Nebraska Basketball: 2019-20 season review for the Cornhuskers

Key Players

The key players for Nebraska last year had good moments and are forever going to be the ones who are remembered as laying the foundation for the new era of the Husker Hoops program. The majority of these players have either transferred or likely will transfer before the season begins next year.

Cam Mack (12.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.4 APG)

Mack is one of the best players to ever play the Point Guard position for the Huskers and he was only on campus for a year. He is also one of the most frustrating players to ever play in Lincoln as well. The sophomore guard was mired with disciplinary problems for the entire season. Whether he was late or missing curfew he was seemingly always in trouble. Despite that Mack was still the best player on this team and it showed towards the end of the season that Nebraska needed Mack to be their best.

Mack played with a supreme sense of confidence, he was flashy and that was the way he played. He fired the arrow after a made three-pointer and flexed after a made layup. His no-look passes, and speed made him extremely fun to watch. Mack has his name in the Husker record books forever. He is responsible for the first triple-double in program history, at least one that counted. Brennon Clemons recorded a triple-double in an exhibition game. Mack is also top five all-time in assists in a season.

Mack has declared for the NBA draft with the intent of maintaining his college eligibility. If he can fix his disciplinary issues, he will be a huge asset to the program. Many believe that Mack has played his last game in Husker Red and will ultimately transfer if he does not get drafted. It is a wait and see with Mack.

Haanif Cheatham (13.1 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.6 APG)

Cheatham was the first commit for coach Fred Hoiberg. He was a grad transfer from Florida Gulf Coast after starting his career at Marquette. Cheatham was the heart and soul of the Nebraska team and was the most experienced player that took the floor.

As the season wore on Cheatham showed he had some talent. He was the guy on offense for most of the year. The difficult part of this is that Cheatham was not a great ball-handler and needed to be set up for most of his shots, but he was the best finisher, leading scorer, leading shooter and best free throw shooter for the Huskers. He is the player who may be missed the most due in part to his leadership.

Dachon Burke (12.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.3 APG)

Burke was a holdover from the Tim Miles era and only played at Nebraska for one season. Burke made his way to Nebraska from the Northeast conference and Robert Morris. The junior guard was one of the fastest players I have ever seen with a basketball in his hand. When he was going well he was extremely hard to keep him in front of you, and he was able to take advantage of that numerous times.

Burke was another player who was suspended for a violation of team rules. He, along with Mack, was suspended for the last two games. That soured Burke on this coaching staff and he decided it was in his best interest to grad transfer and play his last year of college basketball for South Alabama. Burke was a streaky shooter and when he got hot he can carry the offense as he did a few times during the season. Burke also struggled at times during games but with his speed, he always seemed to find easy baskets around the rim.

Thorir Thorbjarnarson (8.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.3 APG)

The Icelandic guard was the only holdover from the Coach Miles era that got minutes. He showed what he was capable of this year with the most playing time he has ever gotten in his career. Thor showed he was a great shooter and he is always in the right spot on the floor. He is a smart basketball player and his IQ of the game makes up for his lack of one great skill.

Thor is likely going to be back for his senior season and is expected to be one of the team leaders on a team that is desperately going to search for leadership. Thorbjarnarson only knows how to play one way. That is as hard as he can for as long as he can. He is a relentless defender who doesn’t foul much. He has a good enough offensive skill set to go with his ability to shoot from deep. He proved to be a valuable asset to the team and when he was scoring in double figures Nebraska was tough on offense. The Husker fan favorite is going to find his way on the floor for as long as he is Lincoln. He has too many intangibles that this coaching staff loves. Those intangibles are what keep him on the floor.

Yvan Ouedraogo (5.7 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 0.5 APG)

The French big man just turned 18 a week ago. The fact that he played an entire college basketball season at the age of 17 and put up those types of numbers is impressive. Ouedraogo is the best freshman rebounder in school history. He has the most rebounds in a game as a freshman with 19 against Northwestern and he also has the most rebounds in a season as a freshman.

The Frenchman improved a great deal as the year went on and Husker fans and coaching staff are excited for the future for the big man. He never looked like the league was too big for him and he held his own against some of the best big men in the country. Ouedraogo has already said he is ready for year number two and if he continues his improvement and his development the Big Ten better take notice.