Report: Former All-American LB Nick DeLuca charged with assaulting Nebraska forward Rienk Mast
Details are starting to come out on Nebraska basketball forward Rienk Mast being attacked near the University of Nebraska campus last week.
According to KETV, Mast was assaulted by Nicholas DeLuca, who was an FCS All-American at North Dakota State University. Nicholas, who also goes by Nick DeLuca, played at NDSU from 2013-17. He was nominated for the Butkus Award two times during his college career.
KETV reports that DeLuca got out of his car and knocked Rienk Mast off of his scooter.
DeLuca was taken into custody for aggravated assault, while Mast was taken to a local hospital, according to KETV.
Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg revealed earlier Friday that Mast was the victim of “a random act of violence” last week, according to the Omaha World-Herald.
“The authorities right now are gathering more information on the incident. That’s really all I can say about it at this time, but he will not play on Sunday,” Hoiberg said.
Mast will miss Nebraska’s exhibition game against Doane on Sunday.
Mast transferred to Nebraska ahead of the 2023-24 season from Bradley after spending four years there, playing three after taking a redshirt as a freshman. Mast, a 6-foot-10 forward/center from the Netherlands, had developed into a consistent scorer for the Braves and should play a big role for the Cornhuskers in 2023-24 when healthy.
Last season, Mast earned first-team All-MVC honors after leading Bradley in scoring and rebounding. He averaged 13.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 51 percent from the floor and 35 percent from 3-point range in 2022-23.
One Nebraska player is still dealing with fallout from the Iowa gambling probe
Nebraska point guard Ahron Ulis was among seven individual charged in relation to a probe by Iowa authorities into improper sports wagering at Iowa State and Iowa Universities, respectively, the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation announced in August. Ulis played for Iowa prior to transferring to Nebraska ahead of this season.
According to Chad Leistikow of the Des Moines Register, Ulis used a FanDuel account under the name “Anton Porter” to place bets, including some while underaged. According to documents filed by prosecutors, Ulis made 1850 bets for nearly $35,000 and did bet on NCAA basketball and at least one Iowa game.
Each of the seven accused are facing one count of “Tampering with Records” related to the investigation, a misdemeanor. Ulis was charged in Johnson County, Iowa, along with two others.
The other four individuals were charged in Story County, Iowa, which includes Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers.
Ulis was not playing for Nebraska on its overseas trip during the summer for reasons that Hoiberg did not disclose.
“We’re gathering information on a situation that Ahron is dealing with and right now that’s all I can say about that matter,” Hoiberg said to reporters.
Ulis is the younger brother of former Kentucky star guard Tyler Ulis.