Fred Hoiberg details what Rienk Mast does for Nebraska offense

Nebraska center Rienk Mast has been an integral part of the Cornhuskers’ success this season. The Netherlands native and transfer from Bradley has been one of the team’s top scorers and put up a career-high 34 points in Tuesday night’s 83-69 win against Ohio State.

The 6-foot-9 big man nailed 6-of-8 (75%) of his 3-pointers while also grabbing 10 rebounds, dishing four assists and recorded a pair of blocks. It was evident of the player Mast has been all year for Nebraska, making contributions across the board offensively.

As coach Fred Hoiberg pointed out following the win, some might even be surprised to discover he leads the Huskers in assists with 3.1 per game.

“I just think he’s very comfortable right now in finding his spots,” Hoiberg said. “Not only what he did tonight scoring the ball, but he’s leading us in assists right now. That’s pretty impressive when your five-man is leading the program in assists. Derrick Walker did it for us last year. The thing Rienk does that Derrick didn’t obviously is his shooting ability.

“Having that guy is gonna take the big away from the basket. So that’s what opened up some driving lanes, opened up some cutting. Rienk, when he’s knocking down shots like that, it makes it very difficult on the defense.”

In addition to leading the team in assists, Rienk is also averaging a team-high 8.5 rebounds and ranks second with 13.7 points per game. The transfer additions of both him and former Charlotte guard Brice Williams (13.3 ppg) have led to a much-improved Nebraska team in 2023-24.

The Cornhuskers currently sit at 15-5 (5-4 Big Ten) and are just one win away from tying their total from last season. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has them as a nine seed in his latest NCAA Tournament projection, which would mark their first March Madness appearance in a decade.

Mast has clearly been a big part of that transformation and will continue to be vital alongside Williams and sharpshooter Keisei Tominaga. The three have helped lead Nebraska to some big moments this season, including an upset win against No. 1 Purdue.

Mast will hope he can build upon his big performance as the Huskers continue to march their way through Big Ten play. They’re now coming off of back-to-back victories and next face Maryland (11-8, 3-5 Big Ten) at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday in College Park.