Dave Hoppen Season 1982-83

Honors
Three-Time All-Big Eight
1986 All-American
1986 All-Big Eight Team
1985 World University Games
1985 Academic All-Big Eight
1985 All-Big Eight Team
1984 All-Big Eight Team
1983 Olympic Team

1985-86 (Senior)
Senior center Dave Hoppen was not available to Nebraska during post-season play. Hoppen's sterling collegiate career came to a premature end when he tore the anteror cruciate ligament in his left knee in the Huskers' 77-60 win at Colorado. Nebraska's all-time leading scorer and the No. 3 scorer in Big Eight history (2,167 points), he set 16 Nebraska and five Big Eight records in his career. His No. 42 jersey was retired, making it the first retired jersey in the history of Nebraska basketball.

1985 World University Games
Playing for South Florida Coach Lee Rose at Kobe, Japan, Hoppen scored 36 points and pulled down 19 rebounds in four game appearances before suffering a slight shoulder separation in a 93-88 win over the Soviet Union in pool play. For the Games, Hoppen connected on 15 of 26 field-goal attempts for 57.7 percent and hit six of seven free throw attempts for 85.7 percent. His top scoring performance was 14 points in a 140-30 win over Jordan. Hoppen was one of four Big Eight players on the United States team, including Derrick Chievous of Missouri and Ron Kellogg and Greg Dreiling of Kansas.

1984-1985 (Junior)
Hoppen and Tisdale were the only unanimous All-Big Eight picks, and Hoppen was the only conference player to score in double figures in every game, running his three-year streak to 65 games since he was held to seven by Iowa State in the U.S. Basketball Writers Association last year, Hoppen also excelled in the classroom, recording a 3.1 grade-point (of 4.0) in business administration to rank as the only first-team All-Big Eight pick to also earn academic all-conference honors. He was second to Tisdale in Big Eight scoring last year, led the league in field-goal percentage, ranked third in rebounding (8.6) and was 10th in free-throw percentage (.781). He clinched his second-straight conference field-goal title by connecting on 50 of 69 attempts for 72.5 percent in Nebraska's final five-and-a-half conference games, including a career-best of 10-of-11 performance at Kansas, Feb. 28, despite being double-teamed by the Jayhawks' 7-1 Greg Dreiling and 6-11 Danny Manning. Hoppen has done very well throughout his career against top competition. He played six head-to-head games against Tisdale, the second player taken in the NBA draft, four against Creighton's Benoit Benjamin, the third player taken, and two against Arkansas' Joe Kleine, the sixth. In those 12 games he averaged 20.5 points (compared to his overall career average of 19.0), and, while he was outscored by Tisdale, 173-128, he outscored Benjamin 89-73, and Kleine, 29-26, and shot a combined 62.2 percent from the field against the latter two. The Husker center scored at least 20 points in 23 of 30 games as a junior, including one string of 10-straight, and had five 30-point games. He has 45 career 20-point games. He was held under 19 points just twice, vs. Wisconsin and Colorado-the only two games in which he shot under 50 percent from the field. He led Nebraska in scoring 22 times, in rebounding 21, and in both categories 17 times. He was in double figures in scoring and rebounding 11 times. Hoppen, who has started all 92 games of his college career, played every minute in 16 games last year, the Big Eight high, and averaged 38.6 minutes per game. He has been named Big Eight player-of-the-week just twice in his career (thanks mostly to Tisdale), ironically in the first week of each of the last two seasons.

1984 NIKE/NIT European Tour
One of 12 players from the 1984 NIT selected to take part in an eight-game tour of Yugoslavia, Italy and Ireland. Playing for Coach Jack Powers (athletic director at Manhattan College), Hoppen scored 65 points in the tour, with a high of 20 against the Italian Olympic Team.

1983-84 (Sophomore)
Led Nebraska in scoring (19.9 ppg), rebounding (6.9 rpg) and field-goal percentage (.599), figures which ranked him third, seventh and first in the Big Eight, and which helped him win the first of his two All-Big Eight and USBWA All-District V selections. In conference play, he was second in scoring (20.7), 10th in free-throw percentage (.776) and first in field-goal percentage with a then-conference-record .594. His 598 points were the most ever scored by a Nebraska sophomore and were two under then-school-record of 600 set by Andre Smith in 1979-80. Held or shared team scoring lead in 21, rebounding lead in 16 games. In double figures in rebounding six times, with a career-high 14 vs. Augustana (S.D.) in the opener.

1983 National Sports Festival
Playing for Coach Moe Iba's North team, Hoppen hit 18 of 25 shots from the field (72.0 percent) and 19 of 28 at the free-throw line (67.9 percent), averaged 13.8 points, 3.7 rebounds in four games.

1982-83 (Freshman)
First-team All-National Invitational Tournament, second-team All-Big Eight (AP and UPI), second-team freshman All-American (Basketball Weekly), freshman All-Big Eight (UPI), second-team All-Midwest (Basketball Weekly). Led team in scoring (13.9 ppg), blocked shots (19), second in rebounding (5.0), shot 52.4 percent from the field, 74.8 percent at the free-throw line. Set NU freshman records for free throws made (119), free throws attempted (159), points scored (445), rebounds (161), and free-throw percentage (48). Tied freshman single-game scoring record (27) set by Jerry Fort in 1972-73. Scored in double figures in 25 of 32 games, including five of 20 or more. Had ne string of 18-straight free throws made.

At Benson High School
A consensus all-class, all-state selection as a junior and senior, Hoppen led the Bunnies to the state finals in 1981 and to the semifinals in 1982. Playing for Coach Terry Shelsta as a senior, he earned Converse All-America honors while averaging 24.3 points and 12.5 rebounds in leading Benson to a 20-4 record. Dominated the 1982 Nebraska prep all-star game, scoring 27 points (including 13-of-13 free throws), grabbing 16 rebounds, each figure one short of the game record. Also lettered twice in football, once in baseball at Benson.

Personal
Son of Margene Hoppen. Has two sisters. Business administration major. Born in Omaha, Neb.

Hoppen's Career Stats

Season	G-GS		FG-FGA	Pct.		FT-FTA		Pct.		RB		AVG		PF-D		PTS		AVG
1982-83	32-32		163-311	.524		119-159		.784		161		5.0		104-6		445		13.9
1983-84	30-30		220-367	.599		158-208		.760		207		6.9		107-6		598		19.9
1984-85	30-30		270-418	.646		164-210		.781		258		8.6		100-3		704		23.5
1985-86	19-19		151-245	.616		118-147		.803		147		7.7		56-1		420		22.1
Career	111-111		804-1341	.600		559-724		.772		773		7.0		367-16		2167		19.5