NU Hoops Blog -- Aug. 2010

Posted by Shamus McKnight
Monday, Aug. 23, 2010, 4 p.m.

Classes Are Underway
Monday marked the first day of classes of the fall semester and the Huskers made several additions to the roster. Five walk-ons were added, including three freshmen from Nebraska and two transfers. Both transfers must sit out the 2010-11 season and will be eligible next season. Senior Drake Beranek was awarded a scholarship for the upcoming season (Read both releases here) and newcomers Andre Almeida and Kamyron Brown are on campus as well. In all, there are 20 members of the 2010-11 Huskers.

Huskers Go 4-for-4
Nebraska was in the zone - literally in the second half in pulling away from the Cyborts, 87-59 on Friday night (Recap and Boxscore). The Huskers went to a zone in the second half and that gave the Cybots shooters a lot of problems, as NU turned an 11-point lead into a 33-point cushion. Two numbers from tonight...1) Number of timeouts called by NU in four games - 1 (and that was tonight in the third quarter during NU's run to get the starters off the court) and 2) Number of fouls by Nebraska in the second half - 4, which helped limit the Cyborts to just four free throws in the final 20 minutes., We will post more on Saturday, but enjoy the updated photo album. We will have more photos and videos when we return to the good ole U.S.A tomorrow night. A very good trip, not only in the Huskers' on-court efforts, but it was a great opportunity for the team to learn more about each other.

Posted by Shamus McKnight
Thursday, Aug. 19, 10:30 p.m.
Author's Note: Photos from the trip will be posted at this link (Trip photo Album).

Huskers Remain Unbeaten
The Huskers played their toughest opponent of the trip, defeating the Bahamas Select All-Stars, 89-67 on Thursday (Complete Recap). The thing that stood out tonight was the effort on the defensive end. NU held the All-Stars to 38 percent shooting and had 20 steals while forcing 28 turnovers. The one play that typified the effort tonight was Brandon Richardson's steal on a 1-on-4 fast break in the third quarter, as he slowed down the break and then was able to steal the pass, helping NU convert the a layup on the other end. NU was also aggressive on the offensive end, getting 31 free throws on the night.

Thursday Briefs
It was a quiet Thursday for the Huskers, as most of the team stayed in the hotel or went to the pool for a little to stay fresh for tonight's game, so there was not much in the way of photos. Some of the coaches and staff went back to downtown via the ferry to do some shopping in the market...There is any number of items to purchase including knock-off versions of sunglasses, purses and bags along with t-shirts and other hand-made items...One Husker who was limited today was Director of Operations David Anwar, who sprained his left ankle on the beach, he is listed as day-to-day....The Huskers have had some fans each of the first three nights. On Wednesday, Husker swimmer Ariel Weech brought her mother, Theda, and nephew Ameer to cheer on the Huskers. She is heading back to Lincoln on Friday since classes begin Monday morning...Tonight, a pair of fans brought a doll for the Huskers to pose with after the game...the basketball arena, the only indoor facility in the city, is in a national sports park with a large track and field stadium and swimming complex across the street...Friday is the team's last full day with a team activity and the final game against the Cybot Kings.

Posted by Shamus McKnight
Wednesday, Aug. 18, 10 p.m.
Author's Note: Photos from the trip will be posted at this link (Trip photo Album).

It was a solid performance by Nebraska, which won 91-74 against the Commonwealth Bank team (recap here). The Giants, who won the league title last year here, played a lot of zone early before Nebraska's shooting and ball movement opened scoring opportunities int he final 15 minutes of the first half. NU started Richardson, Ubel, Niemann, Walker and McCray tonight and subbed in a fesh five every five minutes. Brandon Richardson was a force on both ends with six rebounds and three assists and made about 5-6 deflections on passes that disrupted their offensive flow. Drake Baranek did a nice job of filling in win McCray and Walker ran into four trouble and made a couple of nice place. The work on the glass was very solid against a smaller, athletic squad, as Nebraska limited the Giants to one shot on most opportunties. You know the refs are aggressive in calling fouls when Drake had a foul before even getting on the court. We are putting up photos of Wednesday's events, which also included a chance to ride the jet skis around the island. Look for more video of that when we return to Lincoln. Tomorrow will be a tough game, as the Bahamas select team gave Memphis a run before losing 103-90 on Tuesday

Posted by Shamus McKnight
Wednesday, Aug. 18, 8 a.m.
New photos from Tuesday are now up on the blog's photo album (Trip photo Album) including the ferry that we took to get downtown. It was about a 20-minute boat ride where we learned a little about the area, including that real estate on the beach goes for $2,000 a square foot. It is a two-mile bridge from Paradise Island, where the resorts are located, to the downtown area. It is catered to tourists with a variety of shops, including a high end district as well as places to get knock offs of Rolex watches and expensive handbags. The Straw Market is the largest shopping area and it a large outdoor tent with vendors throughout the area.

