LINCOLN After posting one of the best all-around seasons in nearly a decade, the Nebraska men's basketball team celebrated with supporters and fans as it gathered one final time for the postseason awards banquet Wednesday night at the Lincoln Station.
The postseason honors program included a season wrapup by second-year coach Doc Sadler, along with a team highlight video and a senior tribute video. The evening culminated with the Huskers' lone senior, Aleks Maric, being honored as the 2008 Jack Moore Award winner as the team's Most Outstanding Player.
Maric capped one of the most prolific careers in Nebraska history as he led the Cornhuskers to the postseason in 2007-08. Behind Maric's efforts, the Huskers posted just the 12th 20-win season in 112 years of the Nebraska basketball program while advancing to the second round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
Maric paced Nebraska for the second straight year in scoring (15.7 ppg) and rebounding (10.2 rpg). He was one of only three players in the Big 12 Conference to average a double-double this year, and set the league career record for double-doubles in conference-only games at 26.
The Sydney, Australia, native etched his name across the Big 12 and Nebraska record books while finishing his career as a first-team All-Big 12 and All-Region selection. He finished his illustrious Husker career ranked fifth all-time at Nebraska in scoring (1,630 points), second in rebounds (1,030) and sixth in blocked shots (145). Maric also tied the NU single-season record with 335 rebounds in 2007-08 while his 10.2 rebounds per game were the most by a Husker since Chuck Jura set the school record with 11.2 boards per game in 1971-72.
Maric not only made a name for himself at Nebraska, but will be remembered as one of the top post players in the Big 12 era. He became only the third player since the formation of the Big 12 Conference to record more than 1,600 points and 1,000 rebounds, joining Kansas' Nick Collison and Missouri's Arthur Johnson. Maric set the Big 12 record for rebounds in conference-only games with 576 during his career, while his 1,630 points rank among the top 25 in Big 12 history.
During his final campaign, Maric set personal single-season highs for rebounds, blocks (57), assists (64) and steals (44). He was second on the team in assists and third in steals, while his blocks comprised more than 58 percent of the Huskers' team total.
With 20 wins by the Huskers, Sadler tied the record for most wins in the first two years by a Husker head coach and became the first coach in program history to record at least 17 wins in each of his first two seasons in Lincoln. Under Sadler's guidance, Nebraska posted a 7-5 record over its final 12 conference games while earning the No. 7 seed at the Big 12 Championship. NU defeated Missouri in the first round of the league tournament and led eventual national champion Kansas by six at halftime before falling 64-54 in the quarterfinals.
On the season, Sadler helped the Huskers rank first in the Big 12 and 18th nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 60.7 points per game. The total that was the second-lowest in the Husker record book since 1959. Nebraska also ranked 28th nationally in field-goal percentage defense as opponents hit just 40.2 percent from the field against the Huskers.
The award is named for late-Husker guard Jack Moore, a 5-9 playmaker who set 17 school records in a career that ended in 1982. Moore was presented with the 1982 Francis Pomeroy-Naismith Award as the best collegiate player in the nation under six feet tall. A consensus All-Big Eight performer in 1982, Moore was killed in a plane crash in March of 1984.
Strowbridge says he's transferring from Nebraska
LINCOLN AP) Nebraska basketball player Jay-R Strowbridge (STRO-bridge) says he's transferring at the end of the semester.
The athletic department announced Strowbridge's decision on Thursday. The sophomore guard says he wants to go to a school closer to his hometown of Ardmore, Alabama.
Coach Doc Sadler says he appreciates the hard work and commitment Strowbridge showed the past two years.
Strowbridge played in 32 games this past season, starting the first four. He averaged almost five points and was third on the team with 25 three-pointers. He averaged about four-and-a-half points over his 61 career games.
Strowbridge says he appreciates everything Nebraska has done for him academically and athletically.
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