I would hope for a starting lineup of Trey, Bryce, Wilcher, Banton, Walker. In that case, you could really get out and push the pace in transition, because you would have 4 players capable of bringing the ball up on offense.

 

 

[millerhusker]

12 hours ago, Norm Peterson said:

Speaking of Lat, he wasn't terrible. Some people act like he was gawd-awful. He wasn't. In fact, I thought he looked better and more comfortable as the season progressed.

I feel the same way about Kobe. Have seen a lot of comments implying Kobe should be getting mop up minutes next year if we want to be competitive. Zoom out for a minute and pretend these highlights were of an incoming transfer for next year. A guy coming from a Power 5 conference. He’s small, but has a lightning quick, repeatable release so he has no trouble getting his shot off. Great handles, lateral quickness and knows how to create separation. Shoots it equally well off the catch and the dribble. NBA range, 38% from three and can put it on the floor and make tough, contested mid-range jumpers and floaters. Seems to be a perfect fit in our offensive system. Shoot, this guy’s highlights are just as good, if not better, than any other transfer we’ve gotten under Hoiberg. He also brings a TON of experience. I’ve got to believe a 5th year senior with his production and skillset could see some solid PT next year. 

 

 

Edited April 20, 2021 by millerhusker

[Norm Peterson]

1 hour ago, millerhusker said:

I feel the same way about Kobe. Have seen a lot of comments implying Kobe should be getting mop up minutes next year if we want to be competitive. Zoom out for a minute and pretend these highlights were of an incoming transfer for next year. A guy coming from a Power 5 conference. He’s small, but has a lightning quick, repeatable release so he has no trouble getting his shot off. Great handles, lateral quickness and knows how to create separation. Shoots it equally well off the catch and the dribble. NBA range, 38% from three and can put it on the floor and make tough, contested mid-range jumpers and floaters. Seems to be a perfect fit in our offensive system. Shoot, this guy’s highlights are just as good, if not better, than any other transfer we’ve gotten under Hoiberg. He also brings a TON of experience. I’ve got to believe a 5th year senior with his production and skillset could see some solid PT next year. 

 

 

Kobe really struggled from mid-December until mid-February. Last 10 or 11 games, he settled in and only had two really bad performances in that final stretch. But from about the beginning of conference play in December until about the Illinois OT loss where he didn't score, he wasn't producing much in the way of highlights or stats you'd want to hang your hat on.

 

So, it kind of depends on which Kobe we get: the one who went off for 23 points against Northwestern?; or the one who went 1-9 from the field against Rutgers? His trouble was he was either on or off. If he can be more consistently on, he has a role. But I see it coming down to either him or Keisei for those minutes. Kobe has some advantages, but Keisei's strongest attribute is probably what we desire most.

[millerhusker]

26 minutes ago, Norm Peterson said:

Kobe really struggled from mid-December until mid-February. Last 10 or 11 games, he settled in and only had two really bad performances in that final stretch. But from about the beginning of conference play in December until about the Illinois OT loss where he didn't score, he wasn't producing much in the way of highlights or stats you'd want to hang your hat on.

 

So, it kind of depends on which Kobe we get: the one who went off for 23 points against Northwestern?; or the one who went 1-9 from the field against Rutgers? His trouble was he was either on or off. If he can be more consistently on, he has a role. But I see it coming down to either him or Keisei for those minutes. Kobe has some advantages, but Keisei's strongest attribute is probably what we desire most.

But that was, in part, the point of my post. All of this could be said about Lat also. Take away 3 games where he shot it really well behind the arc, and he shot less than 29% from three and about 35% from the field. Do we get the Lat who shot 5-7 from three against Rutgers, or the one who shot 1-6 or worse numerous times over the course of the season? I also think Lat’s rebounding is very replaceable, even with a 4 guard lineup. 
I think Lat will be in the starting lineup to begin the season but he will have to be more sound on both ends to keep that spot. And that’s a testament to the recruiting we’ve done. 

[aphilso1]

23 minutes ago, millerhusker said:

But that was, in part, the point of my post. All of this could be said about Lat also. Take away 3 games where he shot it really well behind the arc, and he shot less than 29% from three and about 35% from the field. Do we get the Lat who shot 5-7 from three against Rutgers, or the one who shot 1-6 or worse numerous times over the course of the season? I also think Lat’s rebounding is very replaceable, even with a 4 guard lineup. 
I think Lat will be in the starting lineup to begin the season but he will have to be more sound on both ends to keep that spot. And that’s a testament to the recruiting we’ve done. 