Posted by Shamus McKnight
Wednesday, Aug. 18, 12:05 a.m.
The Huskers opened the trip a solid effort, winning 117-72 on Tuesday. Hopefully we will have some pictures up a little later, along with a short blog about the trip to downtown Nassau. It was a late start since the Memphis game ran long, but the Tigers won in ay foul fest. It was also a good birthday for trainer R.J. Pietig, who got a win and also had happy birthday sung to him in German by Christopher Niemann.

Posted by Shamus McKnight
Tuesday, Aug. 17. 8:45 a.m.
Author's Note: Photos from the trip will be posted at this link (Trip photo Album).

It is game day for the Nebraska basketball team, as the Huskers will face Y Cares Wreckers/Hardcore Development this evening at 9:30 p.m. tonight (8:30 p.m. central) at Sir Kendall Isaacs Gymnasium across town. Nebraska plays the second game of the evening, as Memphis plays at 7:30 p.m.  

I had a chance to catch up with Husker forward Christian Standhardinger to get his thoughts on what are the biggest differences between international rules and the college game from a playing perspective.

"The biggest difference is the 24-second shot clock and that puts more of an emphasis on scoring ability," the sophomore said. "You have to play at a quicker pace and execution is important because you have less time. When you have an open look, you are more likely to take it because you may not get another on that possession."

He said some of the other differences are more subtle, such as what is traveling and on foul shots when only five people can be lined up (three defense and two offense) as opposed to six in NCAA games (four defensive and two offensive).

We will try to do updates during tonight's game, depending on what the Internet situation is at the arena. If it is not available, we will get up a recap when the team gets back to the hotel, which is about a 30 minute drive from the hotel.

Posted by Shamus McKnight
Aug. 16 - 9 p.m.
Author's Note: Photos from the trip will be posted at this link (Trip photo Album)

Sometimes the best activities are the unplanned ones, as the Huskers learned Monday afternoon. The original team outing for Monday was postponed because of the high waves that rolled in earlier in the day. The hotel beach was closed for a few hours because of the strong undertow, but reopened later in the day. That opportunity gave the Huskers a chance to challenge the waves.

"We heard them coming up against the sand last night," Toney McCray said. "After they reopened the beach, we wanted to ride the waves. I went out there first, but we eventually had seven or eight guys who wanted to try it.  It was really strong and I got knocked down a few times. I didn't realize that the waves could be that strong. We ended up having a lot of fun and it was probably the best day of the trip so far."

McCray said that Jorge Brian Diaz and Ray Gallegos were the two who did the best job of riding the waves.

"He had a home court advantage." McCray said of Diaz. "Brian was the only one who really held his own. He had the 411 on the waves."

McCray said impromptu events like the one on Monday has allowed the team to grow closer together.

"That is the best part of the trip," McCray said. "Everyone has gotten a chance to know each other a little more.  We have different roommates, and I have learned more about Brandon (Ubel) in the last four days than I did before coming here.  We have tried to hang out with different people and I think that will help us."

The Huskers are anxious to play and will take the court for the first of four games tomorrow night at 9:30 p.m. (local time). All of this week's game will be play under FIBA rules, including 10 minute quarters, a more lenient goaltending rule and the trapezoid lane among other changes from the college game.

"We are looking forward to it," McCray, who missed the majority of last season because of elbow surgery, said. "It's going to be fun to play under the different rules, including a 24-second shot clock, and it should be an up-tempo game."

Posted by Shamus McKnight
Monday, Aug. 16 - 12:25 p.m.

Author's Note: Photos from the trip will be posted at this link (Trip photo Album)

After calm seas during the first two days, Monday brought the waves crashing on to the hotel shore.  It was an early morning for graduate manager Tony Schamber and athletic trainer R.J. Pietig, who decided to wade out into the water next to the hotel. The pair swam into the eight-to-10 foot waves and floated back to the beach. As we walked back to the hotel after the morning walk, the natives who had been working on renting jet skis the previous days were stuck just watching the waves as the morning conditions were not conducive to a lot of activity on the beach. In showing Coach Sadler the video this morning, I asked him if he would consider doing that, he just started laughing and said "Nope". The conditions have pushed back a team activity scheduled for this afternoon, and an afternoon shower is expected.

Schedule update for Tuesday:
Nebraska's game time for Tuesday's opener has been pushed back to 9:30 p.m. (local), which is 8:30 p.m. back in Lincoln, while Memphis will play the first game at 7:30 p.m.

