Fastbreak: Hoiberg talks Nebraska's recruiting, post depth, and more

Head coach Fred Hoiberg met with local media via Zoom on Wednesday to preview Nebraska’s upcoming home game vs. Omaha on Thursday night.

Here is a full rundown of what he had to say…

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Walker remains out, but NU confident in other options

Hoiberg again declined to give any further updates or details on the status of Derrick Walker, who has missed the past two outings for what has only been called “healthcare reasons.”

“Derrick continues to be day-to-day, and that’s all I’ll say about it right now,” Hoiberg said when asked on Wednesday.

Nebraska started Blaise Keita at the five in Walker’s absence in the exhibition at Colorado and then in its opener vs. Maine on Monday. 

The Huskers have also toyed with multiple frontcourt combinations, using Keita, Oleg Kojenets, Wilhelm Breidenbach, and even Juwan Gary at the five in certain lineups.

Hoiberg wouldn’t say what his starting lineup would be against Omaha but made it clear that NU would continue to fill Walker’s shoes via committee for as long as he was out.

“I’ve talked about this: you’re not going to make up everything with Derrick with one guy,” Hoiberg said. “It has to be a collective group effort, which I thought we did that with some different guys that stepped up.”

Hoiberg says Lloyd’s redshirt was a mutual decision

A few weeks ago, Hoiberg included true freshman Ramel Lloyd Jr. when discussing Nebraska’s point guard depth. In fact, he said Lloyd could be the No. 3 option behind Sam Griesel and Emmanuel Bandoumel. 

That conversation came to an unexpected halt on Monday night, as Hoiberg announced after the win over Maine that Lloyd would redshirt this season.

Hoiberg explained the situation more on Wednesday, saying Lloyd and his family had already discussed sitting out leading up to the opener.

“He’d had multiple conversations with his family on the subject, and it was just what was most comfortable for him at this time,” Hoiberg said. “Obviously, things can change, as you know. This isn’t something that has to be a season-long decision. If something changes with any type of circumstance where we would need Ramel, I talked with him about that. 

“This is a decision, at this time, that the family was most comfortable with, and we’ll continue to evaluate it as the season goes on.”

Huskers are in no rush to fill out the 2023 class

Wednesday marked the start of the 2023 early signing period, and Nebraska locked in its lone ’23 commit in IMG (Florida) Academy wing Eli Rice.

“Eli is a guard with good positional size and length and the versatility to play several positions in our system,” Hoiberg said. “He is a good scorer who can make plays for others and rebounds well for his position. 

“Eli has a lot of potential for development, as he played just two years of high school basketball and is young for graduating class. I think his best basketball days are ahead of him.”

The Huskers now have two available scholarships in their 2023 class, and more spots will likely open after the usual offseason roster attrition.

But Hoiberg said he and his staff were in no rush to complete their 2023-24 roster just yet.

“We’re talking to a lot of guys, but it’s got to be the right guy,” Hoiberg said. “I think that’s the No. 1 thing when you look at recruiting is they have to fit your system. We feel good about our roster and the guys coming back, our young players and what their future holds… 

“We’re continuing to look at all positions, and we’ll see what happens. If they fit, we’ll absolutely pull the trigger. If not, we’ll wait until spring.”

Started fast, finished strong.

Highlights from last night's dub over Maine. 📹⤵️ pic.twitter.com/yepM25YBfN

— Nebraska Basketball (@HuskerHoops) November 8, 2022

Nebraska is looking for more physicality from Keita

With Walker out, Keita’s rise up Nebraska’s lineup happened much faster than expected, getting the starts at Colorado and then vs. Maine.

The 6-foot-10 transfer from Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College played 11 minutes on Monday night. He scored two points on 1-of-2 shooting with a rebound and had two points and four boards in 12 minutes at CU.

Hoiberg said he was excited about Keita’s potential as he adjusted to the high-major level. But the most pressing issue at the moment was playing with better physicality with the ball in the post.

Rather than utilize his frame against smaller defenders, Hoiberg said Keita “faded away and avoided contact” on his shots. The coach said the sophomore needed to get down the floor faster and establish early post position better.

“He’s a big, strong, physical kid, obviously,” Hoiberg said. “Being his first real game, there’s always butterflies and jitters, but he’s going to learn from it and be better… As he goes on, we’re going to need his body and physicality. He’ll be better, and I think his minutes will be extended as we go on.”

Hoiberg said NU held a “good, healthy film session” before Tuesday’s practice, and Keita responded with “a really good practice” on Wednesday.