OK, now that we Tai'd one N ...

[Norm Peterson]

Disclaimer: Don't think I'm not enjoying this season so far, because I sure am. But, as many of you know, I also frequently look ahead. I'll call it multi-tasking. Just because we're enjoying one season doesn't mean we can't also look to what's to come. So, if you only want to talk about the current season, probably go ahead and skip this thread.

The reason I bring up the topic of what to do now that we have Tai officially committed -- official, that is, since Brian Rosenthal tweeted it -- is that you look at what veterans we will have to replace and you have to do some calculatin'.

If you were projecting minutes before the season started, many if not most of us would have probably estimated that Sergej, the 7 foot Serbian, would probably have to play because of depth issues and wouldn't be able to redshirt. And I think we would probably have thought we'd see him maybe 10 minutes per game or slightly more. But he didn't redshirt. And if things continue on their current trajectory, we might not see much of him this season at all.

Which means the complexion of the lineup for next season is going to be a little different than what a lot of us might have imagined back when all we knew of Sergej was that he was tall and, from what we were told, skilled. Next year, we're not going to have an experienced 7 foot Serbian playing for us (if we have a 7 foot Serbian at all.) We have two bigs right now who see the floor and they're both seniors. We have a 6'10" kid sitting out as a transfer but my understanding is that his skillset is more in the power forward area.

And that means, as far as I can tell, right now we have a bit of a gaping hole in the middle of our roster for next year. And the question I have is how (or with whom) do we replace Andre Almeida and Brandon Ubel?

Is it Pitchford, Petteway, Rivers and Shields? Or do we need to be scouring the countryside looking for a big guy who can do some damage inside?

[Norm Peterson]

Obviously, my answer is going to be that we need to find a big. So, the next question is how urgent do we need the help? Do you add a high school kid who can come in and develop and give you 15 minutes of development every game his freshman year or do we need to find a (gasp) juco who can come in and, if not start, at least provide solid depth near the top of the rotation.

For some perspective, here's what we have coming back:

Parker, Benny G 5-9 164 Fr.

Shields, Shavon G 6-6 214 Fr.

Vucetic, Sergej C 7-1 236 Fr.

Petteway, Terran F 6-6 200 So.

Pitchford, Walter F 6-10 229 So.

Rivers, David G 6-7 191 So.

Biggs, Deverell G 6-0 174 Jr.

Gallegos, Ray G 6-2 181 Jr.

Peltz, Mike G 6-2 199 Jr.

I don't think that Rivers or Petteway really qualify as power forwards. They might be able to give you some decent minutes underneath but do any of you really see anyone on the returning roster who could hold down the middle against the bigs from USC that we saw last night?

Honestly, if we could take a Mulligan on it, I think it would have been ideal to get in on some of the transfers after last season. We found ourselves with an open scholarship anyway. If we'd have gotten another sophomore big, he could have been practicing with the team right now and would have 2 seasons of eligibility to use. Failing that, the next best option is probably a juco, even though Miles has suggested that jucos aren't his preferred choice. I just look at our returning roster and think we're going to get eaten alive inside next year if we don't find another player who can bang down low.

[GATA]

I'm leaning toward a juco guy since we will need to balance our classes out. Plus, I'm not sure if there's a freshman-to-be out there who we can reasonably expect to give us a solid 10-15 minutes a night.

Obviously if there's a pretty darn good freshman-to-be big out there, I would take it, but I think juco is probably more reasonable. We've missed on our first several big man targets, so maybe we take a two-year guy and regroup. If we have a little success, maybe bigs will be more interested in coming to Lincoln.

[Huskerpapa]

We should get one more "big" that can chew minutes and provide productivity.

[NUdiehard]

We definitely need a big who can come in and play right away. Most likely, that will be a juco. I was about to answer that we should still try and get both a freshman big and a juco big since we still have 2 scholies open and we seem to have enough guards. However, when I looked at it closer, I think Miles may have a bit of a dilemma. As it stands now, unless I am mistaken, Gallegos will be our only senior on scholarship next year. That means if Miles hands out the remaining 2 scholies this year, he will only have 1 available for the 2014 class unless someone moves on (which is very likely/possible). Is he better off saving that scholarship since it is unlikely Miles can pick up a quality freshman big this late in the game for 2013? I guess it depends on who he can get, but if it is a choice of taking a "servicable" freshman big or holding on to it, then I would hold on to it.

With that said, there is no doubt that we desparately need a big for next year. The more I learn (just by reading and observing), it appears to me that Pitchford is closer to 6'8" than 6'10", and he isn't too thick either. Thus, I am already thinking of him as more of a 3/4 than a 5. I just don't see him banging underneath with the big boys. We need someone with some strength and size and attitute to battle and rebound. If we don't get someone, it could be rough in the paint next year.

[Norm Peterson]

Honestly, I think we should hope to find a two-year guy who can come in and start right away.

Here's something I take away from last night. The motion offense is getting our bigs touches. I remember this was sort of a constant topic of discussion under Doc. He would tell our guys to get the ball down low to Diaz but the discussion in post-games would be that the guards weren't following directions on that.

Well, that doesn't appear to be a problem with the Miles Motion. The bigs were getting touches. There were a number of ways they were looking to get the post entry, but an illustration would be 2 has it in the corner and looks in for 5. If it's there, then a bounce entry to the 5. If not, it's a pass to 3 at the wing, and 2 runs baseline motion to the opposite wing while 3 looks to enter to the post. If it's still not there, then ball is reversed and 3 cuts acrossed the lane to the far corner.

