Honors & Awards
- Second-Team All-Big Ten (2014, 2015)
- Honorable-Mention All-Big Ten (Media, 2012, 2013)
- Big Ten All-Freshman Team (2012)
- No. 9 in Big Ten History in Career Rebounds (1,114)
- Big Ten Player of the Week (Dec. 16, 2014)
- Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Jan. 24, 2012)
- Only Player in Nebraska History with 1,400 Points, 1,000 Rebounds, 300 Assists, 100 Blocks & 100 Steals
- No. 2 at Nebraska in Career Minutes (4,217)
- Tied for No. 1 at Nebraska in Career Starts (132, Consecutive)
- No. 2 at Nebraska in Career Rebounds (1,114)
- No. 4 at Nebraska in Career Double-Doubles (33, 11 in 2015)
- No. 6 at Nebraska in Career Free Throw Pct. (.804)
- No. 6 at Nebraska in Career Blocked Shots (115)
- No. 8 at Nebraska in Career Free Throws Made (396)
- Tied for No. 11 at Nebraska in Career Assists (305)
- No. 13 at Nebraska in Career Points (1,461)
- No. 5 in Big Ten Rebounding (10.2 rpg, 2015)
- No. 6 in Big Ten FT Pct. (.814, 2015)
- No. 9 in Big Ten FG Pct. (.510, 2015)
- Nebraska Defensive MVP (2013)
- Nebraska Kathy Branchaud Most Improved Rebounder Award (2013)
- Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Jan. 24, 2012)
- Second Freshman in NU History with 300 Points, 200 Rebounds, 50 Assists
- One of Nine Freshmen in Nebraska History to Start Every Game (33, 2012)
- Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2014; Spring 2014-15)
- Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2014, 2015)
- Nebraska Super-State (Lincoln Journal Star, 2010, 2011)
- No. 49 Prospect in the Nation (Blue Star, 2010)
- No. 84 Prospect in the Nation (ESPNU/HoopGurlz Top 100, 2010)
- No. 96 Prospect in the Nation (All-Star Girls Report Top 100, 2010)
- Three Nebraska Class B Team Titles (2009, 2010, 2011)
Senior (2014-15)
A driving force in Nebraska's four consecutive NCAA Tournament trips in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, Emily Cady (pronounced KAY-dee) earned second-team All-Big Ten honors for the second straight season as a senior in 2015.
One of the nation’s most versatile forwards, Cady averaged a double-double with 12.7 points and 10.2 rebounds during the 2014-15 regular season, while adding 2.7 assists per game. She started a school-record-tying 132 consecutive games during her four-year career at Nebraska, dating back to the first game of her freshman season. She finished No. 2 in school history with 4,217 minutes played.
Cady finished 13th in Husker history with 1,461 career points, while her 1,114 rebounds ranked No. 2 in the Nebraska record book. Her rebound total also ranked No. 9 in Big Ten history.
Cady's 305 career assists were the most by any post player in NU history and are tied for 11th all-time among all Huskers. She also ranks sixth in career blocked shots at Nebraska with 115. She is the only player in Nebraska history to reach the combined milestones of 1,400 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 assists, 100 blocks and 100 steals.
As a senior, Cady ranked among the top 30 scorers in the Big Ten while ranking No. 5 in rebounding, No. 6 in free throw percentage (.814) and No. 9 in field goal percentage (.510).
The 6-2 forward from Seward, Neb., produced 11 double-doubles as a senior to finish with 33 in her Husker career. She pulled down double-digit rebounds in 16 times in 32 games as a senior, including a career-high 19 at Iowa on Jan. 26. She added 18 rebounds against the Hawkeyes two weeks later in Lincoln.
Cady produced double-figure points 20 times as a senior, including each of NU's last six games. She capped her career with 18 points and nine rebounds against Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament first round in Columbia, S.C. Her 59 career rebounds were the most by a Husker in history in NCAA Tournament play.
She closed the regular season with 21 points and 13 rebounds against Ohio State for her sixth double-double of the year in Big Ten play. She added 22 points and 12 rebounds in a win at Indiana on Feb. 21, when she also tied a career high with four blocked shots. Cady added a Big Ten double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds at No. 21 Rutgers on Feb. 5.
