Sam Haiby Season 2022-23

Feature Story - Huskers Connect and Compete (Sam Haiby, 2021)
Feature Story - Huskers. Together. (Sam Haiby, 2020)
Q&A with Sam Haiby

Honors & Awards

• All-Big Ten (Second Team, 2021; HM, 2022, 2023)
• Nebraska Record 139 Games Played
• Only Husker in History with Combined Career Milestones - 1,000 Points, 500 Rebounds, 400 Assists
• No. 12 at Nebraska, Career Points (1,618)
• No. 6 at Nebraska, Career Assists (477)
• No. 16 at Nebraska, Career Rebounds (642)
• Nebraska Most Valuable Player (2021)
• Nebraska Clutch Performer Award (2022)
• Big Ten Player of the Week (College Sports Madness, Jan. 4, 2021)
• Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll (6 Times, 4 in 2020-21)
  (Nov. 11, Dec. 16, 2019; Dec. 14, 2020; Jan. 4, Jan. 11, Jan. 25, 2021)
• ESPN SportsCenter's Top Play (Game-Winner vs. Northwestern, Dec. 31, 2020)
• Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Feb. 4, 2019)
• Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2023)
• Academic All-Big Ten (2020, 2022, 2023)
• Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2018, 2022; Spring 2021)
• Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award (2021)
• Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
• No. 122 Player in the Nation (Prospects Nation, 2018)
• No. 125 Player in the Nation (Blue Star, 2018)
• No. 28 Guard in the Nation (ESPN, 2018)
• First-Team Minnesota Class 4A All-State (2017)

Graduate (2022-23)
Sam Haiby (pronounced HY-bee) earned All-Big Ten recognition for the third time in her career, capturing honorable-mention accolades in 2022-23 despite missing 10 games early in the season with injury. Haiby closed her final season at Nebraska by averaging 10.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.5 steals over 22 games with 19 starts. She suffered a lower leg injury in the first half of Nebraska's second-round WNIT win over Northern Iowa (March 19), and did not play in the season finale at Kansas (March 23) in the WNIT Super 16.

Haiby finished her career with a school-record 139 games played, while ranking No. 12 in Husker history with 1,618 points, No. 6 in assists with 477 and No. 16 in career rebounds with 642. She is the only player in Husker history to achieve the combined career milestones of 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 400 assists.

Haiby suffered a leg injury on Sept. 12, which was originally thought to be season ending. However, after undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on Oct. 27, Haiby's prognosis was upgraded significantly, and she returned to action for six minutes in Nebraska's win over Tarleton (Nov. 22). Haiby grabbed four rebounds, dished out one assist and recorded one steal in the victory. She missed six more games before returning for nine minutes to score four points, grab two rebounds and dish out an assist in NU's win over Wyoming (Dec. 18).

Overall, the 5-9 guard from Moorhead, Minn., missed 10 of Nebraska's first 11 games before returning to the court full time.

She played a huge role in Nebraska's 3OT win over previously unbeaten and No. 20 Kansas (Dec. 21). She had 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals while stepping in to play big minutes down the stretch after a fourth-quarter leg injury to starting guard Allison Weidner.

Haiby finished the season with 14 double-figure scoring performances in her 19 starts, including a season-high 25 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while going 11-for-13 at the free throw line in a first-round WNIT win over Missouri State (March 15). It was the 88th double-figure scoring performance of her career.

She scored 17 points to go with five rebounds in Nebraska's win at Northwestern (Feb. 6). It followed a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go with three assists and four steals in a win over Michigan State (Feb. 2).

Haiby had 16 points and seven rebounds against No. 3 Ohio State (Jan. 14). She added 16 points at No. 10 Iowa (Jan. 28), after getting 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals in NU's win at Purdue (Jan. 18). She added 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists against Michigan State at the Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis (March 2), after going for 13 points in a win over Northwestern on Senior Day in Lincoln (Feb. 26). She contributed 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists in a 33-point Husker win at No. 25 Illinois (Feb. 22) - the largest road margin of victory over an AP Top 25 opponent in school history.

She just missed a double-double with nine points and a career-high-tying 12 rebounds against No. 11 Maryland (Jan. 22). Haiby made her first start of the season in place of Weidner against No. 14 Michigan (Dec. 28). She produced her second double-digit scoring effort with 10 points, five rebounds and four assists while helping the Huskers force overtime at No. 4 Indiana (Jan. 11). She added 10 points, six rebounds and five steals at Rutgers (Jan. 7).

Haiby closed her career as a not only a three-time All-Big Ten performer on the court, but also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection (2020, 2022, 2023).

Senior (2021-22)
Haiby averaged 11.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals in her fourth season at Nebraska, helping the Huskers to a 24-9 overall record, a No. 23 final NET ranking and a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

She scored a season-high 20 points to go with six rebounds and three steals in the NCAA first round against Gonzaga in Louisville (March 18). She notched double figures in nine of Nebraska's last 10 games, despite being limited by an upper body injury suffered in the fourth quarter at Indiana (Dec. 13).

