Nebrasketballer

While all of the early preseason top25 rankings coming out now will obviously not be the exact way that the top25 shakes out...I think there is some merit to them, at least as far as the NCAA Tourney is concerned. While Nebraska being included in these early top25 polls doesn't mean they will necessarily finish the season in the top25...they do indicate that Nebraska has a very very very strong chance of making the NCAA Tourney for their 2nd consecutive season. I'm pretty sure that I heard on Drop the Mic with Mike Welch today that 23 of the 25 teams in the early preseason top25 poll of either Gary Parrish or Seth Davis for this last season ended up making the NCAA Tourney (92%). Marquette and Georgetown were the only 2 teams ranked in his early preseason top 25 that failed to make NCAA Tourney. So, if that holds true this season as well, then Nebraska has a 92% chance of making the NCAA Tourney this coming season. That's pretty good odds for a team that just ended a 15 year drought. (Obviously I know that it's not a given that 23 of 25 will make it again this next season...I'm just throwing it out there for people to think about...)

Holy Crap! That video is dirty! He is now #1 on my wish list for the 2015 class. Authority at the rim on both offense and defense. Bring more of this 'Dunk City' to Lincoln. He could be a nice option to take Petteway's spot when he leaves for the NBA.

Coming out of high school, Stephen Domingo was ranked a 4-Star and also had offers from Harvard, Stanford, and Washington, so he probably won't be an academic risk. Here is his high school Rivals profile: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Stephen-Domingo-114693

I think the high profile recruits in the 2015 class that Nebraska has the best chances with are: -Markis McDuffie -Josh Reaves -Kevin Dorsey -Ed Morrow Reaves and Dorsey are teammates, McDuffie is teammates with Tarrin Smith, and Ed Morrow has the obvious Nebraska connections. They are all Rivals150 prospects. Here are links to their profiles: https://rivals.yahoo.com/pittsburgh/basketball/recruiting/player-Markis-McDuffie-155333 http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Josh-Reaves-153540 http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Kevin-Dorsey-145330 http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/recruiting/player-Edward-Morrow-153098

Yeah, you're probably right. I would have to imagine that if Nebraska was able to sign Graham and Smith, then Webster would be moving over to SG.

Would Nebraska be able to sign both Graham and Smith in the 2014 class? I would think that if Nebraska signs Graham, then they might lose out on Smith, which would be bad, because then Nebraska would likely lose out on his teammate in the 2015 class (Rivals150 SF Markis McDuffie). I would love to see Nebraska land both Smith and Graham, but the only way I see Nebraska taking 2 PGs in this class is if Webster moves to 2nd string SG (to take spot of Hawkins) and if Parker transfers (maybe following Craig Smith). I just really like both Tarrin Smith and Markis McDuffie and it seems like Nebraska has a shot to land them both. I would hate for Nebraska to miss out on that opportunity.

I like it. With everyone that Nebraska has coming back, I think they have a good shot at getting between a 4-seed and a 6-seed. These guys won't have to spend half of the season learning their roles and learning how to play together as a team. It won't take until January for them to learn how to win. My prediction is that Nebraska will win 22-24 games during the regular season and finish in the top-5 of the Big Ten Conference standings for the regular season. I also think Nebraska will win 1-2 games in the Big Ten Tournament, so this team could have as many as 25-26 wins on selection Sunday.

Not sure if this counts as Big Ten yet, but...

Were Miles and Smith friends when Miles hired Smith? I don't think many would say that Smith was a bad hire.I can't say that this is the big-name hire that I was initially looking for, but there has been a few times that I have been skeptical of decisions that this staff has made, but this staff continues to hit home run after home runs, so I will trust them.

Sounds like he's not a huge contributor on offense, but that he offers more on defense. Nebraska has Petteway, Pitchford, and Shields back next season (and also adds Fuller and I think Webster will have adjusted more, so I expect him to contribute more next season), so Ayegba's lack of offense doesn't bother me very much. I think Nebraska's offense will be fine next season. (Especially considering Nebraska could try to snag 1-2 more transfers that could bring some more offense) Plus, Nebraska could use a little bit more of this next season:

Wow. At least in that video, he looks like a very athletic scorer and he looks to have some tools that would work well here at Nebraska. Maybe with the departure of Nate Hawkins, Nebraska would consider giving him a look. I can't find him on Rivals or ESPN or anywhere else though, so that concerns me a little bit It is a highlight tape, so its hard to know it is indicative of his consistent level of play, or if it is just a few of his best (ie "highlights"). Also hard to know if his lack of attention is because he has academic issues or something. Would be nice if he truely is just under the radar. He looks to have the ability to aggressively attack the rim and to finish with authority when he gets there. He also looks to have a decent mid-range/outside shot. That is a combination that could be very helpful for Nebraska, when trying to replace Petteway, once he moves on to the NBA after his Jr or Sr season.

