Norm Peterson

I would tend to agree with this. Stevenson at 245#, with a 7 ft wingspan and 40" vertical (don't know where I read that, but I believe I did) seems to be a guy who could bang and defend the post a bit. And he's historically a pretty accurate 3-point shooter. And he has quite a leg up on Cross and Drago in terms of experience.

Truthfully, I don't. It'd be interesting to find out. Is there a clone fan on the board who maybe has knowledge of that?

I was just trying to figure out a way to express that, in addition to having a totally new coaching staff, no one who has suited up for a game as a Husker before will be among the starters this year, and that's why, unlike any other year we've ever seen before, projecting starters is such a crapshoot for us fans this year. Still, interesting as always to get people's takes on what I think this year is an especially difficult thing to predict.

I don't see anyone redshirting who doesn't have to redshirt per transfer rules. Arop either earns a spot in the playing rotation or he comes in for garbage minutes in blowout games. I don't think they'll have him on a 5-year plan.

After putting together my "Meet the Huskers" thread today and reviewing all those old videos I'd looked at before, I'm still flummoxed at what the starting lineup will look like. There are so, so many possible combinations. Part of the problem with trying to assess who the starters might be is that only one guy on the roster has ever played for us before and he's almost a unanimous pick for coming off the bench. Plus we have a new coach and we aren't going to know quite what he wants or how he wants to put things together. So, it's all basically guesswork. And a lot of guys have tools who could make an argument to get a starting nod. Down low (if there's such a thing as "down low" on a Hoiberg club) you could see any two of the following as legit candidates to start: Drago, Stevenson, Kavas, Cheatham, Cross. Each brings something to the table that could get them on the floor in the starting rotation and, at this point, you really can't count any of them out. In the back court, you could legitimately go with any three of the following: Mack, Green, Burke, Cheatham, Curtis, Kavas, Stevenson. I could legitimately buy a starting lineup of Mack, Green, Burke, Stevenson, Drago. But I could also see Cheatham starting over Burke, Kavas over Stevenson, Drago getting bumped in favor of a 4th guard, Green shifting to point if, say, Mack doesn't pick up the offense, or any number of other possible combinations. It's not just that we have basically an entirely new roster; it's also that we have a new coach whose thought processes are not as well-known to us as a coach who's been here a few years. But this is an interesting discussion and, now that the roster has firmed up, and we know for sure we don't have Roby or Jayce Johnson, it's interesting to read people's takes on trying to divine which numbers Hoiberg will draw in the Starting Lineup Lottery.

True. Don't get me started on Danny not recruiting him.

I get you, dawg. Still seems unfair to lose a year of eligibility for playing small parts of 4 games after a coaching change where the new coach basically mislead you about sticking around. In a just world, he'd be immediately eligible as a sophomore.

I'd bet it was a football deal.

Updated thread with a little player bio for each kid.

Norm is taking some R&R today.

Dalano Banton, 6-8 195# Guard/Forward, Redshirting Sophomore-to-be, Rivals 4-star #80 player in Class of 2018 Norm's take: Will join this year's freshman class as a sophomore next year. Long guard with good handles and solid to very solid passing ability. Decent athlete. Smooth, gliding athleticism. Slight build. His freshman year 3-point percentage is slightly better than Isaiah Roby's was, just for some perspective. Jump shot is fundamentally sound. Appears to excel in transition and taking defender off the dribble. Good at attacking the rim and finishing. On defense, disrupts passing lanes with his length. Averaged 1.3 steals/40 minutes as a freshman at WKU. Shooting percentages need to improve. Season Averages season Team 2018-19 WKU GP GS MIN FG FG% 3PT 3P% FT FT% OR DR REB AST BLK STL PF TO PTS 31 12 15.1 1.3-3.1 40.2 0.3-1.2 21.6 0.6-1.1 55.9 0.5 2.5 3.0 2.1 0.5 0.5 0.9 1.7 3.4