Her increased production down the stretch began with 14 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to go with four rebounds and four assists in a 72-55 win over No. 5 Indiana (Feb. 14), which marked Nebraska's largest victory margin in history over a top-five foe. She added 16 points, including nine in the fourth quarter, to go with four rebounds and four assists in a 76-73 win over No. 10 Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals in Indianapolis (March 4). 

Earlier in the season, Haiby put up 15 points, including 13 in the second half, to go with five rebounds, five assists and three steals in NU's 67-62 win over Creighton. She added 10 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals in a 79-58 win over No. 8 Michigan (Jan. 4), which matched Nebraska's largest victory margin in history over a top-10 opponent.

In Nebraska's four wins over 2022 NCAA Sweet Sixteen teams (Michigan-2, Indiana, Creighton), Haiby averaged 13.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.0 steals. 

Haiby, who earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten accolades in 2021-22, scored 19 points and grabbed a career-high six steals at Michigan State (Dec. 30), before going for 18 points against No. 22 Iowa (Jan. 9). 

She had 15 points and eight rebounds in a Big Ten semifinal loss to No. 12 Iowa (March 5). Haiby added 15 points in a 64-56 win at San Diego (Nov. 27) and had 15 more in an 89-68 run past Drake (Dec. 19). She had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists in a 93-70 win over Minnesota (Feb. 20), after getting 10 of her 13 points in the fourth quarter to rally NU to a 70-67 win at Minnesota (Dec. 6). She scored double figures 22 times in 2021-22.

Junior (2020-21)
Haiby captured second-team All-Big Ten honors by leading the Huskers in scoring (16.8 ppg), assists (4.4 apg) and steals (1.2 spg) while ranking third on the team in rebounding (6.8 rpg). She was the only player in the Big Ten to rank among the top 15 in scoring (11th), rebounding (15th) and assists (8th).

She produced double figures 21 times in 26 games as a junior, including 10 20-point scoring efforts. Haiby erupted for a career-high 33 points to go along with nine rebounds and four assists in a Big Ten win over Illinois (Dec. 10). She added 28 points against Iowa (Feb. 11) and 27 points, nine rebounds and three assists at No. 15 Michigan (Jan. 7). 

Haiby had 25 points and a career-high-tying 12 rebounds against Minnesota (Jan. 19) to produce her third career double-double. She recorded her first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 12 boards in a 68-64 win at No. 23 Michigan State (Jan. 10), before getting 11 points and a career-high 10 assists to go with eight rebounds in a 63-55 win over No. 15 Ohio State (Jan. 16).

She powered Nebraska with 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists in a narrow loss to No. 7 Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals (March 11). Against the Big Ten champion Terps, Haiby became the 35th Husker in history to achieve 1,000 career points. Her second three-pointer of the game, which came early in the third quarter, put her at 1,000 in her career and marked the first points of her 19-point second half.

Haiby added 24 points in a win over Wisconsin (Jan. 28), 22 in a win at Illinois (Jan. 25) and 20 at Rutgers (Feb. 7) before closing the season with 20 points, six rebounds and four assists against Colorado in the round of 16 in the Postseason WNIT (March 20).

In another spectacular performance, Haiby had 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists, including the game-winning put-back as time expired in a 65-63 win over No. 15 Northwestern (Dec. 31). Her shot was named ESPN SportsCenter’s Top Play of the day.

Her performances in the wins over Northwestern and Rutgers (Jan. 3) helped Haiby capture Big Ten Player of the Week honors from College Sports Madness (Jan. 4). She was also named to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll four times in 2020-21.

Sophomore (2019-20)
Haiby ranked second among the Huskers in scoring (10.0 ppg) and assists (3.3 apg) while leading Nebraska in steals (1.5 spg) in 2019-20.

She scored a season-high 28 points, including a season-high three threes, in a 90-85 OT win at Missouri (Nov. 10). Her third three came with three seconds left to send the game to overtime. She added the final field goal and two free throws with 13.3 seconds left in OT to seal the win.

Haiby produced her second 20-point game of the season with 20 points, five rebounds and four steals in a win over ORU (Dec. 14). She had 19 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals at Michigan State (Dec. 31). Haiby pitched in 18 points and tied her career high with three threes in a win over Michigan (Jan. 19). She added 17 points, a career-high eight rebounds and three assists in a win over No. 24 Minnesota (Jan. 4). Haiby also had 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists against Creighton (Nov. 24).

She had 11 points, a season-high seven assists and three steals in a win over Wisconsin (Jan. 9). She added 11 points, six rebounds and a career-high five steals in the sweep of the Badgers (Jan. 25).

Haiby managed 10 points while leading the Huskers in rebounds (6), assists (5) and steals (3) and adding a block against Purdue (Jan. 22). She had 10 points and six assists in a win over Manhattan (Dec. 22). She ended the season with 10 points, four assists and three steals against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament (March 5) for her 16th double-figure scoring effort of the year.

