Fred Hoiberg is ramping up his efforts to reinforce the Nebraska baskeball roster following a fifth transfer portal departure on Monday from guard Jamarques Lawrence.
The Nebraska basketball head coach is expected to meet with several targets over the next 24 hours. One that he met with on Monday night for an in-home visit is North Dakota State forward Andrew Morgan.
Morgan is 6-foot-10 and last season he was Second-Team All-Summit. He averaged 12.9 points per game, 5.5 rebounds, and one assist while shooting 55 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range and 70 percent from the free throw line.
The NDSU transfer can hit 3-pointers but he’s not a high-volume shooter, attempting just one per game last season. This feels like a potential replacement for Josiah Allick, although I have to say I’d prefer someone with some rim-protecting abilities. Morgan has averaged 0.3 blocks per game for his career.
As I wrote last night, there’s no guarantee that Rienk Mast, Brice Williams, or Juwan Gary return. Seven of the 12 players on last year’s team are gone, so Nebraska basketball can’t take anything for granted.
I wonder how Morgan and Mast would fit next to each other though. Morgan’s rebounding rate has dipped in each of the past two seasons and unless he’s coming off the bench, I’d rather see a more athletic four.
William Kyle III talks about Nebraska basketball visit
William Kyle III, a transfer from South Dakota State, has also been getting interest from Nebraska. Kyle is from Bellevue, Nebraska, and visited the Huskers on Monday. He’s a 6-foot-9 forward and was the Summit Defensive Player of the Year. He also averaged 13 points and 1.6 blocks last season.
“I really liked how they had a presentation made for me talking about my development and how I would fit their playing style,” Kyle said of his visit to Mike Sautter.
Kyle feels like a much better roster fit. He doesn’t shoot 3-pointers at all, sort of like Derrick Walker, but he’s dominant down low and would be a defensive upgrade. However, Texas A&M, Wake Forest, and UConn are all in the mix, so the competition is stiff.
Fred needs to act quickly though and if the Huskers are going to make it back to the NCAA tournament, he’ll need another stellar haul from the transfer portal.
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