Jacob Padilla

I'd say it's too early for something that specific. I think it's safe to expect Watson and Copeland to get starter's minutes, and they're hoping Roby and Tshimanga progress enough to get those minutes as well. After that, I think they're still sorting things out. I think Copeland's athleticism and potnetial shooting ability make him pretty easy to play with pretty much any combination of players on this roster. Roby, Copeland and Tshimanga could form a pretty fun front-line though.

No, and it's definitely frustrating for me as well. I do talk to people who have that access, though, so it's not completely blind speculation.

Having athleticism and being able to play defense at the D-1 level are not the same thing. Also not sure what his shooting has to do with his defense.

You are correct, plug Copeland in at the 4 and slide Jack behind him. As for Taylor, his poor shooting doesn't mean he can't play shooting guard. It just means they have to get more creative on offense. If the inability to shoot 3s disqualifies you from playing or starting, then Nebraska would not have been able to field a full lineup the last few years.

Curious... Why are you so confident in Nana's defensive ability?

I believe Allen is being trained as the back-up point guard. I don't understand the thought of his offense "being wasted" at the PG spot. Having a dynamic player at point guard is great for an offense. It certainly hasn't hurt Glynn Watson. The guy playing point doesn't have the ball in his hands 100% of the time; you can still run that guy off some screens in the halfcourt. The problem with Taylor at point guard is that while he doesn't make many mistakes (which I'd actually argue against; he had the same number of turnovers as assists last year) defenses don't have to worry about him much. If he tries to run a P&R, they're just going to go under. At the 2 or the 3, they don't have to respect his shot either but he can at least be a cutter, and he showed a bit of ability to attack close-outs off spot-ups for a mid-range pull-up last season. Taylor is going to be an offensive liability no matter which position he plays, which is why I think it will be better for Nebraska if Palmer can take minutes from him. Taylor is solid defensively but I don't think he's all-conference by any means. If he's playing significant minutes when conference play rolls around, Nebraska's ceiling is significantly lowered in my opinion.

Horne was always going to have a problem playing defense because of his tweener status, but I talked to Nana's high school coach about him and he's got a ways to go defensively as well. There are a ton of great athletes who aren't good defenders. Nebraska has Palmer, Taylor, Roby, McVeigh and Copeland at the 2, 3 and 4, and that doesn't include Gill or Thorbjarnarson either. I think the Horne comparison is a solid conservative projection for him. If he can steal minutes form the upperclassmen, good for him. But that's what it will take for him to have a consistent, significant role.

Based on what Miles has done in the past, I'd guess Taylor starts opening day, but I think Palmer will be that guy eventually.

It's fine to be excited about a guy like Allen, but you really can't see a guy who was a fringe top-100 player not starting? We have no idea what Nebraska is going to get out of him this season. Watson was a higher-rated recruit and he didn't start until the last game of the non-conference season (following the loss to Samford), then started 16 games, then moved back to the bench for the last six games. Shooting is really important, especially on this team, but there is a lot more to basketball than just the ability to shoot. And big red22, that isn't necessarily true. Hitting shots against high school defense and hitting them against Big Ten level athletes are two very different things. If I had to project which of these guys would be the best shooter long-term, I'd take Allen. But it seems like a bit much to expect that from him right away.

I've said this elsewhere, but a media outlet can't just "send a reporter to practice." Nebraska's practices are mostly closed. The lack of the content you want isn't because the media is lazy, it's because the coaches don't open practices or hold regular press conferences, and therefore there isn't much for us to write about.

Jonathan Givony told me he improved to 38% from 3 in his last season, but that's not a particularly large sample size. If people think he's coming in as a sharp-shooter, they might be disappointed. He's improving there but it's not the strongest part of his game.

That's true in theory, but has Roby become that player yet? He certainly wasn't that guy last year. We've seen that Miles has leaned on veterans early in the season in the recent past.

I don't think that link is working.

Does your son go to a catholic school or go to CCD at one? CYO/PAL is a cheaper option than a select team. Some high schools have youth programs as well (I helped coach in the Jr. Mustangs program for Millard North last year).