Derrick Walker, 6-8 235# Forward, Redshirting Junior-to-be Norm's take: When he becomes eligible next season, he's going to have to fight a couple of similar-sized guys for playing time in what should be a deep front court. His minutes at Tennessee are low, his points per game unimpressive, and his free throw shooting tragic. But it's hard to get in a rhythm when you enter a game at garbage time, so we probably shouldn't read too much into his stats. And his lack of minutes may also be a function of the fact that he was buried on the depth chart at Tennessee behind some fairly OK players. Y'know, guys who might get drafted in the NBA draft this year, that kind of thing. So, it's hard to look at his stats and read too much into them. When I see his HS highlights, I see a long, lean PF with a little bit of that junk yard dawg I like to see. Active, athletic, quick off his feet. He'll rebound and he'll defend. And he'll turn a drive and dish into a dunk. That's what we need. Season Averages SEASON TEAM 2017-18 TENN 2018-19 TENN GP GS MIN FG FG% 3PT 3P% FT FT% OR DR REB AST BLK STL PF TO PTS 34 0 8.8 0.8-1.4 59.6 0.0-0.0 0.0 0.3-0.7 40.0 0.9 1.4 2.2 0.3 0.2 0.1 1.3 0.6 1.9 30 0 5.3 0.3-0.6 52.6 0.0-0.0 0.0 0.2-0.6 26.3 0.3 0.8 1.1 0.2 0.1 0.2 0.9 0.2 0.8

Samari Curtis, 6-4 190# Fr. Guard Norm's take: Last member of what's looking like a really solid and very underrated freshman class. Strong player with good length at the guard position. Can play either point or 2. Appears to have pretty good range, but somewhat unconventional shooting technique. But can score the darn ball. Draws fouls attacking the basket; doesn't shy from contact; but in video below doesn't finish through contact. I would rather see an And-1 than 2-shot foul. As others have mentioned, goes about his business. Hits a shot and heads back to play defense rather than jawing; let's his play do the talking, which I'm happy to see. Extremely, EXTREMELY good late pickup. Maybe the best late pickup of a HS player I've ever seen for Husker hoops. Not currently in the Rivals 150, which appears to me to have been an oversight on Rivals' part.

Kevin Cross, 6-8 240# Fr. Forward Norm's take: I love this kid (love his mom, too). Big body, kind of a dough-boy, needs to hit the weight room and work off some of that baby fat. But this kid has good hands. Maybe even great hands. Solid ball-handling skills, especially for a guy his size, and a pretty good shooter, too. Solid threat for pick-and-pop threes. But also knows how to juke and jive to get himself some space inside to get a ball off, which is really important if you're a bit undersized at the 5 at the next level. Projects such a great attitude and humble kid. I just wish he was a bit more of a junk yard dawg. I like bigs with a little bit of nasty to them. A Rivals miss? To my eye, he has everything Rivals #122 Jeriah Horne had but with a little more size and a little more athleticism.

