Fastbreak: Checking in on Husker Hoops' summer workouts

Now nearly a month into summer workouts, Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg and senior point guard Sam Griesel met with local media on Monday afternoon to give an update on the 2022-23 offseason thus far.

Here’s a full rundown of what they had to say…

Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg

***Hoiberg gave injury updates on a handful of players, starting with forward Wilhelm Breidenbach. Hoiberg said Breidenbach was doing “phenomenal” in his recovery and had been cleared to participate in all non-contact work with the team right now.

The sophomore still isn’t “full speed,” as Hoiberg said Breidenbach was about 80% in his recovery. Assuming he continues to progress at his current rate, though, Breidenbach should be fully cleared in the next three weeks.

***Hoiberg announced that Griesel underwent surgery on a labrum in his hip back on March 31. The good news was Griesel was “way ahead of schedule” in his recovery than almost anyone had predicted.

Hoiberg said Griesel wasn’t experiencing any pain, but NU had to be patient and stick with the rehab plan to avoid any setbacks. Griesel has been cleared to do full body work in the weight room and pool workouts, and he’s expected to be back on the court with the team in mid-July.

***Hoiberg said that even though Griesel was limited with what he could do on the court, he was putting in as much time as anyone in learning the system and studying film. Hoiberg said Griesel would pull younger guys aside between drills and coach them through things because of how well he already understood the nuances of the offense.

***Sophomore forward Blaise Keita suffered a foot injury last season while at Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College and missed the first handful of games to start the year. 

Hoiberg said the staff was also being careful about easing Keita into a full workload, but he was otherwise as healthy as could be. Hoiberg said Keita had been “an absolute physical presence and force” in the paint during June workouts.

***Beyond those three, Hoiberg said a younger player missed a few days with a minor ankle injury, but otherwise the Huskers had been at full participation thus far.

***Hoiberg announced that guard Keisei Tominaga made the cut for the Japanese Senior National Team and would play at the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifying games in Australia next week.

Hoiberg said Tominaga’s experience would be “huge for his future,” and the Huskers expected the junior to be back in Lincoln by the end of July. 

***Hoiberg said that Alabama transfer Juwan Gary would be the type of player that Nebraska fans would “fall in love with him right away” because of his “tenacity to go get the ball.” 

Hoiberg said Gary’s physicality and aggressiveness on the glass would be a big part in how NU was changing its offensive rebounding philosophy this season, with multiple guys crashing the boards on every shot.

***When talking about the point guard depth after Griesel, the first name Hoiberg mentioned was Quaran McPherson. After that, Hoiberg said there was a chance walk-on Cale Jacobsen could have a role if needed.

***There was a lot of praise going around for SMU transfer guard Emmanuel Bandoumel. Not just because of his play on the court, but just as much for his infectious positivity. 

Hoiberg said he hadn’t been around many guys like Bandoumel, calling him a veteran player who was already one of the best talkers and leaders on the team.

“Very few people (in basketball) don’t have a bad day, and he’s one of them,” Hoiberg said.

***Hoiberg said he’d immediately seen an impact from the leadership of guys like Griesel, Bandoumel, and Gary. He said all three newcomers had already exceeded his expectations for how they’ve helped NU’s chemistry.

The players hang out together all the time, organize multiple pick-up games outside of workouts, and do a team outings at least once a week.

***Hoiberg said younger guys like Ramel Lloyd Jr. and Jamarques Lawrence were growing quickly by the day and had already come a long way in their comfort levels since the beginning of workouts.

He said both players had shown very high basketball IQs, and Hoiberg said Lawrence was already one of the best pure shooters in the gym.

***On Bryce McGowens falling to the second round in the 2022 NBA Draft last week, Hoiberg said his message was that so many things can happen on draft night that are out of your control, but in the end McGowens would be a professional basketball player.

Hoiberg felt McGowens landed in a great situation with the Charlotte Hornets, especially considering they valued him enough to trade up to take him with the 40th overall pick. 

Great night with the guys helping out at Matt Talbot Kitchen @MTKOServes! #GBR pic.twitter.com/Rch4B9s2ho

— Fred Hoiberg (@CoachHoiberg) June 23, 2022

Senior point guard Sam Griesel

***Griesel said it was “definitely new territory” being sidelined after his surgery, but he was just staying focused on taking everything day by day. He said he could “see the light at the end of the tunnel,” and in the meantime, was doing all he could to learn everything about Nebraska’s system.

***Griesel said the hip injury actually happened two years ago, but he was able to play through it the past two seasons. He, his family, and NU’s staff talked about it in the spring and decided it was best for his future to have surgery.

***Griesel said the culture within Nebraska’s program was “amazing.” As someone who has played basketball for a long time, Griesel said he could “sense vibes” within a locker room, both good and bad. 

He said he already felt a good vibe with the Huskers, and a lot of that was with what they’d been doing off the the court.

Griesel described himself as a “servant leader” and wanted the team to be as involved as possible in the community. He said they had events scheduled every week for the players to get out be active around Lincoln.

***Griesel said Gary played with “an edge” and had “some dog to him” on the court.

***Griesel said he already loved what Nebraska was doing defensively, mainly because he’s always prided himself on that end of the floor.

“I love defense,” Griesel said. “I’ve probably spent at least an hour and half every day the last four years on defense.”