Posted by Shamus McKnight
Monday, Aug. 16 - 12:45 a.m.

Author's Note: Photos from the trip will be posted at this link (Trip photo Album)

After spending yesterday in the resort, Sunday was a day to get the team moving around, as the Huskers spent Sunday at the Atlantis resort. One thing that is noticeable when a group of basketball players is around is that will likely be people asking to take pictures. Even as we were gathering to leave the RIU this morning, a family wanted to take a picture with Jorge Brian Diaz.

With the impromptu photo opportunity and team breakfast completed, the squad headed over to the Atlantis to see the indoor aquarium as well as some of the lagoons throughout the resort. The resort features 12 marine areas spread throughout the expansive area, including several inhabited by sharks. The set up allows people close interaction with the creatures, as some areas overlook the lagoons by only a few feet, including the reef lagoon (where several of today's photos come from). Other exhibits have the fish literally swimming above you, as there is one pedestrian walkway that goes directly underneath the lagoon. After the visit, the team had a chance to relax in the resort during the afternoon.

One of the more fascinating people we've met on the trip Frank Rutherford, who serves is the event organizer. He coordinates the schedules and is trying to balance the four teams currently in town (Nebraska, Memphis, Georgia State and a traveling NIT team) along with the teams from the Bahamas Basketball Federation. Eight teams are traveling over to the Bahamas on foreign tours over a one-month span, making for a very busy August.

Rutherford is most known for his track exploits, as he was a three-time Olympian for the Bahamas, winning a bronze medal in 1992. He became the first athlete from the Bahamas to win an Olympic medal and is considered the "Father of Track and Field" in his homeland. While Nassau is located on New Providence island, he said there are 29 islands that make up the Bahamas, along with cays (which are sandy islands formed on coral reefs) and islets (which basically mini-islands). While most of the tourists stay around Nassau, many of the other area are privately owned by companies (one of the cruise lines has its own exclusive island not far from Nassau) or celebrities and feature some of the best natural scenery in the Caribbean.  To put how large the country is, it is about the size of Rhode Island and Connecticut with a population of about 330,000 (basically the population of Lincoln and Grand Island combined.  For a country that is so heavily based on tourism, it is kind of odd that Nassau is entirely closed on Sunday. Only the chain restaurants and ones located on the beach are open on Sunday.

Posted by Shamus McKnight
Sunday, Aug. 15 - 1:30 a.m.

Day 2
Saturday brought a day of relaxation for the Nebraska basketball team, as the Huskers took the day to do some sightseeing around the RIU Palace Resort.  Whether it was laying on the beach adjacent to the hotel or in the pool, the pace of the day was slower than the two weeks heading into this week's trip.

For senior Drake Beranek, the relaxed pace of the Caribbean lifestyle was a mystery before the trip, as he is one of several Huskers who journeyed outside the U.S. for the first time.

"It is a laid-back place," Beranek said Saturday evening before the team's meal at the hotel. "it's a completely different culture to get used to, but the people have been polite. Being down here and having the opportunity to take it all in made all 10 of the practices worth it. It is a pretty sweet place."

One contradiction to the laid-back vibe of Nassau is evident on the beaches, as locals are trying to peddle merchandise such as hats and jewelry or have visitors take part in beach activities like parasailing to jet skiing. Within five minutes on the beach, one could be approached by 3-4 different people asking if you want to ski or parasail or go fishing. The good thing is that a polite reply of "no thank you" usually sends them scurrying on to the next person.

The law of supply and demand is evident in those areas, as locals were charging 70 dollars for a 30 minute ride on the jet skis early in the day when the resort beaches were nearly full. By late afternoon, assistant coach Wes Flanigan was able to drive the price down to 35 dollars.

One look at the hotel gift shop also shows the economics of the island, and that planning for any trip is essential. One of the staff members needed to replace a toothbrush and found out it was a tidy $4.95 to replace, while sun tan lotion, which would only cost a few bucks costs $18.95.

The final member of the Huskers' travel contingent arrived late Saturday, as Coach Sadler's plane was delayed out of Atlanta. Sadler stayed in Lincoln until this afternoon to attend graduation ceremonies.

Posted by Shamus McKnight
Saturday, Aug. 14 - 7 p.m.
Schedule Update
Nassau, Bahamas -- The Nebraska basketball team altered its schedule for this week's trip because of a scheduling conflict with the local organizers. The Huskers, who were originally scheduled to open play Sunday night, will now play four games over a four-day stretch beginning Tuesday evening. The Huskers will play at 7:30 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. central) from Tuesday until Friday at Sir Kendall Isaacs Gymnasium. An updated schedule is listed below. All four games will be against teams from the Bahamas Basketball Federation. "it is going to be tough to play for games in four days, but it is a good test for us," assistant coach Chris Croft said Saturday. "We have three games in four days in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off and in the Big 12 Tournament, you could potentially play four straight days."