In the first meeting with No. 20 Iowa, Cady produced 19 points and 18 rebounds, just four days after putting up 19 points and 12 boards in a win at Wisconsin Jan. 22. She opened Big Ten play with 21 points and 14 rebounds at Minnesota Dec. 29.
Cady erupted for a career-high 25 points against Utah Nov. 23, when she added nine rebounds. She opened the season with 12 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high eight assists in a win over Pepperdine Nov. 15. She added her second double-double with 16 points and 10 boards in a win over Northern Colorado Nov. 30.
Cady produced a double-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds and four assists in a win over No. 9 Duke Dec. 3. She added 18 points, 11 boards and three blocks at Creighton Dec. 11. She notched 13 points and a season-high 15 rebounds to go along with five assists in a win over Bakersfield Dec. 13, to claim the first Big Ten Player-of-the-Week award of her career Dec. 16.
Cady was part of a four-player Nebraska senior class that produced a school-record 96 wins over their four years in Lincoln. The quartet of Husker seniors also became the first class in school history to produce four consecutive 20-win seasons.
Junior (2013-14)
Cady ranked among the top players in the Big Ten in nearly every category in 2013-14, including scoring (12.7 ppg, 24th), rebounding (9.2 rpg, 3rd), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5, 5th), free throw percentage (.858, 7th), field goal percentage (.495, 8th) and assists (3.1 apg, 12th). She also tied for second in the conference with 14 double-doubles.
Cady's sizzling 85.8 free throw percentage ranked sixth in Nebraska history, while pushing her career free throw percentage to 80.0.
In Big Ten play, Cady averaged 4.2 assists per game to rank fourth in the league. Her 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio in Big Ten play trailed only first-team All-Big Ten point guards Rachel Theriot (Nebraska, 2.7) and Samantha Logic (Iowa, 2.2).
For the season, Cady finished fifth overall in the Big Ten in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5), while ranking 11th in the conference in assists (3.1 apg). She ranked second among the Huskers with 102 total assists.
Cady produced one of the best all-around games of her career with 23 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a steal in Nebraska's 88-85 overtime win over Minnesota on Jan. 16.
Cady followed with 13 points and a season-high 16 rebounds against No. 22 Purdue on Jan. 19. She added her fifth straight Big Ten double-double with 12 points and 10 boards at Northwestern on Jan. 26. She produced 16 double-digit rebound games in 2013-14.
She opened Big Ten play with 16 points and 12 boards at Michigan State Jan. 9, before adding 19 points and 10 boards at Illinois Jan. 12.
Cady's final double-double of her junior season came with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament second-round loss to BYU on March 24 in Los Angeles. It followed a 15-point, 11-board performance in a first-round win over Fresno State on March 22. In the season's last game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in 2013-14, Cady had 10 points and 12 rebounds in a win over Illinois Feb. 27. She added 12 points and 13 rebounds in a win over Indiana on Feb. 16.
Cady produced her first double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Alabama Nov. 11. She added 18 points and 14 boards against Southern Nov. 24, before notching 13 points and 13 rebounds against Washington State Nov. 30. She added a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Utah State Dec. 8.
A model of consistency, Cady produced double figures in points in 28 of NU's 33 games as a junior.
Sophomore (2012-13)
Cady earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten accolades from the conference media for the second straight year in 2012-13.
She averaged a double-double in league play with 9.6 points and 9.3 boards per game, including five double-doubles.
For the season, Cady averaged 9.1 points and 7.9 rebounds, while adding 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals and a team-leading 0.9 blocks per game.
Cady's 30 blocked shots led the Huskers, while her 39 steals ranked second on the team. She also ranked third among the Huskers with 62 assists.
She was outstanding at the free throw line throughout the season, hitting better than 80 percent of her attempts. In Big Ten play, Cady hit 85.2 percent of her free throws.
She opened 2013 NCAA Tournament play with 10 points, nine rebounds, two assists and a block in NU’s first-round NCAA Tournament win over Chattanooga. She added eight points, four boards and two assists in a second-round win at No. 9 Texas A&M March 25, before managing four points, six rebounds, two assists, three blocks and two steals in a loss to No. 5 Duke.