Yvan Ouedraogo, 6-9 260# Fr. Forward Norm's take: Talk about under-the-radar. This kid's date of birth is 3/22/2002, which means he just turned 17 two months ago. That's young. But holy moly. He measured in at 6-9 and 260#. And he's a beast. He's strong and active and in 7 games at the U16 Euro Champs, he averaged nearly a double-double. Love his on-court demeanor. He's fiery, kind of like what I remember of Bruno Fernando when he was coming out of high school. I like bigs who play with a bit of an attitude. They generally rebound the ball well because they want it and, by gawd, they're gonna take it. And that's kind of what I see from this kid. Huge HUGE plus, when he comes in here, that he's 6-9 and 260 and just ripped, rather than the 6-7 230 kid we thought was coming for a visit. And, based on his age, it's entirely possible he's not done growing. Small sample size, but the FT% ain't bad for a young, big guy. The FG% is a bit concerning. He's getting his points in the paint and I'd want to see that number north of 50%. A little raw on the skills end, but that size is huge. Literally. FIBA Junior Team Events Stats SORT:YEAR ↑Year ↑Year ↓Event (A-Z)Event (Z-A)GP ↑GP ↓MIN ↑MIN ↓FGM ↑FGM ↓FGA ↑FGA ↓FG% ↑FG% ↓3PM ↑3PM ↓3PA ↑3PA ↓3P% ↑3P% ↓FTM ↑FTM ↓FTA ↑FTA ↓FT% ↑FT% ↓TRB ↑TRB ↓AST ↑AST ↓STL ↑STL ↓BLK ↑BLK ↓PF ↑PF ↓TOV ↑TOV ↓PTS ↑PTS ↓Place ↑Place ↓ COLUMNS:SWIPEStackSwipe Year Event GP MIN FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% TRB AST STL BLK PF TOV PTS Place 2018 U16 Euro Championship A 7 24:20 4.1 9.4 .439 0.0 0.1 .000 4.4 7.3 .608 9.7 1.1 0.9 0.4 2.0 1.4 12.7 4th AVERAGES 7 24:20 4.1 9.4 .439 0.0 0.1 .000 4.4 7.3 .608 9.7 1.1 0.9 0.4 2.0 1.4 12.7 - TOTAL 7 170:23 29 66 .439 0 1 .000 31 51 .608 68 8 6 3 14 10 89 -

Akol Arop, 6-6 190# Fr. Forward Norm's take: Local kid whom I never saw play live in HS, and I wish I would have. From what I've seen of him on TV highlights and whatever YouTube videos I can find, he has fairly typical size for a HS PF headed to play D1 ball. Wish he was a bit taller, but the 190# weight is not concerning to me. You go through the Rivals 150, and you'll see all kinds of guys who project as D1 PFs who aren't any heavier than that. His biggest draw is he's a dynamic leaper with some explosive athleticism. From what I've seen, he has fairly solid shooting form. I'd say he has a high ceiling but he's got some work to do on the skills end. He could end up being a career bench warmer or he could wind up being a superstar and it depends on whether he develops a jumper at least in the high 30s if not low 40s and develops some handles. From what I understand, he can guard any position on the floor except maybe the 5, and he's a pretty motivated and active defender. I think there's a lot of potential here and I have a sense he's willing to work to reach it.

Cam Mack, 6-2 175# So. Guard Norm's take: Game changing speed and quickness. Not the best shooting stroke, but effective enough that, if you leave him alone, he can make you pay, but if you guard him tight, well, you'll be looking at his backside as he blows by you. And he's a pass-first point. A real floor general. A facilitator. Very high assist numbers. Striking stats are scoring vs. assists in games won vs. games lost. When his team won, he scored 6 fewer points but dished 5 more assists. That's crazy. More than double the assists in the games his team won. But consistently more points in the games they lost. He'll have more help playing with us and won't need to do it all himself. But this kid is blazing fast and we're lucky to have landed him. GP GS MIN/G FG/G PCT 3PT/G PCT FT/G PCT PPG Total 28 27 31.6 6.7-14.7 45.6 2.0-5.9 33.7 3.6-5.6 64.6 19.1 Exhibition - - - 0.0-0.0 - 0.0-0.0 - 0.0-0.0 - - Home 14 13 30.3 6.0-11.9 50.3 2.0-4.9 40.6 3.2-5.6 57.7 17.2 Away 7 7 33.3 6.7-15.1 44.3 1.6-5.4 28.9 3.3-5.0 65.7 18.3 Neutral 7 7 32.6 8.1-19.9 41.0 2.4-8.4 28.8 4.9-6.4 75.6 23.6 Wins 19 18 30.9 6.0-12.6 47.5 1.8-5.4 34.3 3.3-4.8 68.5 17.2 Losses 9 9 33.0 8.2-19.1 43.0 2.3-7.1 32.8 4.3-7.3 59.1 23.1 GP GS MPG OFF/G DEF/G REB/G PF/G DQ/G AST/G TO/G A/TO STL/G BLK/G Total 28 27 31.6 0.9 5.0 5.9 2.2 0.0 7.6 2.7 2.8 2.4 0.6 Exhibition - - - - - - - - - - - - - Home 14 13 30.3 0.9 4.6 5.5 2.1 0.0 7.7 2.9 2.7 2.4 0.5 Away 7 7 33.3 0.7 5.0 5.7 1.7 0.0 8.0 2.3 3.5 2.3 0.6 Neutral 7 7 32.6 1.0 5.9 6.9 2.9 0.0 7.1 2.9 2.5 2.3 0.7 Wins 19 18 30.9 0.9 4.9 5.8 1.8 0.0 8.9 2.7 3.3 2.4 0.7 Losses 9 9 33.0 0.9 5.1 6.0 2.9 0.0 4.9 2.7 1.8 2.2 0.3