 

Lat has a combo of length and shooting that can't be replicated by any of our other players though.  Perhaps Wilhelm will come in and be a Lat type player with a more rounded game, but I want to see him do it in games where he isn't the tallest guy on the floor.  Big, athletic high school guys are dominant because they rarely play against other big, athletic guys.  So assuming Wilhelm is a long-term, rather than short-term, Lat upgrade...that means Lat will still get every opportunity to succeed next year.

 

I like Kobe quite a bit, but his skillset is not unique on the team.  He's a plus shooter and plus ball handler, an average passer, and a negative defender with negative size.  That type of skillset has a lot more competition for rotation minutes.  

[hugh42]

26 minutes ago, millerhusker said:

But that was, in part, the point of my post. All of this could be said about Lat also. Take away 3 games where he shot it really well behind the arc, and he shot less than 29% from three and about 35% from the field. Do we get the Lat who shot 5-7 from three against Rutgers, or the one who shot 1-6 or worse numerous times over the course of the season? I also think Lat’s rebounding is very replaceable, even with a 4 guard lineup. 
I think Lat will be in the starting lineup to begin the season but he will have to be more sound on both ends to keep that spot. And that’s a testament to the recruiting we’ve done. 

 

One thing I'll add is who starts doesn't really matter. Lat could start all season long, but his backup (whoever that is) could play more minutes and may be the guy that plays during crunch time. The great thing about this roster as others have stated is that we have options and it would appear lots of them.

[Fullbacksympathy]

2 hours ago, millerhusker said:

But that was, in part, the point of my post. All of this could be said about Lat also. Take away 3 games where he shot it really well behind the arc, and he shot less than 29% from three and about 35% from the field. Do we get the Lat who shot 5-7 from three against Rutgers, or the one who shot 1-6 or worse numerous times over the course of the season? I also think Lat’s rebounding is very replaceable, even with a 4 guard lineup. 
I think Lat will be in the starting lineup to begin the season but he will have to be more sound on both ends to keep that spot. And that’s a testament to the recruiting we’ve done. 

 

Rebounding and post defense in conference play will be tricky with 4 guards unless we play other teams doing the same thing.  In the case of the latter, I definitely see where you're coming from.  I'm guessing Lat will weigh 215lbs next season and Wilhelm will be in the 210lb range.  

 

Based on minutes played at the 4:

 

Rutgers:  Ron Harper, Jr., 6'6" 245

OSU:  EJ Liddell, 6'7" 240

Michigan: Isaiah Livers, 6'7" 230

MSU:  Aaron Henry, 6'6" 210

Iowa:  Keegan Murray, 6'8" 215

Illinois Keon could definitely help us match up at the 4.

PSU: Seth Lundy, 6'6" 220

Wisconsin:  Aleem Ford, 6'8" 220

NW:  Miller Kopp, 6'7" 215

Maryland Keon could've played the 4.

Indiana:  Race Thompson, 6'8" 230

Minnesota Keon could've helped us.

 

So I think it's more situational but I don't think we can get away with a guy who weighs less than 200lbs at the 4 on a nightly basis in conference play without getting murdered on the glass.  I don't think Lat is a world beater at the 4, but I think Wilhelm is being seriously underrated for what he might be able to bring to that spot.  He can do a lot of the same stuff Keon can do but currently at 6'9" 205.  My guess is Wilhelm gets big minutes there.  

 

 

[millerhusker]

10 minutes ago, LK1 said:

 

Rebounding and post defense in conference play will be tricky with 4 guards unless we play other teams doing the same thing.  In the case of the latter, I definitely see where you're coming from.  I'm guessing Lat will weigh 215lbs next season and Wilhelm will be in the 210lb range.  

 

Based on minutes played at the 4:

 

Rutgers:  Ron Harper, Jr., 6'6" 245

OSU:  EJ Liddell, 6'7" 240

Michigan: Isaiah Livers, 6'7" 230

MSU:  Aaron Henry, 6'6" 210

Iowa:  Keegan Murray, 6'8" 215

Illinois Keon could definitely help us match up at the 4.