My point, of which there is one, is that Miles' offense does produce touches for the bigs. They aren't there strictly for rebounding and setting picks. I think there's a reason Brandon Ubel has increased his scoring by almost 10 points per game over last year. And that should make us an attractive destination to a big who wants to play and wants to get touches. We're a team on our way up (hopefully it still looks that way at season's end) and we have an immediate opening for a self-motivated center or power forward who wants to take his game to the next level.

[Norm Peterson]

NUdiehard, I agree. I was thinking of the same dilemma, signing two more players this spring or holding a scholarship for next year. I actually wish we could have three ships available for the 2014 class but that would mean either not bringing in any more players for 2013 class OR clearing some roster space.

The bad part is this: We need to be able to offer at least 2 spots if not 3 for 2014 AND we very definitely need another big man for 2013. And we can't have both unless we ...

(I hesitate to even suggest it.)

[hskr4life]

1. Surj may leave....

2. What about Menkes scholie?

[TheKamdyMan]

1. Surj may leave....

2. What about Menkes scholie?

I would assume Menke's is a one year agreement. At least thats my hope.

[Norm Peterson]

Menke's scholie almost certainly won't be renewed. I'm pretty sure everyone understood it was a one year deal just because we had an unused one for the year. We might still have one for next year but that one, if they choose not to use it for a new recruit, might reasonably go to Peltz who is actually getting playing time.

[Swan88]

We are apparently after Matthew Atewe, the 6'9" power forward from Canada who currently plays at a prep school back east. He reportedly has offers from K.St., Marquette, Memphis, Auburn, Clemson and others. He's had some glowing things to say about Tm Miles and Chris Harriman.

[GATA]

One thing we haven't discussed is the possibility of adding a graduated senior for one season. Illinois added a big man this year from Coastal Carolina, I believe. It could make for a nice stopgap, although it's hard to predict whether one will shake loose and whether we will be a match academically.

[Norm Peterson]

And Northwestern added a guy from Louisville. Problem is you don't necessarily know who's going to be available for an immediate transfer while you're working to fill known needs.

[TheKamdyMan]

One thing we haven't discussed is the possibility of adding a graduated senior for one season. Illinois added a big man this year from Coastal Carolina, I believe. It could make for a nice stopgap, although it's hard to predict whether one will shake loose and whether we will be a match academically.

the good thing is for whatever reason college hoops has by far the largest turnover rate for players transferring. I remember last year there was a list about one hundred players deep that had guys that were immediaitely eligible transfer players. There were roughly like 5-7 that would be high level contriubtors but there was bodies nonetheless available.

[GATA]

And Northwestern added a guy from Louisville. Problem is you don't necessarily know who's going to be available for an immediate transfer while you're working to fill known needs.

Agreed, but players have a way of letting schools know if they're looking, and vice versa.

[Huskerpapa]

What about the big kid out of (I think ) Missouri who went to the East Coast prep school?

[GATA]

What about the big kid out of (I think ) Missouri who went to the East Coast prep school?

Tory Miller? Didn't he reclassify for 2014?

[bball23]

Atewe is coming on an official visit Jan 2nd-4th.....he may be the big we are looking at it sounds like.

[Tallbaby21]

Just for fun would Joshua Smith be eligible in early December 2013?

[FredsSlacks]

I remember reading that Nick Fuller was young for his grade and may not be done growing. He is 6'7 now, so he could easily develop into a power forward if he grows an inch or 2.

Also, It's not like Miles hasn't been trying to get big men in this class....

Agau, zach hanson, Vitto Brown, Tory Miller, Alex Foster... etc.

Matthew Atewe and Aram Martin (Who are both 6'9) seem to be the 2 most likely players to finish this class unless Miles decides to try and get a juco/transfer.

[Blackshirt83]

Atewe is coming on an official visit Jan 2nd-4th.....he may be the big we are looking at it sounds like.

That kinda sucks. We play AT Ohio State on the 2nd and then don't play till the 6th against Wisconsin.

K-State is gonna be the team to beat for this one IMO. Chester Taylor is an assistant coach at Kansas State. He played for Weber at Illionios and went to Notre Dame Prep and is recruiting Atewe hard.

[Norm Peterson]

I remember reading that Nick Fuller was young for his grade and may not be done growing. He is 6'7 now, so he could easily develop into a power forward if he grows an inch or 2.

I would love to see a guy with Nick Fuller's skills grow into a 6'9" power forward. That would be sweet.

[TheKamdyMan]

I would love to see a guy with Nick Fuller's skills grow into a 6'9" power forward. That would be sweet.

too bad we cant get the next David Robinson where he grew 5 inches in the Navy and became one of the greatest players ever.

[Huskerpapa]

too bad we cant get the next David Robinson where he grew 5 inches in the Navy and became one of the greatest players ever.

Well David Rivers doesn't have hair on his legs yet, so maybe he is due for a well timed growth spurt...

[joshvanklomp]

I guess I don't see the problem. More depth is a good thing, not bad.

Now, cut me some slack because I'm so new to the program (a Miles import)

It seems we have a lot of PGs, but not many "true" SGs. I think we'll see a lot of 2 PG lineups, The bigger guards like Shields and Rivers will see a lot of time at SF.

For example:

Webster / Parker / Peltz

Gallegos / Biggs

Rivers / Shields / Hawkins

Pettaway / Fuller

Vucetic / Pitchford

This seems to echo that sentiment:

In the future, Miles said, his ideal lineup would be three combo guards with one who is long and athletic enough to guard an opposing wing.

But, they do still recognize the need in the middle:

Nebraska has two scholarships remaining for next year and would have just one more available for 2014 under the current roster. Miles has said he is still seeking a big man to recruit for next season.

http://www.omaha.com.../712059983/1001