Shamiel Stevenson, 6-6 245# Jr. Guard/Forward Norm's take: I really like this kid. I hope he gets some kind of waiver that allows him to come in as a sophomore with 3 years to play. He can do so many things. He's strong, long arms, and very impressive leaping ability. He's a very good perimeter shooter, but he can also put it on the floor and drive. He's good at the pick-and-roll game, but he can also shoot well enough to play the pick-and-pop. I mean, he has all the attributes that make a Hoiberg stretch 4 really effective. Because he's so powerfully built, with long arms and great leaping ability, that's where I see him, in that stretch 4 role even if he's not so tall. His strength, length and leaping ability more than offset his height. Could easily see him as a Day 1 starter. Season Averages SEASON TEAM 2017-18 PITT 2018-19 PITT GP GS MIN FG FG% 3PT 3P% FT FT% OR DR REB AST BLK STL PF TO PTS 32 13 23.8 3.0-5.9 50.5 0.5-1.3 37.5 2.1-3.5 60.7 0.8 3.6 4.4 1.0 0.3 0.5 1.6 2.3 8.5 4 0 8.0 1.8-3.0 58.3 0.3-0.3 100.0 0.0-0.3 0.0 0.0 1.8 1.8 0.3 0.3 0.8 0.8 0.8 3.8

Jervay Green, 6-3 210# Jr. Guard Norm's take: This kid at the juco level could pretty much do it all. Offensively. We'll see how long it takes him to adjust defensively. Very good shooter. Has good range on his jumper and gets good elevation with a good release point. And he's quick to get it off, too. He's a very strong guard and he's an excellent leaper and if he plays lock-down D, he's almost certain to start. He's strong enough to get to the lane and finish through contact but he's also deadly enough and quick enough with his perimeter shot that his pump-fake dribble drive is going to mess some defenses up. You bite on that pump fake and he's going to be at the rim. So, pick your poison. He's also a solid passer. There's a reason he was one of the top 5 juco recruits in the country. GP GS MIN FG PCT 3PT PCT FT PCT PTS 2017-18 35 34 1018 200-393 50.9 49-157 31.2 74-110 67.3 523 2018-19 32 31 1101 286-523 54.7 85-218 39.0 98-183 53.6 755 Total 67 65 2119 486-916 53.1 134-375 35.7 172-293 58.7 1278 GP GS MIN OFF DEF REB PF DQ AST TO A/TO STL BLK 2017-18 35 34 1018 47 128 175 74 3 129 73 1.8 59 7 2018-19 32 31 1101 31 151 182 86 2 168 99 1.7 55 10 Total 67 65 2119 78 279 357 160 5 297 172 1.7 114 17