He said it's out of their hands at this point, though he didn't specify whose hands it is actually in.

He had two good games all season, and the second one (his last game) was against Southern. The game before that, he was 1-7 for 2 points against Gardner-Webb. Against Kansas, he had 7 points on 2-6 FG. 4 points on 2-3 FG but 2 TO vs. Creighton. 0-6 againt South Dakota. What were these flashes he was showing?

Norm, the Hudl film shows a good range of what he's capable of, but it would be a mistake to assume the highlight guy is the one he consistently is. He's not Frank Kaminsky. You like his jumper, but he shot 5-20 from 3 last year (and I know that he's not exactly lights out even in practice against no defense). He's also a 50% free-throw shooter, which isn't a great sign as far as future jumpshot development. He has developed a hook shot, but he's pretty streaky with it. Brady has improved significantly on offense over the last two years, but I worry about his touch limiting how efficient he will be overall. That state tournament game against Alliance is the worst I've ever seen him play, which is unfortunate timing, but it's not indicative of his talent. However, I've seen more 4-of-10 types of shooting performances than one would like considering his height and the kinds of shots he's taking. Defensively, though, Brady is really mobile and has outstanding shot-blocking instincts and fundamentals. The dude averaged almost 8 blocks a game as a sophomore. I don't care how tall you are or what level you play at -- that's impressive. His short wingspan is something to worry about though in terms of his rim protection translating because he's not going to be the only 6'10" kid on the court any more. He definitely has a lot of work to do on his body. On the one hand, his dad is a pretty sturdy guy so you'd think the potential to add weight is there. But I know they've been trying for years and it just hasn't happened at all. We'll see how much of a difference a Division I strength and conditioning program can make. One great thing to hear is that he played the best basketball of his life in Wichita and Las Vegas to close out July. That is why Nebraska finally pulled the trigger after going back-and-forth all spring and summer. As for his attitude, he definitely has a bit of a temper at times but I think saying "he gets T'd up quite a bit" is an overstatement. He's not Rasheed Wallace or DeMarcus Cousins.

McDermott is going to be just fine. Creighton already has a very similar player to Brady with more talent as an incoming freshman and a 4-star 4/5 committed in 2018. That's why they asked Brady to do a year of prep school, to space out their bigs. He's a worthwhile gamble for Nebraska with the space they had to work with in that 2018 class and with the current roster construction. It's a good pick-up for Nebraska.

Yes he will.

I talked to a couple people about him. What I've gotten: high IQ, likes to attack the basket, improving shooter but not elite, competes on defense, great fit for what Miles wants. From what I was told, UMass was the only other place he visited but he had interest from multiple schools. This wasn't an out-of-the-blue thing; Nebraska has been recruiting him for a while. The toughest thing for him is going to be adjusting to the speed, physicality and athleticism of the American college game. He'll have a chance to crack the rotation, but it will probably take him some time just like any freshman, and perhaps more so than the others.

I was told toward the end of the season that Malcolm Laws and Tanner Borchardt were the only guys they were bringing back. Costello and Trueblood are an upgrade on Shultis and Elradi in the walk-on talent department.

I'm guessing Jim Brusnahan didn't exactly provide the full context behind the statement. Of course Copeland isn't eligible, until and unless Nebraska wins its appeal to the NCAA. As of now, he isn't eligible until after the season. But that could change if they get lucky with their appeal. More recently Miles has said on record that they are still going through the process of appealing his eligibility.

Well played.

Yeah, he's not good enough to be what he was at Nebraska in the NBA, and his other skills besides being a primary scorer aren't NBA-caliber. He was a good college scorer, but even in college he wasn't all that efficient. He's not a knock-down shooter, a great rebounder or much of a playmaker. If scoring is all you can do, and you're not elite at that, it's going to be tough to make the league. I believe Shields re-signed with his club overseas and didn't end up playing with the Heat.

How are we supposed to write about something if there's nothing to report? You'd seriously feel better reading every week that there's no change? When something happens, it will get written about. Until then, nothing has changed, and I really don't see the value of writing "nothing has changed" over and over again.