Posted by Shamus McKnight
Saturday, Aug. 14 - 1 a.m.
Day 1 (Photo Album)
The Huskers got an early start on their foreign tour with a 4:30 a.m. departure from the Devaney Center Friday morning. The trip to Nassau went without a glitch, as the Huskers arrived in the Bahamas around 2:30 p.m. local time, just in time for the afternoon shower. It was a relatively quiet plane ride, as many of the Huskers did some reading or caught a little nap on one of the flights.  After a 30-minute bus trip to the hotel, the Huskers arrived at the RIU Palace Hotel and Resort, their home throughout the trip.

One of the benefits of a trip like this is the opportunity for a team to not have some of the distractions of home, such as cell phones and texting, and the Huskers shut off their cell phones for the trip. After a short snack, the players and staff walked around the resort before many of the players ventured into the water for a little relaxation and to enjoy temperatures which hovered in the low 90s on Friday.

Many of the team members enjoyed a buffet-style dinner and had a little free time before curfew.

Posted by Shamus McKnight
Friday, Aug. 13, 10 a.m.

Greetings from Atlanta
The Huskers have completed the first leg of the trip and are now waiting for the Noon flight to the Bahamas. The team should arrive at the hotel around 2 p.m. (central).

Graduation Day:
While the 2010-11 Huskers will be in the Bahamas preparing for the upcoming season, Ryan Anderson and Sek Henry will be at the Devaney Center celebrating an important milestone, as both will be participating in graduation ceremonies.

For Anderson, the moment of walking through the Devaney Center one last time as a Husker is a moment he will never forget.

"It really is special," Anderson said. "The Deveney Center was my second home in college and a place where I have had so much of my blood, sweat and tears over the last four years. It is going to be tough to not be emotional about it on Saturday."

Both Anderson and Henry will receive their degrees in four years and were a part of Coach Sadler's first Nebraska team, and now every senior who has exhausted his eligibility under Sadler at Nebraska has received their degree or embarked on a professional career.

"I've said for four years that these two guys were extremely high character people," Sadler said. "It is difficult for any student to graduate in five years and they did it in four while also playing basketball. They came to Nebraska with the right idea. They came to play basketball, but at the same time, they realized the bigger picture and the importance of getting that degree."

Sadler delayed joining the Huskers in the Bahamas until Saturday night, a decision he said was easy to make because of the contributions both made to Nebraska.

"I couldn't imagine not being around to see them graduate," Sadler said. 

"That is the type of person Doc is," Anderson said. "For him to stay back to watch us graduate, it really means a lot."

Anderson will have a sizable contingent on hand, as his parents and one of his sisters will be in town. In addition, his wife Danielle also graduates on Saturday and her family will be in town.  It will only be a short stay for Anderson, as he leaves Sunday to begin his professional basketball career in The Netherlands.

Posted by: Shamus McKnight
Thursday, Aug. 12, at 2 p.m.

Huskers Wrap Up Lincoln Workouts
The Huskers finished their 10 practices in Lincoln Thursday morning with a 6:30 a.m. workout. Friday will be another early morning, as the Huskers will depart at 4 a.m. from Lincoln and should be in the Bahamas by 2:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. central). Several teams are in the Bahamas during this two-week stretch, including North Carolina and Memphis. Nebraska will play four games against teams from the Bahamas Basketball Federation on the trip. Here is the Bahamas Trip Roster in a PDF, as we will post updates throughout the trip. Coach Sadler will join the team on Saturday, as 2009-10 seniors Ryan Anderson and Sek Henry will go through graduation ceremonies. We will post more on that later today.  

Posted by: Shamus McKnight
Friday, Aug. 6, at 8:30 p.m.

Friday News and Notes
We are seven days and counting until the Huskers hit the road for their trip to the Bahamas and the Huskers are wrapping up the end of the first week of workouts. To begin the day, Luke Winn of SI.com discusses five sophomores in line for breakout season. He explains his methodology and highlights five players who could enjoy successful sophomore seasons, including Husker forward Christian Standhardinger...Two other quick items in today's World-Herald, including a recap of the Omaha Summer League title game and a profile of Husker newcomer Caleb Walker...Also say a prayer for former Husker assistant coach Charlie Spoonhour, who later coached at Missouri State St. Louis and UNLV. He is awaiting a lung transplant in North Carolina and the Springfield News Leader updated his condition in their blog.