Freshman (2018-19)
Haiby produced off the bench in all 30 games, finishing as NU's second-leading scorer (10.0 ppg), while adding 3.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists. She scored in double figures 15 times, including each of the final four games. 

She erupted for a season-high 20 points - all after halftime - at Washington State (Nov. 16). She recorded her best Big Ten effort with 17 points against Indiana (Feb. 3) and had 17 more at Creighton (Dec. 2).

Haiby was the Big Ten Freshman of the Week after averaging 15.0 points at Purdue (Jan. 31) and Indiana (Feb. 3).

She closed the regular season with a team-high 16 points in a win at Penn State (March 2), including 12 in the fourth quarter. 

She also had 16 points, including six in the fourth quarter, in a win over No. 23 Minnesota (Jan. 20). Haiby added 16 more to go with a season-high three steals at Arkansas (Dec. 18). 

She scored 14 points at No. 24 Miami and led NU with 13 in her debut against Drake (Nov. 7). She added 13 points with a season-high three threes in a win at Purdue (Jan. 31). 

Haiby scored 12 points four times, including No. 5 Louisville (Nov. 29), Michigan (Dec. 28), No. 12 Iowa (Feb. 25) and at the Big Ten Tournament against Purdue (March 7). She added 11 points in a win at Northwestern (Feb. 21) and 11 at No. 7 Maryland (Feb. 14).        

Before Nebraska
Haiby was ranked as the No. 122 player in the country by Prospects Nation and the No. 125 player in the nation by Blue Star. She was also ranked as the No. 28 guard in the country by ESPN.

She overcame an early season knee injury as a senior to average 25.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game, including a monstrous 46-point performance in a 54-49 win over White Bear Lake on Dec. 10, 2017. It followed a 45-point effort in a win over Brainerd on Nov. 28. Haiby finished her high school career with more than 2,000 points. As a junior, she averaged 22.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 4.1 steals, including a huge 44-point performance against Fargo Shanley on Jan. 17, 2017. A first-team Minnesota Class 4A selection for Coach Jed Carlson at Moorhead, Haiby finished her junior season with 1,856 career points.

Haiby played her club basketball for North Tartan and Coach Gerard Coury. Haiby was a part of five consecutive Minnesota State AAU championships with North Tartan.

In addition to playing basketball, Haiby was a starting outfielder and pitcher on Moorhead High School’s baseball team in the spring of 2017. She was the first pitcher to ever throw a pitch in U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, taking the mound for the Spuds against the Sartell Sabres at the home of the Minnesota Vikings and Super Bowl LII in the Twin Cities. She also became the first female in history to pitch a scoreless inning in a Minnesota High School boys baseball game in the spring of 2017.

Personal
The daughter of Jay Haiby and Janet Haiby, Samantha Rae Brianna Haiby was born Sept. 25, 1999 in St. Louis, Mo. She has an older brother, Andrew. A nutrition and health sciences major, she earned her bachelor's degree from Nebraska in May of 2022. A Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2023, she was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. She was a three-time Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll selection. A Sam Foltz 27 Hero Leadership Award winner in 2021, she is also a five-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.

Haiby chose Nebraska over Minnesota, Arizona, Creighton, North Dakota State, South Dakota and South Dakota State.

Sam Haiby's Career Bests
Points - 33 vs. Illinois, Dec. 10, 2020 
Rebounds - 12 Three Times, most recent vs. Maryland, Jan. 22, 2023 
Assists - 10 vs. Ohio State, Jan. 16, 2021 
Steals - 6 at Michigan State, Dec. 30, 2021
Blocks - 2 Three Times, most recent vs. Penn State, Jan. 11, 2023 
FGM - 11 at Missouri, Nov. 10, 2019 
FGA - 21 vs. Minnesota, Jan. 19, 2021 
3FGM - 4, vs. Maryland, March 11, 2021; vs. Penn State, Feb. 21, 2021
3FGA - 8 vs. Colorado, March 20, 2021
FTM - 14 vs. Illinois, Dec. 10, 2020 
FTA - 16 vs. Illinois, Dec. 10, 2020

Haiby's Career Statistics

Year	G-GS	FG-FGA	Pct.	3FG-3FGA	Pct.	FT-FTA	Pct.	TRB-Avg.	PF-D	A	TO	Blk	ST	Pts-Avg.
2018-19	30-0	105-241	.436	15-48	.313	76-106	.717	90-3.0	46-0	78	49	3	25	301-10.0
2019-20	30-30	103-258	.399	32-88	.364	62-81	.765	125-4.2	50-0	100	69	7	44	300-10.0
2020-21	26-26	139-365	.381	40-107	.374	120-147	.816	176-6.8	62-0	115	81	6	32	438-16.8
2021-22	31-31	115-287	.401	19-78	.244	93-114	.816	141-4.5	51-0	121	74	9	42	342-11.0
2022-23	22-19	76-203	.374	9-36	.250	76-100	.760	110-5.0	37-0	63	55	3	34	237-10.8
Career	139-106	538-1,354	.397	115-357	.322	427-548	.779	642-4.6	246-0	477	328	28	177	1,618-11.6