Huskers – Page 74 – North Platte Post Archive

Huskers Close Non-Conference Play with Big South Champs

Posted on December 18, 2014

The No. 12 Nebraska women’s basketball team returns home for another clash with postseason-caliber competition when the Huskers play host to High Point on Saturday afternoon.

Tip-off between the Huskers (9-1) and the defending Big South regular-season champion Panthers (6-4) is set for 3 p.m. (central) at Pinnacle Bank Arena and tickets are available now at Huskers.com. Tickets also can be purchased at the Pinnacle Bank Arena Box Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.

Live radio coverage will be provided by the Husker Sports Network, with Matt Coatney and Jeff Griesch on the call on stations across the network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and 93.3 FM in Omaha. Free live audio also will be available on Huskers.com. A live premium video stream will be available to subscribers of BTN Plus.

The Huskers take aim at their 10th win of the year after taking Finals Week off from competition at Nebraska. Commencement exercises will be held at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Fridayafternoon (graduate) and Saturday morning (undergraduate), before the Huskers and Panthers hit the court.
Nebraska won a pair of close games against traditionally strong mid-major teams Creighton and Bakersfield last week. Senior Emily Cady put up big numbers in the low scoring affairs, averaging 15.5 points, 13.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. The 6-2 forward from Seward, Neb., earned the first Big Ten Player-of-the-Week award of her career on Dec. 16. Cady was a second-team All-Big Ten selection while helping the Huskers to the Big Ten Tournament title last season.

High Point also features an award-winning forward from the state of Nebraska. Stacia Robertson, a fifth-year senior from Grand Island High School, is the two-time defending Big South Player-of-the-Week (Dec. 8, Dec. 15). The 6-2 forward averaged 15.0 points, 11.7 rebounds, 5.3 blocks, 4.7 assists and 2.3 steals over a three-game stretch to claim the awards. Robertson was a first-team All-Big South selection for the Panthers last season. HPU has won four of its last five games.

#12 Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
3 – Hailie Sample – 6-1 – Sr. – F – 7.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg
23 – Emily Cady – 6-2 – Sr. – F – 13.8 ppg, 9.4 rpg
1 – Tear’a Laudermill – 5-9 – Sr. – G – 11.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg
13 – Brandi Jeffery – 5-7 – Sr. – G – 8.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg
33 – Rachel Theriot – 6-0 – Jr. – G – 17.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Off the Bench
31 – Anya Kalenta – 6-3 – Jr. – F – 6.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg
5 – Natalie Romeo – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 4.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg
22 – Allie Havers – 6-5 – So. – C – 3.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg
34 – Jasmine Cincore – 5-8 – Fr. – G – 1.6 ppg, 0.4 rpg
30 – Chandler Smith – 6-0 – Fr. – G – 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
12 – Emily Wood – 5-5 – Fr. – G – 0.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg
11 – Esther Ramacieri – 5-8 – So. – G – 0.1 ppg, 0.4 rpg
50 – Darrien Washington – 6-2 – Fr. – F – High School
Head Coach: Connie Yori (Creighton, 1986)
13th Season at NU (250-143); 25th Season Overall (445-283)

High Point Panthers (6-4, 2-0 Big South)
4 – Stacia Robertson – 6-2 – RSr. – F – 15.4 ppg, 9.8 rpg
22 – Latrice Phelps – 6-0 – Sr. – F – 9.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg
3 – Kaylah Keys – 5-5 – So. – G – 16.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg
23 – Teddy Vincent – 5-10 – So. – G – 3.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg
10 – Lindsay Puckett – 5-10 – RSr. – G – 6.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg
Off the Bench
14 – DeAnneisha Jackson – 6-2 – So. – F – 10.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg
20 – Ashante Richard – 5-4 – Sr. – G – 4.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg
00 – Kat Harris – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 4.2 ppg, 1.1 rpg
15 – Maja Michalska – 5-7 – So. – G – 2.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg
5 – Hunter Fleming – 5-7 – Fr. – G – 2.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg
33 – Aariel Allen – 5-11 – Jr. – F – 1.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg
40 – Abby Tinsley – 6-0 – Fr. – F – 1.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
44 – Lydia Harvey – 5-10 – Jr. – G – 0.8 ppg, 1.2 rpg
11 – Katie Vincent – 6-1 – Sr. – F – 0.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg
Head Coach: DeUnna Hendrix (Richmond, 2007)
3rd Season at HPU (45-28); 3rd Season Overall (45-28)

Huskers Head to Hawaii for Diamond Head Classic

Posted on December 18, 2014

After a break for final exams, the Nebraska basketball team concludes the non-conference portion of the schedule at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu.