Cady underwent offseason knee surgery but was near 100 percent by mid-summer of 2012. She returned to start all 34 games during the season, stretching her career-opening streak to 67 straight games.
Cady produced 14 double-figure scoring efforts and nine double-digit rebound games in 2012-13. She notched her fifth double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in the regular-season finale against No. 7 Penn State March 3. Cady had 10 points and a career-high 16 rebounds in a win over Ohio State Feb. 14. It was one of 16 career double-figure rebound games for Cady.
She also had 12 points and 10 rebounds at Minnesota Jan. 20. Cady had 11 points and 10 rebounds at Indiana Jan. 10, after opening league action with 13 points and 14 boards against Wisconsin Jan. 2, while tying a career high with a three threes. She had eight points, 11 rebounds and a career-high four blocks in NU’s win at Wisconsin Feb. 28.
Cady had a 17-point, nine-rebound effort that included a trio of three-pointers at No. 8 Penn State. She followed with nine points and eight boards against Illinois Jan. 17. She had 10 points and six boards at Ohio State Jan. 31, before adding 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and three steals in a win over Minnesota Feb. 3.
She had a season-high 18 points to go along with six rebounds in a win over Sam Houston State Nov. 20. She added 17 points and seven boards against Grambling State Dec. 29. Cady had 15 points and three boards in a win over No. 24 Florida State Dec. 8, after notching 14 points and seven rebounds at USC Nov. 23. She had 13 points, seven boards and four steals against Northern Arizona Nov. 16.
Freshman (2011-12)
Cady captured a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team while adding honorable-mention All-Big Ten accolades from the conference media in 2011-12.
Cady earned the honors by ranking 28th in the Big Ten in scoring (9.9 ppg) and 11th in rebounding (6.5 rpg). She added 1.7 assists and 1.4 steals per game while leading the Huskers with 28 blocks. In Big Ten play, she averaged 12.3 points per game. She averaged 8.3 points and 9.0 boards per game in the Big Ten Tournament.
Cady became just the second Husker in history to produce 300 points, 200 rebounds and 50 assists as a freshman, finishing with 326 points, 216 rebounds and 55 assists. She also finished fifth among NU freshmen all-time in blocked shots with 28.
She matched her career high with 24 points in Nebraska's 71-57 win over No. 8 Ohio State in the regular-season finale. Cady set her career high with 24 points to go along with seven rebounds in the first meeting with the Buckeyes Jan. 19. She added 13 points, including a career-high three three-pointers, to go along with seven rebounds in a win over Minnesota Jan. 22.
Cady scored in double figures 17 times as a freshman, while producing three double-doubles, including 10 points and 10 rebounds in Nebraska's first-round NCAA Tournament clash with Kansas in Little Rock, Ark., March 18. Cady hit 3-of-4 shots from the field, including NU's lone three-pointer, while adding a 3-for-3 effort from the free throw line against the Jayhawks. She also blocked two shots in her NCAA Tournament debut.
Cady notched double-doubles in two of Nebraska's last four games of 2011-12, including 13 points and 11 boards in NU's Big Ten quarterfinal win over Iowa. She notched her first double-double with 11 points and a season-high 12 rebounds to go along with a career-high seven assists in Nebraska's epic 93-89 3OT win at No. 15 Purdue Feb. 2. Cady hit a free throw to tie the game with four seconds left in regulation, then threw in a miraculous off-balance three from 28 feet as time expired at the end of the second overtime to send the game to a third OT. She played a career-high 49 minutes, adding two blocks and two steals.
Cady matched her season best with 12 boards against the Boilermakers to go along with seven points in the Big Ten title game. It was one of seven double-figure rebound efforts for Cady on the season.
Cady had 18 points, nine rebounds and five steals in a win over Indiana Jan. 5. She added 14 points and four rebounds in a win at Iowa Jan. 8. She pitched in 11 points, four boards and three assists in a win at Wisconsin Jan. 12, before adding 13 points against Penn State Jan. 15. She had 17 points and five rebounds at Illinois Jan. 29, when she set a career-best by going 8-for-8 at the line. She added a 7-for-8 effort at the line in a win over Wisconsin Feb. 19, when she finished with 13 points in just 22 minutes before suffering a knee injury midway through the second half.
