Nebraska basketball head coach Fred Hoiberg started rebuilding the Huskers roster on Monday with the addition of Andrew Morgan, a 6-foot-10 forward.
The former North Dakota State standout was Second-Team All-Summit last season after scoring 12.9 points per game and grabbing five rebounds. He also averaged one assist and 3.1 offensive rebounds per game. Morgan has started 59 games over the past two seasons but played just 23 minutes per game last season.
Nebraska started the day with seven scholarships. Now, the Huskers are down to six, and here’s what they are getting in Andrew Morgan.
Pretty Similar to Rienk Mast
We don’t know if Rienk Mast is going to come back for next season or not. But if he decides to forgo his final season of eligibility, Nebraska basketball will have a guy ready to take over.
That doesn’t mean Morgan can’t play alongside Mast. Josiah Allick did last season and wasn’t much of a perimeter shooter. Morgan doesn’t shoot a ton of 3-pointers. He makes 0.5 per game but shoots 36 percent and is really good as a pick-and-pop shooter.
Most of Mast’s 3-point attempts came in catch-and-shoot situations. Morgan will give Nebraska another option if Mast isn’t on the floor or two guys who can burn a defense on the pick-and-pop.
Nebraska basketball needs the other component. They need to add some guards with a history of ball-screen attempts and success, but Morgan is a good fit, with or without Rienk Mast on the roster.
Size is a requirement in the Big Ten
Fred Hoiberg has had to adjust to coaching in the Big Ten. One of the ways he did it was by playing more big guys. Hoiberg lost two bigs with size this offseason to the transfer portal and another in Allick who ran out of eligibility.
Nebraska baseball needed to replace Allick, who was a starter by the end of the season. Whether it’s defense, 3-point shooting, and interior scoring, Morgan is a solid replacement for Allick — another dude who transferred up from a mid-major and found success under Hoiberg.
Morgan fits that same mold. Hoiberg is good at identifying the players who can succeed when they go up and Morgan feels like another who will play well at Nebraska.
The roster still needs work
Nebraska basketball has six scholarships to work with and a bunch of targets on the board. The elephant in the room is that Keisei Tominaga, one of the most electric scorers in program history is gone. There hasn’t been anyone like that contacted by the Huskers in the portal, outside of Bradley 3-point specialist Connor Hickman.
The Huskers could use a point guard. They also need a two-guard and another piece or two off the bench. The only sure things on the roster are Morgan, Juwan Gary, Brice Williams, Sam Hoiberg, and two incoming freshmen.
Morgan is a great piece. But he will be a lot better alongside Mast, who earned Third-Team All-Big Ten honors last season. The Huskers also need to find some ball-screen options to use with their bigs because those are lacking.
However, with this addition, the roster is starting to take shape and I’d expect a flurry of moves over the next few weeks. The most important move though, is convincing Mast to return.
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