The Huskers open tournament play against the host Rainbow Warriors on Dec. 22, with tipoff scheduled for just prior to midnight central time. It is the second game of the session, as Loyola Marymount takes on No. 11 Wichita State at 10 p.m. (central). Tipoff is slated for 20 minutes at the conclusion of the the LMU-WSU contest.

Monday’s contest will be nationally televised on ESPNU with Roxy Bernstein and Dino Gaudio on the call. The contest, along with all of the Diamond Head Classic games, is also available online at WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app.

The game will be broadcast across the state of Nebraska on the IMG Husker Sports Radio Network, including KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln, 1110 KFAB in Omaha and KRVN 880 AM in Lexington with Kent Pavelka calling the action and Matt Davison adding color commentary. The game can be heard for free on Huskers.com and available on the Huskers’ app on iOS or android devices, as well as on TuneIn Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio.

The Huskers are 6-3 on the season following a 56-55 double overtime win over Cincinnati on Dec. 13. In that game, Nebraska held the Bearcats to 32 percent shooting and allowed just one field goal in the second overtime to earn a hard-fought victory. Benny Parker was the hero, as his floater with 1:14 left in the second OT gave Nebraska the lead for good.
While All-Big Ten performers Terran Petteway and Shavon Shields have led the Huskers through most of the year, the contributions of Walter Pitchford and Tai Webster carried the Huskers on Saturday. Pitchford played 48 of 50 minutes and finished with a season-high 10 rebounds and nine points, while Webster scored all nine of his points in the final eight minutes of regulation and in the extra sessions, while his offensive rebound with 1:18 left set up Parker’s game-winner.

While the Huskers have been off for finals, Hawaii’s last game before break was a loss at BYU on Dec. 6. The Rainbow Warriors are 7-3 on the year heading into Friday’s game with Chaminade and are led by Aaron Valdes, who averages 16.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Hawaii’s best win was a 74-70 win over Pittsburgh on Nov. 21.
The winner of Monday’s game will play the Wichita State/Loyola Marymount winner Tuesday at 8 p.m. (central) on ESPN2, while Monday’s losers will play at 10:30 p.m. on ESPNU Tuesday evening.

Gregory and Pierson-El Named FWAA All-Americans

Posted on December 17, 2014

Two Huskers earned All-America accolades on Wednesday, as junior defensive end Randy Gregory and freshman wide receiver/punt returner De’Mornay Pierson-El were both named second-team All-Americans by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).

Nebraska had a pair of players selected to the FWAA All-America teams for the first time since 1997, when three Huskers were honored. The FWAA has released its All-America teams for 71 seasons and Pierson-El is the first Husker freshman to be recognized by the organization. Overall, Pierson-El is just the second Nebraska underclassmen to earn FWAA All-America honors, joining halfback Bobby Reynolds, who was a first-team selection as a sophomore in 1950. Pierson-El and Oklahoma running back Samaje Perine were the only two freshmen named an FWAA All-American.

Pierson-El earned a spot as the second-team punt returner after leading the nation with 589 punt return yards, more than 200 yards higher than any other player in the nation. He returned three punts for a touchdown, which tied for the national lead. Pierson-El was also named a second-team All-American by USA Today, in addition to earning freshman All-America accolades from several organizations.

A two-time All-Big Ten selection, Gregory was honored by the FWAA one day after garnering third-team All-America accolades from the Associated Press. Despite battling injuries throughout his junior campaign, Gregory totaled 50 tackles, including 7.0 sacks and 10 tackles for loss. He also blocked two field goals, broke up three passes and had an interception while becoming Nebraska’s first two-time all-conference defensive lineman since Ndamukong Suh.