Nebraska could be a contender in the NCAA Tourney with him. He was ranked a 4-Star Rivals150 coming out of highschool (#15 Center, #58 overall prospect). Here is his rivals profile: http://sports.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/basketball/recruiting/player-Christopher-Obekpa-121800

http://instagram.com/p/mWawvBsA7-/

Hope Nebraska signs 2-3 grad transfers in this class. Nebraska seems to be in on multiple high caliber 2015 recruits. If Nebraska could get 2-3 with 1 year of eligibility, then Nebraska would be able to sign 4-5 in the 2015 class. And with the potential that Nebraska has to make some noise next season...it would be nice if they could strike while the iron is hot and sign 4-5 players in the 2015 class.

I'm very surprised to see Hawkins go too. I wonder if that means Nebraska has a couple of guys lined up to come in...

In this interview, talks about how Morrow matched up well against Jahlil Okafor. If people are worried about his ability to play in the post...I would think that him being able to match up with one of the best post players in the country would help to stop those worries. And in that matchup, he was only a Junior, while Okafor is a senior... http://www.highschoolcubenews.com/news_article/show/363257?referrer_id=596370

He is 6'9", 265 lbs...so it's not like he will have to put on 50 lbs, before he would be able to get on the court. Conference USA All-Freshman Team Selection ... led C-USA in rebounding and ranked fourth in field goal percentage (59.1) ... ranked 30th nationally and second among freshmen in rebounding ... listed as one of the top 25 freshmen in the nation by ESPN.com on Jan. 26 ... named Conference USA Freshman of the Week on Nov. 25 for averaging 12.5 points and 10.0 rebounds ... named an all-conference selection by CollegeSportsMadness.com ... played in all 30 games with 29 starts (the exception being Senior Day) ... led Rice in points scored, with 342 ... set Rice's freshman class record with 279 rebounds on the season ... finished fourth in C-USA in field goal percentage, at 59.1 percent, which tied the program's rookie record ... 11 double-doubles tied for ninth in Rice's single-season record book ... two 20-point/10-rebound games rank 10th in Rice career history ... led the Owls in rebounding in 26 games and in scoring 13 times. Narrowly missed his 12th double-double of the season with 12 points and nine rebounds against North Texas in the C-USA Championship ... notched 10th and 11 double-doubles of the season at ODU (11 points, 10 rebounds) and ECU (14 points, 12 rebounds) ... shot 7-of-8 against the Pirates ... ninth double-double came in the win over North Texas with 18 points (8-10 FG) and 13 boards ... hauled in 13 rebounds at UTEP to accompany five points on 2-of-3 shooting with two blocks ... racked up 19 points and 10 boards at UTSA ... posted a strong 22 points on 11-of-13 shooting with 17 rebounds against Marshall ... added two blocks ... led Rice with 12 points and 12 boards at Tulane to record his sixth double-double of the season ... posted his fifth double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds against Florida Atlantic ... scored seven points on 3-of-6 shooting against FIU and added a team-high eight rebounds ... racked up his fourth double-double of the season at Texas with 10 points and 12 rebounds ... put together an absolutely stellar outing against South Alabama with season highs in points (25) and rebounds (19) ... shot 9-of-16 from the field and 7-of-11 from the foul line in the win ... connected on 8-of-9 field goals and added nine rebounds in Rice's win at Santa Clara ... tallied his first double-double of the season with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting and 11 rebounds in the win at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi ... added an assist and a steal in 32 minutes on the floor ... pulled in nine rebounds at Texas A&M ... shot 4-of-5 from the field for eight points ... started in his Rice debut against St. Thomas and led the team with eight rebounds ... shot 3-of-4 from the field and 2-of-3 at the foul line for eight points. http://www.riceowls.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/sean_obi_854237.html

This was his ESPN Scouting report coming out of high school: Strengths: A wide-bodied space-eating center who occupies space in the paint and is physical by nature. Obi loves to drop-step over his left shoulder, goes right into contact and can muscle his way through it. Defensively, he provides a physical post defender who clogs the lane & can clean his ... for full access to RecruitingNation become an Insider

I agree and I also like this part of his bio: "2012-13: Played in every game, with 22 starts … Finished second on the team scoring 9.0 points per game and 21 blocks … Also pulled down 181 rebounds (4.8 rpg), 30 assists and 19 steals … Ranked fifth in the CAA in free throw percentage (81.4 percent)"

The "offer list" on Rivals is just a list of all prospects that Nebraska has offered. If you go to each individual profile, then they break down each interest level as "none", "low", "medium", or "high".

