Swan88

While it's fun to kind of imagine Elbert committing to us, the reality is there are a lot of big players trying to land him. I think the odds are probably better that Elbert heads elsewhere and David Wacker becomes a Husker. Can't dispute the long-odds assessment for landing Robinson. On a related matter, what are the odds that Nebrasketball's simultaneous pursuit of both Robinson and Wacker is aimed at "both/and" rather than "either/or"? I'm putting my money on "both/and."

Thanks for the link, faql. Agree with the "impressed" assessment. Hawkins seems to be very clever with the ball--makes some amazing passes. He frequently seems to be in the right place at the right time for rebounds and defense. Looks like a keeper!

Here's another picture with the same people plus Coach Miles in his "Joe Cool" shades. P.S. If anyone knows how to increase the size of these pictures, please do so.

Check out this picture on the sideline at tonight's football game. My guess is that the two on the left are the elder and younger Wackers--father (gray shirt) and son (red shirt). Walter Pitchford is second from the right (red shorts). Here's guessing that the player on the right in a red shirt and khaki pants is Smith. Don't know who the person in the middle (blue shirt) might be. Yeah, yeah, I know--a front view would have been better . . . but that wouldn't have been much of a challenge.

For those who don't have access to the Husker Rivals Premium Tunnel Talk, you need to purchase that access [i will then demand a finder's fee] and read the portion of today's Tunnel Talk on Robinson. It has some background information on the Husker's chances with him.

Regarding Tai Webster's readiness for prime time, the following items appear to be significant: (I) Tai arrived in Lincoln on or about July 13, 2013, and (ii) on July 31, 2013, at 6:35 p.m. ESPN.com reported that Tim Miles said earlier that day about Tai, "He's going to be on the floor with the ball in his hands," and "He's a good player. We're thrilled he qualified, and we need more Tai Websters." Such words from the Head Coach sound like a major seal of approval based on more than two weeks of in-person performance and evaluation.

Who's the national commentator that you heard this from? Would love to read/listen to their comments. Didn't catch the name when it happened. Sorry. To clarify: the "quite a stir" came from the commentator. The rest of the post is merely the observations and opinions of yours truly--hate to provide a let-down on who-said-what!

Check out this story and video : "Zach Hodskins is a shooting guard for Alpharetta Milton High School in Georgia. What sets Hodskins apart from other talented players from around the country is that he was born with only one hand. His left arm ends just below his elbow. . . . Hodskins, 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, has picked up a preferred walk-on offer from the University of Florida." Great story!

All this is amazing! A national commentator recently mentioned something to the effect that Nebrasketball coaches are creating "quite a stir" on the recruiting trail. The result appears to be a great deal of significant interest from many high-quality players--so much so that we are having to turn away players who, hitherto, would have been considered home runs. The result is that Nebrasketball coaches appear to now have the luxury of slow-playing excellent players in hopes of reeling-in a great player. So many quality players . . . so few spots! Who would've thought this could happen?

On the matter of over-signing by one, here is information from a January 2008 article on the subject (bold face added for emphasis): "Ohio State men's coach Thad Matta said he was one of the coaches who pushed the conference to allow oversigning in basketball. For the first time, with the recruiting classes announced in November, the Big Ten allowed its basketball teams to oversign by one player. Matta said that was an important step in creating wiggle room for schools with players who may or may not leave for the NBA. Coaches must prepare for potential departures and need to oversign at times to do it. Matta, only half-jokingly, said he told superstar center Greg Oden, one of three OSU freshman who left for the NBA after last season, that he could come back for his sophomore season this year, but not for his junior year because his scholarship had already been given away. "I was looking last year and thinking, 'I could get caught holding the bag here if you don't let me oversign,' " Matta said. So the conference made a concession, as it had in football. For the players and the coaches, the flexibility of more recruits creates an edge."