Although he was not honored by the FWAA, senior I-back Ameer Abdullah has also earned All-America accolades this month, giving Nebraska a trio of 2014 All-Americans. Abdullah was a second-team All-America pick by the Associated Press and the Walter Camp Foundation, among others.

Complete Teams: http://www.sportswriters.net/fwaa/news/2014/allamerica141217.html

Pelini Ripped Nebraska’s AD in Last Talk with Players

Posted on December 17, 2014

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — On the day he was introduced as Youngstown State’s new head coach, the ugly nature of Bo Pelini’s departure from Nebraska was revealed.

Pelini, who was fired on Nov. 30, lambasted Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst in a profanity-filled talk during his final meeting with his players. The Omaha World-Herald on Wednesday reported that it obtained an audiotape of Pelini’s address to the players on Dec. 2 at a Lincoln high school.

The university said in a statement that if the audiotape is authentic, “it only reaffirms the decision that he should no longer be a leader of young men at Nebraska.”

The World-Herald reported that Pelini used two vulgarities for female genitalia in reference to Eichorst. There were other instances of profanity on the audio.

The Associated Press left messages for Pelini and Youngstown athletic director Ron Strollo.

Nebraksa Responds to Expletive-Laced Pelini Comments

Posted on December 17, 2014December 17, 2014

The University of Nebraska has responded to comments made by former football coach Bo Pelini at the final meeting he had with players at Lincoln North Star High School on December 2. The statement fro NU can be seen below:

The University of Nebraska is in receipt of what appears to be a transcript of remarks delivered by former football coach Bo Pelini. These remarks to student-athletes were allegedly made during a non-official team meeting at a local high school, held two days after his termination. At this time, the University cannot authenticate the transcript nor do we have an audio version of the remarks.

If these comments were, indeed, spoken by Mr. Pelini, we are extremely disappointed, but it only reaffirms the decision that he should no longer be a leader of young men at Nebraska. His habitual use of inappropriate language, and his personal and professional attacks on administrators, are antithetical to the values of our university. His behavior is consistent with a pattern of unprofessional, disrespectful behavior directed by Mr. Pelini toward the passionate fans of Nebraska, employees of the university and, most concerning, our student-athletes. This behavior is not tolerated at the University of Nebraska and, among many other concerns, played a role in his dismissal.

Any assertions that the campus or athletics administration was not supportive of our student-athletes and our football program are flat-out false and are contradicted by the facts.

We are grateful that the new leadership in our football program is aligned with our values and will establish that you can be successful at Nebraska and that you can do it with integrity and class.

An article about the meeting, complete with Pelini’s comments, was written by Dirk Chatelain for Omaha.com and can be seen here.

Rolfzen Leads Three Huskers With All-America Honors

Posted on December 17, 2014

Sophomore outside hitter Kadie Rolfzen was named a third-team AVCA All-American for the second straight season, and Kelsey Fien and Mary Pollmiller earned honorable mention on Wednesday.

Rolfzen earned Nebraska’s nation-leading 77th AVCA All-America certificate and is the 27th Husker to earn multiple honors in her career. She led Nebraska in kills with 405 (3.55 per set) and posted a double-double in all four NCAA Tournament matches to help lift the Huskers to the Elite Eight for the third straight season. Rolfzen finished second on the team in digs with 316 (2.77 per set), establishing herself as one of the top all-around players in the nation, region and Big Ten for the second straight season.

Fien’s honorable mention selection was the first of her career. The junior outside hitter from Bakersfield, Calif., was second on the team in kills with 286 (3.21 per set) and was particularly strong in conference play, posting 3.39 kills per set while hitting .303, the best mark by an NU player and third among all B1G outside hitters. Fien also earned All-Big Ten and All-North Region honors for the first time in her career this season.