Thor Thorbjarnarson, 6-6 206# Jr. Guard Norm's take: I like Thor. I think he's a real heads-up player. I wish he had Matty Kavas's jump shot, because I think he could play here if he did. I really do think that. And I really do wish that because I think he's a good kid. I'll say this about Thor: He has always made the most of the few opportunities he's been given here. He's made excellent passes that resulted in points. He's surprisingly fast down the floor with the ball in his hands. He's crafty and clever and always giving you his best effort. He's really just a jump shot away from seeing the floor. Well, that and his defense. His lateral quickness is not what it needs to be, honestly. Especially playing man in Doc Sadler's defensive scheme. But if he could knock down 45% from beyond the arc, I think Hoiberg would figure out a way to play him. Season Averages SEASON TEAM 2017-18 NEB 2018-19 NEB GP GS MIN FG FG% 3PT 3P% FT FT% OR DR REB AST BLK STL PF TO PTS 9 0 2.1 0.3-0.8 42.9 0.2-0.6 40.0 0.0-0.0 0.0 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.3 0.0 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.9 25 7 12.2 0.8-2.2 33.9 0.2-0.9 17.4 0.3-0.5 66.7 0.4 1.7 2.1 1.2 0.2 0.6 1.0 0.5 2.0

Dachon Burke, 6-4 180# Jr. Guard Norm's take: I'm impressed with what I see in his highlight film below and I'm impressed with what I saw at the open scrimmage last fall. This kid is cat-quick. Very fast first step and can explode past defenders on the bounce. Finishes well at the rim and a decent shooter to boot, which is kind of a theme with Hoiberg's guard recruits. So, even though this was a Miles kid, it's pretty apparent why Hoiberg wanted to keep him. It would be ideal if his 3-point percentage was in the high 30s (or better, even). Hitting 34% from deep is fine in Miles' system where you're supposed to like the 3 and love the rim, but Fred runs a system that loves the 3 like Christian Standhardinger loves Linkin Park. (Or is that Lincoln Parks?). I think there's a good chance he'd have better shooting numbers at a place like Nebraska where he won't be the first and best scoring option as a true freshman like he was at Robert Morris. SEASON TEAM 2016-17 RMU 2017-18 RMU GP GS MIN FG FG% 3PT 3P% FT FT% OR DR REB AST BLK STL PF TO PTS 33 17 22.9 2.9-6.8 42.0 0.4-1.3 31.8 1.4-1.9 73.4 1.5 2.4 3.9 0.7 0.3 1.5 2.2 1.8 7.6 32 32 32.6 6.6-14.3 45.9 1.4-4.1 33.8 3.1-4.9 62.8 1.8 3.9 5.8 2.5 0.5 2.1 2.5 2.7 17.6

Matty Kavas, 6-8 200# Sr. Guard/Forward Norm's take: Tough to know what to think about this guy. His long range shooting is brilliant, but he's just so skinny. Can he guard the 4? Let alone the 5? I don't know. We can spot him up in the corner or let him play the pick-and-pop and he'd be an absolute assassin. But after he hits a trey on one end of the floor, he'd have to go play D on the other. Now, end of game situations where we're substituting on every made basket? Yeah. He gets in there, for sure. But you don't want him coming in cold and expect him to be in game rhythm to hit those jumpers for you. It'll be interesting to see what happens, because his shooting is such an intriguing weapon to play with. It's just how do you get him out on the floor unless he can defend the other team's bigs? Season Averages SEASON TEAM 2016-17 SEA 2017-18 SEA 2018-19 SEA GP GS MIN FG FG% 3PT 3P% FT FT% OR DR REB AST BLK STL PF TO PTS 27 0 20.3 3.0-6.9 43.8 1.6-3.9 40.4 1.1-1.6 69.0 0.4 2.5 2.9 0.6 0.3 0.2 1.9 0.9 8.6 33 31 31.5 5.2-10.9 47.4 2.8-5.9 46.4 2.1-2.6 79.1 1.2 4.0 5.1 1.2 0.2 0.4 3.0 2.0 15.2 24 16 23.1 3.4-7.5 45.8 1.8-4.0 45.8 1.6-2.0 79.2 0.6 4.0 4.6 0.7 0.0 0.3 1.4 0.8 10.3