These are the main targets that are ranked in the Rivals150: D.J. Hogg (No. 35) Bryant Crawford (No. 51) Henry Ellenson (No. 56) Jimmy Whitt (No. 73) KeVaughn Allen (No. 81) Alex Illikainen (No. 82) E'Torrion Wilridge (No. 95) Chris Clarke (No. 103) Edward Morrow (No. 105) Josh Reaves (No. 120) Kevin Dorsey (No. 126) Markis McDuffie (No. 144) The entire list of prospects that Nebraska has offered is on rivals.com

I realize that I am probably going to get absolutely crushed for posting this, because both of these names probably seem a little out of reach at first glance, but then again, who would have thought that Nebraska would be able to steal Kenya Hunter from Georgetown last year? And, before the hire was made, I think most people would have thought it was crazy to think that Nebraska would land someone like Kenya Hunter. People would have also thought it was absolutely ridiculous to think that Nebraska could steal an assistant from a program that is considered to currently be a few steps up from the Nebraska job. How was Nebraska able to steal Kenya Hunter from Georgetown? Because Tim Miles is a good salesman and because it appears that for the first time in my lifetime, Nebraska is willing to get out the checkbook and spend some serious money to get high caliber assistant coaches for Tim Miles. Nebraska paid Kenya Hunter $230,000 to leave Georgetown for Nebraska. And right now, Nebraska assistants all make between $200,000 - $230,000. That's pretty solid. The 2 coaching names that I want to throw into the discussion are Matt Abdelmassih (current salary: $160,000) and Cornell Mann (current salary: $180,000). Both are currently assistant coaches at Iowa St. If Nebraska stays consistent with what they have been willing to pay assistants since Tim Miles has taken the job as Head Coach, then Nebraska could offer a $40,000 - $50,000 raise to each of these coaches. I know it's an extremely long shot, but I think it's a possibility. Here are their current coaching Bios: Matt Abdelmassih-Assistant Coach Matt Abdelmassih, who for two seasons assisted Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg as a staffer for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA, is in his fourth year as a member of the Iowa State men’s basketball program. Abdelmassih (pronounced Abdel-Massey) was the assistant director of operations for Iowa State in 2010-11 and was promoted to an assistant coach in April of 2011. Abdelmassih’s strong ties to New York City and the east coast has helped the Cyclones sign a number of outstanding players from the area. His hard work on the recruiting trail has opened up many doors for the Cyclones, as ISU’s 2013 recruiting class was ranked in the top-40 nationally by ESPN.com. Abdelmassih’s first two seasons as an assistant coach are among the best two campaigns in school history. In 2012-13, the Cyclones made their second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance despite losing its top-three scorers. Led by four all-conference players, the Cyclones won 23 games, rattled off a 22-game homecourt winning streak and went 16-1 at home. The Cyclones earned the distinction as one of the most exciting teams in the country in 2012-13, leading all “power-six” teams and ranking third nationally in scoring at 79.4 ppg. ISU also led the nation in 3-pointers per game (9.9, 346), breaking the Big 12 record and tying for the 14th-best total in NCAA history. The 2011-12 season was one of the best in school history. The Cyclones recorded 23 wins overall, tying for the fourth-most in school history, and tallied a 12-6 mark in Big 12 play, the third-best conference win total in the Iowa State record book. Iowa State made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005 during Abdelmassih’s second season in Ames, as the Cyclones appeared in the Associated Press’ top-25 poll for the first time since 2005 and defeated two top-10 teams (Kansas and Baylor). Abdelmassih recruited Royce White to Iowa State, who produced one of the best seasons in school history in 2011-12 when he led the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocks and steals. White was an unanimous First-Team All-Big 12 pick, the Basketball Times’ National Newcomer of the Year and a honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press. White was the 16th pick overall in the 2012 NBA Draft, the fifth-highest selection in school history. Iowa State has produced eight All-Big 12 players (White, Diante Garrett, Scott Christopherson, Chris Allen, Melvin Ejim, Will Clyburn, Tyrus McGee and Korie Lucious), recorded the two-best 3-point season totals in school history and is 46-23 in Abdelmassih’s two years as an assistant with the Cyclones. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., Abdelmassih forged a solid working relationship and friendship with Hoiberg when he joined the T-Wolves organization in 2008. He spent his first season as a basketball operations intern, working directly with the T-Wolves coaching staff. He was promoted to basketball operations assistant in 2009-10, moving into front office duties. He assisted the T-Wolves brass in a variety of roles, including salary cap issues and free agent analysis. Abdelmassih was a student manager for the St. John’s men’s basketball team on Norm Roberts’ staff from 2004-07. He aided the director of operations with travel, video and camp responsibilities. At SJU, he spent most of his summers helping out at camps around the country, including camp work at Kansas, North Carolina and UCLA. Cornell Mann-Assistant Coach Cornell Mann enters his third season as a member of the Iowa State coaching staff after helping the Cyclones achieve unprecedented success during his tenure in Ames. Iowa State has qualified for two-straight NCAA Tournaments, achieved a 46-23 overall record and posted back-to-back 11-win conference seasons in Mann’s two years as an assistant. In 2012-13, Iowa State advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year, reeled off a 22-game homecourt winning streak, tying for the second-best string in school history, and led the nation in 3-pointers per game at 9.9. The Cyclones, led by four all-conference players, were one of the most exciting teams in college basketball in 2012-13. ISU averaged 79.4 points per game, ranking third nationally and leading all “power-six” conference schools in scoring. In Mann’s first season (2011-12), Iowa State qualified for its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2005, recorded 23 wins and tied for the third in the Big 12 Conference with a 12-6 mark. Iowa State’s 12 conference wins is the third-best total in school history. The Cyclones made the most of their NCAA Tournament appearance, defeating defending national champion Connecticut before losing to No. 1 seed and eventual national champion Kentucky. With Mann on board, Iowa State appeared in the Associated Press’ Top-25 poll for the first time since 2005 and defeated two top-10 teams (Kansas and Baylor) in 2012. The Cyclones also had four players earn all-conference recognition, including Royce White, who was All-Big 12 First-Team, honorable mention All-American and the Basketball Times’ National Newcomer of the Year. White was the 16th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft. In his two years at Iowa State, Mann has helped tutor seven all-conference players and mentored back-to-back Big 12 Newcomer of the Year recipients (2012-White; 2013-Will Clyburn). Coach Hoiberg appointed Mann as the lead defensive coach at Iowa State which fits well with his high energy and style over substance approach. Mann believes in hard work and holding players accountable on the court and in the classroom. In his short time in Ames, Mann has already brought with him the Michigan pipeline, having recruited four players from his home state. Percy Gibson (Detroit Southeastern) has appeared in 60 games in his two-year career. He was considered the top post player in Michigan in the Class of 2011 and was named to the Detroit Free Press’ Six-Player Dream Team as a senior after averaging 21.2 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. Sherron Dorsey-Walker (Detroit Pershing), who redshirted his first season at ISU, was rated No. 125 in the Rivals.com rankings and listed as the second-best player out of Michigan in the Class of 2012. Monte Morris (Flint Beecher), an incoming freshman, is one of Mann’s prize recruits. Morris was named Michigan’s Mr. Basketball in 2013 and was a consensus top-100 national recruit in the class of 2013. With three of ISU’s top four scorers in school history hailing from Michigan (Jeff Grayer, Barry Stevens and Victor Alexander), Coach Mann has been instrumental in tapping back into that fertile recruiting ground. Mann has 12 years of experience as an assistant coach at the Division I level and has qualified for NCAA Tournament play at all four of his assistant coaching stops. Prior to his arrival at Iowa State, Mann spent three years at Dayton where he helped lead the Flyers to three-straight postseason berths. In Mann’s first season at Dayton (2008-09), the Flyers were ranked in the top-25, finished the season with the second-most victories in school history (27) and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Dayton defeated West Virginia in the first round. The Flyers were 25-12 and won the 2010 NIT Championship in Mann’s second season and UD went 22-14 and advanced to the finals of the Atlantic-10 Tournament in 2010-11. UD made the 2011 NIT and had three players earn all-conference recognition. Prior to his stint at UD, Mann coached at Western Michigan for five seasons, helping the Broncos win three Mid-American Conference West Division championships. The Broncos made the NCAA in 2004 and the NIT in 2005, and helped recruit and tutor five guards who earned All-Mac accolades, including the school’s all-time scoring leader David Kool. The last three players to score 1,000 points at WMU were recruited by Mann, as well as the school’s all-time assists leader. Mann was an assistant at Central Michigan for two seasons before his tenure at WMU, as the Chippewas advanced to the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament before falling to Duke. Prior to his arrival at CMU, Mann spent two seasons as the head coach at Oak Park High School in the Detroit area. He also was an assistant coach with the Michigan Mustangs, one of the top AAU programs in Michigan. Along with the dozens of players who have earned college accolades and recognition, four of Mann’s former players have went on to play in the NBA: Chris Johnson, Chris Wright (Dayton), Chris Kaman (Central Michigan) and Royce White. Still, the number that Coach Mann takes most pride in is the number of players coached that have went on to earn their college degree.