Pollmiller, a senior setter and captain from Littleton, Colo., received AVCA All-America honorable mention for the third time in her career and second time at Nebraska. The Littleton, Colo., native guided the Huskers to the Elite Eight with 1,211 assists this season (10.26 per set). She proved herself to be one of the biggest threats offensively and defensively among Big Ten setters, posting 1.04 kills per set while attacking at a .321 clip, and adding 0.70 blocks per set with a total of 83 on the season. She finished her career with 5,230 career assists, which ranks fourth among current Division I setters.

Shepard Earns Spot on Girls Naismith Watch List

Posted on December 16, 2014

Lincoln – Nebraska women’s basketball signee Jessica Shepard from Fremont joins the top 20 players in the nation on the Naismith Girls High School Player of the Year Watch List announced Tuesday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

The highest ranked recruit in the history of Nebraska women’s basketball and arguably the best high school player the state has ever produced, Shepard will join the Huskers as a true freshman in 2015-16 after signing her National Letter of Intent with Nebraska in November.

Shepard, who competed on the gold-medal winning USA Basketball team at the 2014 FIBA Americas U18 Championships, is the No. 3 recruit in the Class of 2015, according to ESPN.

The 6-4 forward entered her senior season at Fremont High School as a two-time Nebraska Gatorade Girls Basketball Player of the Year (2013, 2014) and three-time first-team Super-State (Lincoln Journal Star) and All-Nebraska (Omaha World-Herald).

As a junior in 2013-14, Shepard averaged a Class A state record 30.4 points per game to go along with 15.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in leading Fremont to a 22-4 record and a state tournament berth for Coach Tony Weinandt. It was just Fremont’s second bid to state since 1985. Her performances included a career-high 43 points against Lincoln East and 40 points against Kansas High School power Bishop Miege and Papillion-LaVista.

The honorary captain of both the Lincoln Journal Star Super-State and Omaha World-Herald All-Nebraska teams, Shepard’s junior season scoring average surpassed her 24.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.8 steals per game as a sophomore at Lincoln Southeast. She powered the Knights to the 2013 Class A state title, before moving with her family to Fremont in the summer of 2013.

As a freshman, Shepard earned her first Super-State and Class A honors by averaging 17.8 points and 9.1 rebounds in leading Lincoln Southeast to a state runner-up finish.

As a member of the USA Basketball U18 Team at the FIBA Americas Championship, Shepard averaged 12.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while helping the team to a 5-0 record and a gold medal in the summer of 2014. She hit 66.7 percent of her shots from the field in the tournament.

She is also an outstanding student, carrying a 3.90 grade-point average. She has earned academic all-state and all-conference honors, as well as a spot in the National Honor Society. She is a four-year honor roll selection.

Future Husker Foecke Named Gatorade National Player of the Year

Posted on December 16, 2014

Mikaela Foecke (left) receives the Gatorade VB POY trophy from April Ross (right).

Fort Madison, Iowa – In its 30th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced Husker signee Mikaela Foecke of Holy Trinity Catholic High School (Fort Madison, Iowa) as its 2014-15 Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year. Foecke was surprised with the news at school by silver medalist April Ross, who earned Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year honors in 1999-00.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Foecke as the nation’s best high school volleyball player. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Foecke from more than 430,000 high school volleyball players nationwide. Foecke is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.

The 6-foot-3 senior middle blocker led the Crusaders to a 48-4 record and the Class 1A state championship this past season. The state’s returning Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year, Foecke recorded 812 kills, 270 digs, 170 service aces and 95 blocks. A member of the American Family Insurance All-USA Preseason Volleyball First Team, she was also the Iowa Girls Coaches Association co-Player of the Year, captain of the Class 1A All-State Tournament Team and was selected for the Iowa Girls Coaches Association and the Des Moines Register Elite All-State teams. A 2014-15 Under Armour First Team All-America honoree, Foecke started for the U.S. Women’s Junior National Team that won a gold medal at the U-20 NORCECA Continental Championships this past July, and finished her prep career with a state-record 2,813 kills.