PSU: Seth Lundy, 6'6" 220

Wisconsin:  Aleem Ford, 6'8" 220

NW:  Miller Kopp, 6'7" 215

Maryland Keon could've played the 4.

Indiana:  Race Thompson, 6'8" 230

Minnesota Keon could've helped us.

 

So I think it's more situational but I don't think we can get away with a guy who weighs less than 200lbs at the 4 on a nightly basis in conference play without getting murdered on the glass.  I don't think Lat is a world beater at the 4, but I think Wilhelm is being seriously underrated for what he might be able to bring to that spot.  He can do a lot of the same stuff Keon can do but currently at 6'9" 205.  My guess is Wilhelm gets big minutes there.  

 

 

Agree on Wilhelm. Mater Dei has him listed at 210 lbs (Lat was 190 out of high school). I actually think he'll be closer to 220 next fall. He's tough as nails and has good foot speed. He's also used to playing against elite level bigs on his high school and AAU teams. 

Not sure Lat will get up to 215. He was listed at 210 for TCU, then 205 in juco and on our roster last year. 

[Navin R. Johnson]

 

[Silverbacked1]

Kobe's worth might not show up in the box scores ever night... but his worth will show on the bench, practice room, film room, class work, etc.  He will make our young guys know what needs to be done to be a good/great power 5 player.

[Norm Peterson]

1 hour ago, Navin R. Johnson said:

 

 

"Edwards, McGowens and Breidenbach were all ranked in the top 50 nationally in Sports Illustrated's SI99 released in December of 2020."

 

https://huskers.com/news/2021/4/20/mens-basketball-huskers-continue-to-haul-in-top-15-class.aspx

[hskr4life]

1 hour ago, Silverbacked1 said:

Kobe's worth might not show up in the box scores ever night... but his worth will show on the bench, practice room, film room, class work, etc.  He will make our young guys know what needs to be done to be a good/great power 5 player.

 

This-- this is also Kobe's "one final shot" at doing something special.  He'll have the players around him to do that something special, but it isn't a guaranteed.  Why?  Because those "players" are young.  So having veteran experience with young super talent is a win win.  It's why I believe people wouldn't mind seeing Thor back if he wanted to come back.

[Norm Peterson]

1 hour ago, Silverbacked1 said:

Kobe's worth might not show up in the box scores ever night... but his worth will show on the bench, practice room, film room, class work, etc.  He will make our young guys know what needs to be done to be a good/great power 5 player.

 

Same could be said for Thor. We have room. It looks like we'll probably keep a couple spots open. He doesn't count against our total this year anyway. Why on earth would you not want Thor around. Even if he doesn't get many minutes, what he would provide in terms of stability in the locker room would be a benefit beyond measure.

[Nebrasketballer]

The more I learn about Keon Edwards, the more I think he will crack the starting lineup next season. Before Edwards committed, I assumed Wilcher would start at the 3 spot, but now with Edwards on the roster, I think he will start at the 3.

 

When it comes to Bryce, I don’t think there’s any way that the first 5 star in Nebraska history won’t start. (I think most Nebraska fans feel the same way.)

 

Before reclassifying to 2020, Edwards was ranked the #22 overall prospect in the 2021 class, while Bryce is ranked the #19 overall prospect in the 2021 class. There’s virtually no difference between #19 and #22. I think a lot of us don’t fully appreciate the level of player that Hoiberg has landed by signing Edwards. I’m getting really excited about him.

 

Im thinking we could see a starting lineup of:

 

1- Trey McGowens (6’4”)(Jr)

2- Bryce McGowens (6’6”)(Fr)

3- Keon Edwards (6’7”)(Fr)

4- Lat Mayen (6’9”)(Jr)

5- Derrick Walker (6’8”)(Jr)

 

[Fullbacksympathy]

31 minutes ago, Nebrasketballer said:

The more I learn about Keon Edwards, the more I think he will crack the starting lineup next season. Before Edwards committed, I assumed Wilcher would start at the 3 spot, but now with Edwards on the roster, I think he will start at the 3.

 

When it comes to Bryce, I don’t think there’s any way that the first 5 star in Nebraska history won’t start. (I think most Nebraska fans feel the same way.)

 

Before reclassifying to 2020, Edwards was ranked the #22 overall prospect in the 2021 class, while Bryce is ranked the #19 overall prospect in the 2021 class. There’s virtually no difference between #19 and #22. I think a lot of us don’t fully appreciate the level of player that Hoiberg has landed by signing Edwards. I’m getting really excited about him.