Posted by: Shamus McKnight
Thursday, Aug. 5, 2010, at 1:30 p.m.

2010-11 Schedule is Announced 
With today's announcement on the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, the 2010-11 schedule is now complete and posted on Huskers.com. The schedule release says tentative because some dates and times could be altered slightly for the potential of additonal television. 

Nebraska will face a minimum of 16 teams that advanced to postseason play last season. I have attached the complete schedule, including TV information below. Here is more information on the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Huskers will face a Vanderbilt team that went 24-9 and lost in the last second shot against Murray State in last year's NCAA Tournament. It is the first time Nebraska has faced an SEC Team in the regular season since the 2004-05 season (62-61 win over Tennesseee). NU's last game against an SEC team was the 2008 NIT at Mississippi.

Season-ticket holders should be receiving invoices as early as Monday which will include parking information for the upcoming season. Stay tuned for more information on season-ticket packages as we get closer to the start of the 2010-11 campaign.

Puerto Rico Tip-Off Schedule
Thursday, Nov. 18
Game 1: Davidson vs. West Virginia, 10:30 a.m. (ESPNU)
Game 2: Nebraska vs. Vanderbilt, 12:30 p.m.(ESPNU)
Game 3: Hofstra vs. North Carolina, 4 p.m.(ESPNU)
Game 4: Western Kentucky vs. Minnesota, 6:30 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 19
Game 5: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 11:30 a.m.(ESPNU)
Game 6: Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser, 2 p.m.
Game 7 Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Loser, 5 p.m.
Game 8: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner, 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Sunday, Nov. 21
Game 9:  Seventh-Place Game, 9:30 a.m. (ESPNU)
Game 10: Fifth-Place Game, 11:30 a.m. (ESPNU)
Game 11: Third-Place Game, 4:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 12: Championship, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
all times listed are central

Posted by: Shamus McKnight
Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010, at 6:30 p.m.

Quick Hits
Schedule items: The Big 12 released the conference schedule on Tuesday, and links to Nebraska's schedule and the big 12 schedule release are here as well (Nebraska Schedule | Big 12 Composite). Nebraska's Big 12 slate includes 10 televised games, including an ESPN2 matchup with Colorado on Tuesday, Jan. 18. We are putting the finishing touches on the complete schedule (except for one detail to be covered shortly) and it should be available in the very near future. The last schedule item is the bracket for the Puerto Rico Tip-Off which will be announced tomorrow (Thursday) at 12:30 p.m. on ESPNews. The complete bracket will be posted here shortly thereafter.

Anderson to Play in Holland:Congrats to former Husker Ryan Anderson, who signed a contact with Zorg and Zekerheid Leiden team this week. He will leave later this month to begin his professional career. The team's website profiled Anderson this afternoon, and don't worry, the page has been translated to English.

Posted by: Shamus McKnight
Aug. 2, 2010, at 11:45 a.m. 

The New Journey Begins
Today not only marks the start of the new season, as the Huskers begin practice for their foreign trip this month, but also the beginning to this season's Husker Hoops Blog. Jerry Trickie, who started this blog and the twitter site while serving as the men's basketball contact for the last nine-and-a-half years, moved to Atlanta. As someone who has worked with him the whole time he was at NU, he will be missed both professionally and personally. As a quick intro, I have been at Nebraska since July of 1997, serving primarilly as the volleyball and baseball contact.

We announced the newest addition to the coaching staff today, as Tracy Webster has been named an assistant coach, and you can read more about his background. The Huskers will practice 10 times before leaving on Aug. 13 and practices are open to the public. A complete schedule can be found here. We will try to update throughout the two weeks and on the trip, giving fans an inside look at the foreign trip.

While we don't have the 2010-11 schedule to announce yet, the Huskers are heading to Puerto Rico in November for the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The field includes North Carolina, West Virginia, Vanderbilt and Minnesota among others. Tickets went on sale Saturday with all-session tickets set for $100 and booster tickets (3 sessions) at $60. They can be purchased at www.Ticketpop.com or by calling 787-294-0001. In addition, travel packages for the trip are available. You can also follow the tournament on Twitter at www.twitter.com/PRTipOff

Until next time, thanks again for checking in again at NU Hoops Blog. Don't forget that you can email us at NUhoopsblog@hotmail.com or tweet us at www.twitter.com/nuhoopsblog with your questions and comments.

Posted by Shamus McKnight
Friday, Aug. 20, 10:30 p.m.
Author's Note: Photos from the trip will be posted at this link (Trip photo Album).