Foecke has maintained a 4.10 GPA in the classroom. A member of the student council and an officer in the local 4-H club, she has volunteered on behalf of area food drives, the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, youth volleyball programs, city clean-up initiatives and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

“In a state currently top heavy with elite volleyball talent, Foecke has been without peer for at least the past two years,” said John Tawa, Publisher of PrepVolleyball.com. “Though she plays ‘small-school ball,’ she’s a big-time performer, possessing the arm swing and power to dominate anywhere along the net, as well as the agility of a libero in a 6-3 body. Foecke can score against anyone at any time and could be a [collegiate] All-America performer early.”

Foecke will be a freshman for the Huskers next fall.

“Without question, Mikaela is deserving of recognition as the nation’s best high school volleyball player based on her statistics on the field and the impact her accomplishments have had on Holy Trinity Catholic’s success,” said Gatorade Vice President, Brand Marketing Morgan Flatley. “But she is also a shining example to peers and aspiring young athletes of what a leader and a student-athlete should be. She represents everything we hope for in a Gatorade Player of the Year recipient.”

For more information on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of former winners, and future announcement dates, visit the Gatorade Player of the Year Web site at http://www.gatorade.com/poy, on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Gatorade.

Huskers Continue Bowl Prep Through Finals Week

Posted on December 16, 2014

Lincoln, Neb. – The Nebraska football team practiced for 90 minutes inside the Hawks Championship Center on Tuesday afternoon in preparation for the Holiday Bowl. Interim Head Coach Barney Cotton spoke to the media after practice.

“Defensively they are probably a little bit sharper than us,” Cotton said. “Offensively we kind of reversed roles, but it was still a good day. It’s just I think we were a little sharper offensively the first three days of last week. We’ll come back tomorrow and do a better job.”

Cotton also said that defensive end Randy Gregory is “fully cleared as of today” for the bowl game. Cotton added that the odd practice times were selected during Finals Week so that “hopefully we could get 90 percent of our guys here this week.”

Cotton also talked about the depth at center and said it was “going well.”

“Paul Thurston, who finished the game up at Iowa, right now would be the leading candidate to start,” Cotton said. “We are also looking at Zach Hannon. We’ve moved Dylan Utter there from the backup left guard spot to also playing center. They are all three getting pretty equal reps right now.”

Offensive Coordinator Tim Beck also spoke to the media and talked about USC’s defense.

“They are pretty good up front, well coached, they run to the ball well and are good athletically in the back end,” Beck said. “They are different defensively than they have been, they are more of an odd team. They have done a nice job and are pretty salty.”

The Holiday Bowl between No. 25 Nebraska and No. 24 USC is set for Saturday, Dec. 27 at 7 p.m. (CT) on ESPN.

Cady Claims Big Ten Honor

Posted on December 16, 2014

Senior Emily Cady claimed Nebraska’s first Big Ten Women’s Basketball Player-of-the-Week award of the season when the conference office announced its weekly honors on Tuesday.

Cady, a 6-2 forward from Seward, Neb., averaged a double-double with 15.5 points and 13.0 rebounds to lead the No. 12 Huskers to wins over Creighton and Bakersfield last week.

In the 60-57 win at Creighton on Thursday, Cady led the Huskers with 18 points, while adding 11 rebounds, two assists and a season-high three blocked shots. Cady hit 8-of-11 shots from the floor, including 2-of-3 three-pointers.

Less than 48 hours later, Cady notched her fifth double-double of the season and 27th of her career with team highs of 13 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in Nebraska’s 54-45 victory over preseason Western Athletic Conference favorite Bakersfield.

Cady improved her season averages to 13.8 points and a team-leading 9.4 rebounds. She has added 3.0 assists per game to help the Huskers open the year with a 9-1 record.

For Cady, who is a three-time All-Big Ten honoree including a second-team selection as a junior in 2013-14, it was her first career Big Ten Player-of-the-Week honor. She claimed a Big Ten Freshman-of-the-Week award on Jan. 24, 2012, before earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in 2011-12.

Cady is approaching career milestones of 1,200 points, 900 rebounds and 100 blocked shots as the Huskers prepare to close non-conference play against High Point on Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Tip-off between the Big Red and the defending Big South champion Panthers is set for 3 p.m., and tickets are available now at Huskers.com.