#5 Jonathan Arledge http://m.gomason.com/mobile/ViewArticle.dbml?atclid=205055888&DB_MENU_ID=&SPSID=&SPID=&DB_OEM_ID=25200 Position: Forward Height: 6'9" Weight: 228 Year: Junior Hometown: Silver Spring, Md. HS: KIMA Jonathan Arledge Bio: 2012-13: Played in every game, with 22 starts … Finished second on the team scoring 9.0 points per game and 21 blocks … Also pulled down 181 rebounds (4.8 rpg), 30 assists and 19 steals … Ranked fifth in the CAA in free throw percentage (81.4 percent) … Scored in double figures 13 times including one double-double … Recorded 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals in win over UMBC (Dec. 4) … Registered nine points, nine rebounds, two steals and an assist against Northeastern (Jan. 3) … Scored 14 points, then a career-high, along with five rebounds, one block and one steal in 35 minutes of play against Drexel (Jan. 31) … Contributed 19 points, six rebounds, a block and a steal in win at James Madison (Feb. 2) … Went 9-for-9 from the free throw line as part of 21-point night, including seven rebounds, two blocks and two assists at Old Dominion (Feb. 4) … Posted double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds with two steals against Delaware (Feb. 9) … Scored 20 points including three 3-pointers, and added three rebounds, one block and one steal at Hofstra (Feb. 20) … Blocked a career-high three shots against Drexel along with eight rebounds and six points (Mar. 9) … Contributed 11 points and nine rebounds along with two assists and a block in win over Houston (Mar. 25) … Went 8-for-8 at the free throw line as part of career-high 23 points with five rebounds and a steal in win over Western Michigan (Mar. 27) … Opened CBI finals against Santa Clara with 21 points, eight rebounds, two steals, an block and an assist (Apr. 1) … Scored 16 points, seven rebounds and an assist in finale against Broncos (Apr. 5). 2011-12: Saw action in 31 games including two starts ... Posted 172 points, 121 rebounds, 18 blocks, 17 assists and 16 steals ... Was sixth on the team in rebounding and had the second-highest free throw shooting average (79.3 percent) ... Scored seven points, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal in win over Monmouth (Nov. 15) ... Made first collegiate start and recorded five rebounds, four points and an assist in a career-high 28 minutes at Florida Atlantic (Nov. 19) ... Scored seven points, two rebounds and a steal at Virginia (Dec. 6) ... Pulled down seven rebounds and added four points in win at Radford (Dec. 10) ... Scored a career-high 12 points and added five rebounds, two blocks and an assist in win at James Madison (Jan. 14) ... Contributed eight points, four rebounds and a career-best two steals against Towson (Jan. 21) ... Scored 10 points, including a perfect 6-for-6 night at the free throw line, and added seven rebounds, a steal and a block at Hofstra (Jan. 25) ... Swatted a career-high three shots and added six rebounds, four points, an assist and a steal in win over Georgia State in CAA quarterfinals (Mar. 3) ... Registered first career double-double of 11 rebounds and 10 points, adding one block against VCU (Mar. 4). 2010-11: Appeared in 28 games ... Averaged 5.5 minutes per contest and scored 40 points, 25 rebounds, six steals, six assists and three blocks ... Made first college appearance with season-high four rebounds and added two points, one steal and an assist against Harvard (Nov. 13) ... Scored season-high nine points on 50 percent shooting in win over Charlotte (Nov. 18) ... Was 4-for-4 from the free throw line and added three rebounds, two steals and a block against N.C. State (Nov. 19) ... Grabbed three rebounds in back-to-back games against Loyola (Dec. 8) and Liberty (Dec. 11) ... Posted four points and four rebounds at Dayton (Dec. 29) ... Pulled down two rebounds against Towson (Jan. 27) ... Scored four points, two rebounds and a block against Ohio State (Mar. 20). High School: Attended KIMA (Kamit Institute for Magnificent Achievers) and played basketball for Levet Brown... Also played football, baseball and track and field... Named All-Met in basketball and was a McDonald's All-American nominee... As a senior, average 16 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and two steals... Scored a career-high 31 points.