Deng Deng hails from Melbourne, Australia,

This is pretty funny. Dimes is spot on, of course, on whose definition matters. But consider this: (i) Trick's map tracks the continental divide--so everything on the east slope of the rocky mountains is included in the "great plains" by that definition, but (ii) here is another map that appears to exclude from the "great plains" not only Iowa, but also Omaha, Lincoln and Boulder--and perhaps Manhattan, Kansas, too:

Thanks, 9er for the link. Fascinating article. Here is a blurb: “I had to keep working on Coach at times to keep the faith of the process,” Harriman said. . . . An assistant coach since 2004 . . . , Harriman said he’s signed more than 20 international recruits. The NCAA has declared every one of them eligible. . . . “Now, obviously (Webster’s situation) was pretty unique, but I also felt like we had to invest in this kid to get him. You’re not rolling the dice, because you feel like you’ve done enough homework. Whereas I know maybe Nebraska’s had some issues in the past, I feel like we did our homework. . . . “I know it was really hard for (Tim) because he hasn’t experienced it.” Harriman thanked those in the Nebraska administration – Jamie Vaughn (compliance), Jo Potuto (faculty representative) and Dennis LeBlanc (academics) – for presenting Webster’s case to the NCAA. “They believed in the kid and were willing to do whatever it took and understood how important he was to us,” Harriman said. Kudos to everyone involved!!

Here is a link to a set of interviews, including one of Jack Salt. Salt's interview starts around the 8:15 mark and ends around 9:20. The interview posting is dated July 18, 2013 and includes a discussion of Salt's decision to play basketball at a US college.

On a less frivolous note, what do y'all think about this blurb from the article: "Webster also sounded in a hurry to advance his basketball career. He hedged on whether he’ll use all four seasons of eligibility at NU. 'The dream would be to go to the League (NBA) as early as possible,' he said. 'But whatever is best for my career ... what’s going to make me the best player and get me to where I want to go.'"

We now have it official: Tai "was measured upon arrival at 6-3 ¼ in shoes." So says the Omaha World Herald this a.m. Here is a link to the article.

Here is another ESPN article with some Tim Miles and Chris Harriman quotes: Talented Nebraska Cornhuskers freshman Tai Webster has been cleared by the NCAA to play this season. Webster, a 6-foot-4 guard from New Zealand, will be a major part of Tim Miles' efforts to get the Cornhuskers to the NCAA tournament. Webster will almost certainly start at point guard for Nebraska this season and is likely the team's most talented player. "He's going to be on the floor with the ball in his hands," Miles told ESPN.com on Wednesday morning. "He's a good player. We're thrilled he qualified, and we need more Tai Websters." Webster was pursued by numerous high-major programs following a strong performance a year ago with New Zealand in the 2012 FIBA World Olympic qualifying tournament. He also averaged 18.5 points for the Waikato Pistons in New Zealand's Basketball league last season. Pittsburgh, NC State, Wake Forest, LSU, Vanderbilt and Saint Mary's were all involved in his recruitment. However, Nebraska assistant and Australian native Chris Harriman -- one of the strongest international recruiters -- was able to lure Webster to Lincoln. "He was recruited at a high level, and we feel he can come right in and make an impact," Harriman told ESPN.com. "He led the national team in scoring at 17 years old, and he has huge upside." Nebraska was 15-18 last season, but the Cornhuskers should be improved with the addition of Webster and transfers Walter Pitchford (Florida) and Terran Petteway (Texas Tech).

Here's a link to a Rivals article dated today (July 20) that discusses Tory Miller. Here is a blurb and his picture from the article: Tory Miller looked great on the court Friday. Miller Making Strides Possibly the biggest stock riser in Wisconsin has been 2014 power forward Tory Miller of KC Run GMC, and there is good reason for that. At 6-foot-8, and with a massive body, he runs the floor like an antelope, rebounds, has great hands around the rim and is developing well on offense. His hustle on the court is tremendous as he works harder than most players of his stature. Iowa is his latest offer, along with Marquette, Tulsa, Arkansas, Wichita State, Nebraska, Penn State and Providence. He is fielding strong interest from Baylor, California, Tennessee, VCU and Kansas State. Although the Shockers are a local school, and made the Final Four this past April, it won't go a long way in Miller's decision, he said. He will cut his list after July, but it will be interesting to see which schools wind up offering this month and after July.