Haanif Cheatham, 6-6 195# Sr Guard, Rivals 4-star #76 player in Class of 2015 Norm's take: Probably the best senior transfer we've ever had. He has the reputation as a lock-down defender, so he can take away the other team's best offensive weapon. But he can also score. Look at those shooting numbers. Across 4 other seasons, with the exception of his sophomore slump, he's consistently been in the high 30s from deep. But he also gets to the rim and is strong enough to finish against contact. Question mark is his health. I know he had a shoulder issue at FGCU with his shooting arm. Is he healthy? If so, and if he can avoid the high number of turnovers (which is the biggest concern I see on paper), then he's an impact player who has the versatility to contribute at a number of different positions. Of note -- and of interest for the Shamiel Stevenson situation -- he has a full year of eligibility left, but he also has played in parts of 4 seasons already. He played 5 games his junior year at Marquette, similar to the 4 games that Shamiel played as a sophomore at Pitt. So ... Season Averages SEASON TEAM 2015-16 MARQ 2016-17 MARQ 2017-18 MARQ 2018-19 FGCU GP GS MIN FG FG% 3PT 3P% FT FT% OR DR REB AST BLK STL PF TO PTS 33 33 29.5 4.0-8.1 48.9 0.9-2.3 38.7 3.0-3.7 82.0 0.4 3.0 3.4 2.2 0.0 1.0 2.0 2.7 11.8 32 25 25.4 2.9-6.3 45.8 0.4-1.3 32.5 2.5-3.2 76.7 0.7 3.2 3.8 2.2 0.1 0.7 1.5 1.6 8.7 5 5 26.2 3.2-7.4 43.2 1.0-2.6 38.5 0.8-1.4 57.1 0.4 2.4 2.8 1.4 0.0 1.0 1.4 1.6 8.2 10 10 27.3 4.9-10.8 45.4 0.8-2.2 36.4 2.6-4.0 65.0 0.4 4.4 4.8 1.9 0.2 1.2 1.2 2.4 13.2

NU MEN'S BASKETBALL - 2019-20 PLAYERS No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown (Prev School) 11 Dachon Burke Jr. Dachon Burke Jr. G 6-4 180 Jr. Orange, N.J. (Robert Morris) (Coastal Academy) 34 Thorir Thorbjarnarson Thorir Thorbjarnarson G 6-6 206 Jr. Reykjavik, Iceland (Menntaskólinn i Reykjavik) Akol Arop Akol Arop F 6-6 190 Fr. Omaha, Neb. (Creighton Prep) Dalano Banton Dalano Banton G 6-8 195 So. Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Western Kentucky) (Redemption Christian Academy) Haanif Cheatham Haanif Cheatham G 6-6 195 Sr. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Marquette/Florida Gulf Coast) (Pembroke Pines) Kevin Cross Kevin Cross F 6-8 240 Fr. Little Rock, Ark. (Mills University Studies) Samari Curtis Samari Curtis G 6-4 190 Fr. Xenia, Ohio (Xenia) Charlie Easley Charlie Easley G 6-2 190 Fr. Lincoln, Neb. (Pius X) Jervay Green Jervay Green G 6-3 210 Jr. Denver, Colo. (Western Nebraska CC) (George Washington) Matej Kavas Matej Kavas G 6-8 200 Sr. Ljubljana, Slovenia (Seattle) (Gimnazija Bezigrad) Cam Mack Cam Mack G 6-2 175 So. Austin, Texas (Stephen F. Austin/Salt Lake CC) (Christian Life Prep) Yvan Ouedraogo Yvan Ouedraogo F 6-9 260 Fr. Bordeaux, France (National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance) Jace Piatkowski Jace Piatkowski G 6-4 175 Fr. Omaha, Neb. (Elkhorn South) Shamiel Stevenson Shamiel Stevenson G 6-6 245 Jr. Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Pitt/Nevada) (Hillcrest Prep (Arizona)) Derrick Walker Derrick Walker F 6-8 235 Jr. Kansas City, Mo. (Tennessee) (Sunrise Christian Academy) http://www.huskers.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=100&SPID=24&SPSID=23 Of note: No Isaiah Roby. He's officially been removed from the roster. Best of luck to you, Zay. We love you and you're always a Husker to us. Do us proud, young man. With that said ...

Yeah. I didn't see the comparison either. Interested in the explanation.