 

Im thinking we could see a starting lineup of:

 

1- Trey McGowens (6’4”)(Jr)

2- Bryce McGowens (6’6”)(Fr)

3- Keon Edwards (6’7”)(Fr)

4- Lat Mayen (6’9”)(Jr)

5- Derrick Walker (6’8”)(Jr)

 

 

This is how I see it as well.  I think Keon, CJ, and Bryce will have a nice rotation at the 2-3 for us with Trey, Banton, and maybe Bryce rotating at the 1.  

[Silverbacked1]

2 hours ago, Norm Peterson said:

 

Same could be said for Thor. We have room. It looks like we'll probably keep a couple spots open. He doesn't count against our total this year anyway. Why on earth would you not want Thor around. Even if he doesn't get many minutes, what he would provide in terms of stability in the locker room would be a benefit beyond measure.

Plus he is an honor roll student which makes the team GPA look good

Edited April 20, 2021 by Silverbacked1

[Nebrasketballer]

 

Robin joins Gary and talks attending National Junior College Championships for basketball and gives his thoughts on a couple of future Huskers, why Keon Edwards is good for this Nebraska roster, Trout and where Nebraska stands in his recruitment and more!

[Norm Peterson]

Bryce McGowens is already in Lincoln? AWESOME!

[Norm Peterson]

Two more takeaways from the Washut appearance on Gary Sharpe's show that @Nebrasketballer linked above:

 

1. Traudt using an official to come to Nebraska in June is a sign that we're not an afterthought. Hoiberg is personally handling this recruitment and calling him 3 times/week. He only has a limited number of officials to use and the fact that he's using one of them for us suggests that we're still in it.

 

2. Keisei is more than just a shooter. Good passer, good court vision, very active on both ends of the floor. Very pesky defender. BUT he got his 3-point shot blocked twice in the game Robin watched, and so there might be some question whether he'll be able to reliably get it off against Big Ten level defenders.

[49r]

15 minutes ago, Norm Peterson said:

BUT he got his 3-point shot blocked twice in the game Robin watched, and so there might be some question whether he'll be able to reliably get it off against Big Ten level defenders.

 

But as we've seen in games this year, Hoiberg's scheme is so good at getting guys absolutely wide open looks at 3, I would be willing to bet more often than not Keisei won't have to worry about that too much.

 

I remember many times yelling at my TV screen as Lat passed up another open look "WHY YOU NO SHOOT, LAT"

Edited April 21, 2021 by 49r

[hhcmatt]

1 hour ago, 49r said:

 

But as we've seen in games this year, Hoiberg's scheme is so good at getting guys absolutely wide open looks at 3, I would be willing to bet more often than not Keisei won't have to worry about that too much.

 

I remember many times yelling at my TV screen as Lat passed up another open look "WHY YOU NO SHOOT, LAT"

 

I'd yell the same thing when he'd drive into the lane

[Cazzie22]

I like what is being put together but I am concerned about rebounding at both ends of the court.  

[kldm64]

17 hours ago, Nebrasketballer said:

The more I learn about Keon Edwards, the more I think he will crack the starting lineup next season. Before Edwards committed, I assumed Wilcher would start at the 3 spot, but now with Edwards on the roster, I think he will start at the 3.

 

When it comes to Bryce, I don’t think there’s any way that the first 5 star in Nebraska history won’t start. (I think most Nebraska fans feel the same way.)

 

Before reclassifying to 2020, Edwards was ranked the #22 overall prospect in the 2021 class, while Bryce is ranked the #19 overall prospect in the 2021 class. There’s virtually no difference between #19 and #22. I think a lot of us don’t fully appreciate the level of player that Hoiberg has landed by signing Edwards. I’m getting really excited about him.

 

Im thinking we could see a starting lineup of:

 

1- Trey McGowens (6’4”)(Jr)

2- Bryce McGowens (6’6”)(Fr)

3- Keon Edwards (6’7”)(Fr)

4- Lat Mayen (6’9”)(Jr)

5- Derrick Walker (6’8”)(Jr)

 

 

That would be a very solid starting lineup.  The only 2 that I think are guaranteed to be starting are the McGowen brothers.  The other 3 spots are still up for grabs but could see it shaking out with the line-up you have listed.