As injuries mount, Nebraska searching to make most of limited lineup
The injury woes keep coming for Nebraska, as it lost its second starter and veteran leader for the season with Emmanuel Bandoumel done with a knee injury.
The Huskers are now without Bandoumel, who had started all 20 games this year, and Juwan Gary, who is out with a season-ending shoulder injury.
Replacing those two critical players’ production will be difficult enough. But maybe the more challenging task for head coach Fred Hoiberg and staff will be replicating their on-court leadership down the stretch.
“It’s devastating from that standpoint just because of what we all think about Emmanuel and just how big he was to get everything flipped for us this year; how much of a catalyst he was in that area,” Hoiberg said. “There’s going to have to be adjustments. Different guys are going to have to play different roles.”
Hoiberg said he would finalize a decision on Bandoumel’s replacement in the starting lineup on Wednesday.
There are a few potential options, but true freshman Jamarques Lawrence could be in line to make his first career start in Wednesday night’s home game vs. Northwestern.
After seeing spot minutes through the first half of the season, Lawrence has averaged nearly 18 minutes, 4.0 points, and 2.8 rebounds while shooting 42% from the field over the last four games.
“It’s invaluable experience for what Jamarques is getting right now,” Hoiberg said. “He’s going out there, and you see how hard he’s playing. He gives us a defensive presence. I’ve said all along how impressed I’ve been with Jamarques and how quickly he picked up the defensive concepts.
“That’s always the biggest adjustment when you go from high school to college, is the defensive end of the floor. He’s really a film junkie. The kid really loves it. (Lawrence) is in the gym all the time, and he’s always wanting to learn. He’s a sponge, and a lot of times, you don’t get guys like that as freshmen – they have to grow into it and learn it. He’s got that as an innate quality in him.”
Nebraska will not burn Ramel Lloyd Jr.’s redshirt
After Bandoumel went down in the first half at Penn State, questions came pouring in about whether Nebraska might burn Ramel Lloyd Jr.’s redshirt to add some much-needed depth.
Even Hoiberg admittedly toyed with the idea, given the Huskers’ limited roster. But after a long talk with Lloyd and his family, both sides agreed to preserve the true freshman’s redshirt this season.
“We thought about it; we talked to him, and just the decision moving forward with that is you’ve got to do what’s best for the kid,” Hoiberg said. “Do you pull a redshirt to get him to play 11 games – a third of the season? I just don’t think that’s the right thing to do…
“I had a really good talk with him, and for right now, we’re going to keep him in his redshirt.”
Many regarded Lloyd as one of the more high-profile members of Nebraska’s 2022 recruiting class. The former Sierra Canyon (California) three-star held a slew of high-major offers.
Lloyd had publicly said that he wanted to “produce at a high level right away” at Nebraska. But he opted to redshirt shortly before the start of the regular season.
The 6-foot-6, 204-pound guard averaged 9.0 minutes, 3.0 points, and 1.5 rebounds in NU’s two exhibition games vs. Chadron State and Colorado.
Walk-on Sam Hoiberg moves into the rotation
Nebraska’s current injury situation requires an all-hand-on-deck approach. That includes calling upon walk-ons to potentially step into the rotation over the final 11 games.
After Sam Griesel and Lawrence, Hoiberg said his son – redshirt freshman walk-on Sam Hoiberg – would be the third point guard.
“Sam Hoiberg’s going to have to be ready to go out and play,” Fred said. “That’s what you prepare yourself for, for these opportunities. Even though he hasn’t gotten significant minutes, he comes in every day and gets extra work in. So he’s going to have to be prepared.”
The younger Hoiberg has played a combined 12 minutes over nine appearances this season. His most productive outing came at Michigan State when he went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final minutes.
He was an honorable-mention all-state selection as a senior at Lincoln (Nebraska) Pius X in 2020-21. He averaged 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists during an 18-4 campaign.