"What it comes down to is you get what you tolerate." --Tim Miles, March 2013. Tim Miles is a wise man.

It's good to see Ray working on doing more toward scoring than shooting threes!! Here are some excerpts from the article: Gallegos "is working this summer on becoming a more versatile offensive player. . . . 'So, what I’ve been working on is dribbling the ball more and being more comfortable in creating in different ways.' . . . 'Ray needs to do a plethora of things better — use his athleticism, not be one-dimensional in terms of the types of shots he takes only being three-pointers,' Nebraska coach Tim Miles said. 'What’s he got for a pull-up game? What’s he got for getting to the rim? How is he getting fouled?' It’s a topic Gallegos and Miles discussed in their end-of-season meeting. . . . 'The most impressive thing I’ve seen with Ray this year is he seems to have a good idea of what he wants to get better at, and you see him trying to do it,' Miles said. 'Now, what result does that guarantee? I don’t know, but I feel good about his mind-set.' Teammates have noticed a difference in summer pickup games. 'He drives to the basket more — a lot more than he did last year,' sophomore Shavon Shields said. 'I mean, we’re going to need him to do that, because everybody knows he can shoot. If he just shows the ball at all, he can pull up, he can get to the rim. He’s super-athletic.'"

Then it would be the "ESPY Opener" game.

Academic scholarships are rarely full-ride--which is why players (and their parents) prefer full-ride athletic scholarships when available. Anyway, here are the operative NCAA rules: For year one: 15.5.1.2 Football or Basketball, Varsity Competition. In football or basketball, a student-athlete who was recruited by the awarding institution and who receives institutional financial aid (as set forth in Bylaw 15.02.4.1) granted without regard in any degree to athletics ability does not have to be counted until the student-athlete engages in varsity intercollegiate competition (as opposed to freshman, B-team, subvarsity, intramural or club competition) in those sports. For subsequent years: 15.5.1.2.2 Exception—Receipt of Institutional Academic Aid Only. In football or basketball, a student-athlete who was recruited by the awarding institution and whose only source of institutional financial aid is academic aid based solely on the recipient’s academic record at the certifying institution, awarded independently of athletics interests and in amounts consistent with the pattern of all such awards made by the institution, may compete without counting in the institution’s financial aid team limits, provided he or she has completed at least one academic year of full-time enrollment at the certifying institution and has achieved a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.300 (on a 4.000 scale) at the certifying institution. (Adopted: 10/27/05 effective 8/1/06) Note the following elements in the rule: a recruited athlete whose aid is based exclusively on academic standards may compete without counting against the 13 scholarship limit, if he (i) does not compete during the first academic year, and (ii) meets a GPA standard.

Here is an interesting tidbit from the article: Tim Wagner "boasted a 3.95 GPA, which is why he's set to receive an academic scholarship from Nebraska." I believe the NCAA rules require that Tim Wagner redshirt this year so his academic scholarship won't count against the 13 athletic scholarships limit.

Now THERE'S the uber-optimistic, sunshine pumping Norm we all know and love! It just doesn't seem like it's truly the offseason until the Norm blooms! I'm right there with ya Norm! How do I join the sunshine club?!? :-) Of course I'm a realist, but also an optimist! We do have a chance to be pretty darned good this year if some guys really work very hard & develop. I have no reason to believe they won't. I'll call mine "tempered optimism". GBR Hey, Norm, let's not forget Ray Gallegos. Averaging 35.7 minutes per game has got to count for something in terms of not being a wet-behind-the-ears new guy!

The parties to the arrangements for building the arena (i.e., the City, the University, etc.) made an agreement at the beginning of the project to build the arena. The agreement is that the arena will be occupied in substantial part by the University and that the arena will bear the University's brand. Case closed. End of story. The Devaney Center construction funding source? A State cigarette tax. The University is funded, generally, with major State tax dollars. Large amounts of Federal tax dollars find their way into the University system in a variety of waysl None of these facts affects in any way the branding that appears on buildings owned or occupied by the University. The fact that other educational institutions in other markets weren't able to negotiate the same deal is irrelevant.