Despite the injury, Cady became one of just nine Huskers in history to start every game as a freshman. In fact, she averaged 10.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while playing the last seven games of the season with torn cartilage in her knee.
Cady had 18 points against Vermont Dec. 18. She notched her first double-figure game with 14 points and five rebounds in a win at Florida State Nov. 27. She added 13 points and seven boards in a win over Creighton Dec. 8.
Cady was Nebraska's second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder during four games on an 11-day Scandinavian Tour in the summer of 2011. She averaged 13.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest. She scored 32 points in a win over a Norwegian club team in the second game of the tour, and produced a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in a win over a Danish club team in the Huskers' next contest.
High School
A versatile and selfless team player, Cady played a variety of roles for Nebraska high school powerhouse Seward and Coach Tom Tvrdy. Cady was ranked as the No. 49 prospect in the nation by Blue Star Basketball, and No. 84 overall on the ESPNU/HoopGurlz Top 100. Cady was also No. 96 on the All-Star Girls Report Top 100, right behind fellow Husker sophomore Tear'a Laudermill, who came in at No. 95.
A two-time Lincoln Journal Star Super-Stater (2010, 2011), Emily Cady was one of the top high school players in the state of Nebraska the past three seasons.
Cady averaged 13 points and seven rebounds per game as a senior, capturing Lincoln Journal Star Super-State honors for the second straight season. She helped Seward to its third straight Class B state crown and capped her career with a 75-game winning streak.
As a junior in 2010, Cady was a role player on a senior-laden Bluejay bunch that featured several players who went on to play collegiately. She averaged 9.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game for the Bluejays as a junior in 2009-10.
Although Cady was not relied on as a scorer at Seward, she demonstrated her skill and explosiveness by averaging 20 points per game for the Cornhusker Shooting Stars select team in the summer of 2010.
Cady also developed into one of the state's top volleyball players as a senior middle blocker, leading Seward to the Class B state tournament with a 33-1 record.
Personal
The daughter of Monty and Betty Cady, Emily was born Jan. 17, 1993 in Lincoln, Neb. She has an older sister, Jessie. Emily chose the Huskers over offers from many Big Ten and Big 12 schools, including Iowa State and Kansas State.
Cady was a three-time member of the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll. She was also a two-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team in 2014 and 2015.
Cady earned her bachelor's degree in business from Nebraska in May 2015, before continuing her career with Kara Trutnov in the Czech Republic. She averaged 10.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in 2015-16. She played professionally for AS Niki Lefkadas in Greece in 2016-17. She currently lives in Lincoln.
Cady's Career Statistics
Year |
G-GS |
FG-FGA |
Pct. |
3P-3PA |
Pct. |
FT-FTA |
Pct. |
TRB-Avg. |
PF-D |
A |
TO |
Blk |
ST |
Pts-Avg. |
2011-12 | 33-33 | 108-244 | .443 | 25-65 | .385 | 85-118 | .720 | 216-6.5 | 78-2 | 55 | 67 | 28 | 46 | 326-9.9 |
2012-13 | 34-34 | 105-254 | .413 | 16-60 | .267 | 82-102 | .804 | 267-7.9 | 62-1 | 62 | 65 | 30 | 39 | 308-9.1 |
2013-14 | 33-33 | 136-275 | .495 | 15-44 | .341 | 133-155 | .858 | 304-9.2 | 87-4 | 102 | 69 | 27 | 24 | 420-12.7 |
2014-15 |
32-32 |
148-290 |
.510 |
15-41 |
.366 |
96-118 |
.814 |
327-10.2 |
75-2 |
86 |
67 |
30 |
31 |
407-12.7 |
Career |
132-132 |
497-1,063 |
.468 |
71-210 |
.338 |
396-493 |
.803 |
1,114-8.4 |
302-9 |
305 |
268 |
115 |
140 |
1,461-11.1 |