In a word ...

[Norm Peterson]

Rienk -- solid

Brice -- dangerous

Keisei -- Kasai (Japanese for "fire")

JLaw -- fast

CJ -- confident

Juwan -- dawg

Sam -- opportunistic

Josiah -- fighter

Eli -- fearless

 

Fred -- calm

Nate -- fierce

Adam -- steady

Ernie -- teacher

 

'23-'24 Huskers -- synergy

[Norm Peterson]

The impetus for the OP was thinking about the different feel this team has to us fans this year. I hate to say "team of destiny" because lots could happen yet, but it does have a different feel.

 

I was really worried about Ohio St, for example, when we're down 22-13 and not getting stops, but then we settled in and took over. Then pulled away and won the game. That might not have happened a year ago, and it almost certainly would not have happened Fred's first three years.

 

So why does this team have a different feel? We're not particularly athletic. We're not especially long. Hell, we don't even have a real point guard getting minutes out there. And, yet, we're as "front of the bubble" in actual reality as we've been in maybe a decade.

 

And, it occurs to me we have an interesting and perhaps unusual combination of pieces this season that just fit together. And each of those parts is kicking in something sort of unique that adds value.

 

And probably the best example of this is Sam Hoiberg. He's not long even for a guard. He's certainly not going to blow you away with his athleticism. But he anticipates where the ball is going to bounce better than any Husker player I can think of maybe going back to Cookie Belcher. While other players are standing around looking, Sam is sprinting to where he knows the ball is going to land. He gets rebounds that way. He gets steals that way. He picks his spots on the offensive end. He pesters opposing guards on the defensive end. And his very quick hands cause opponents problems.

 

He's very opportunistic and he impacts the game when he's on the floor. But you might not really see it in the stat sheet. Where you see it is the W/L record and our Kenpom ranking. Not Sam alone, but he helps nudge things the right direction in the metrics that do count.

 

And then you've got Rienk Mast. He's not as quick or agile or explosive as Derrick Walker. He's not overly tall. He's crafty, for sure. Very skilled. Good footwork. He's not a shot blocker or a rim runner. There's a lot of things he ain't. But he's just damn solid. He doesn't hurt you. He doesn't make mistakes. He doesn't try to be anything he's not. He knows what tools he has and he's really effective at using those tools. Solid.

 

Each of these guys possesses a trait or characteristic that is helping to make the team better this year. It's like the best potluck you've ever been to where not everyone insisted on bringing a main dish. Where the guy who said he'd make a salad made a really good salad.

 

And when you have all of these individual parts, each of which kicks in something of value, and when they act in unison towards the same goal, you have a squad that probably should have been 13th or 14th in the league somehow knocking on the door of the top third.

 

And there's a word for that. When the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts, you have what's called synergy.

 

And that's what we have this year. That's how this team feels to me. One word: Synergy.

[millerhusker]

Kent Pavelka - Legend

[Norm Peterson]

The social media intern and I must have been having some of the same thoughts. This was posted 10 minutes ago:

 

 

[jayschool]

If you were to create characters for an updated "White Shadow" streaming series, these are the guys you want on the team.

 

Great cast.

[cipsucks]

In a word, the 23-24 Huskers:

 

Bang-a-rang!

[Faux Mike Peltz]

Norm, how you described Reink Mast is almost to a T how my diehard Iowa fan/buddy described Uhlis when it was announced he was going to transfer. He said “elite at nothing, solid at just about everything, definitely won’t carry the team but definitely won’t hurt you either.”  I’m joking we find out!! 

[Vinny]

[Fullbacksympathy]

I agree with almost all of this, but the word I’d describe for Hoiberg is strong.  The kid has elite conditioning and strength for his frame, and he’s on the level of perimeter defense with Strickland and Lue—one of the best we’ve ever had.  He’s also a two handed dunker at 6’ so we’re not talking about a typical… um… walkon Just my .02 because I think some see him as a cool underdog story and I think he’s just proven over time he’s a solid D1 basketball player.  

[AuroranHusker]

I suppose we shall see what this team is made of on Thursday night, after that B1G debacle in College Park. I hope to see the fight brought to Wisc. all night. GBR