Nebraska Basketball: Cornhuskers land Pitt transfer guard Trey McGowens

Nebraska basketball finds a replacement for graduating guard Haanif Cheatham through the transfer portal. After a disappointing season, Fred Hoiberg and the Cornhuskers look to make improvements heading into the 2020-2021 season.

Former Pitt guard Trey McGowens announced Saturday he will be transferring to Nebraska Basketball. McGowens announced right after the NCAA season was canceled, he would be joining fellow Pitt guard Ryan Murphy in entering the transfer portal. McGowens was also considering TCU, Seton Hall, Auburn, Alabama, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Xavier.

The 6’4 combo guard out of Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia spent two seasons with the Panthers before untimely deciding it was time for a fresh start. McGowens show minimal improvement from his freshman to sophomore season. Seeing as which his PPG dropped from 11.6 to 11.5, while also watching his three-point percentage drop

But with that being said Trey McGowens possesses a ton of upside. As a  former 4 star recruit in high school, McGowens does a little bit of everything on the court. Even though his scoring plateaued in his sophomore season he managed to increase his other stats across the board. He increased his rebounds to 3.3 per game along with his assists jumping from 1.7 to 3.6. McGowens still has a fairly good three-point shot, can bring the ball up the court, and has the ability to create his own shot off the dribble.

Nebraska’s 2019-2020 campaign did not go as planned. The Cornhuskers finished 7-25 and 2-18 in the Big Ten Conference. Not to mention they ended the season on a 17 game losing streak. To make matters worse one bright spot for the Huskers was guard Haanif Cheatham, who led the team in scoring with 13.1 PGG. Unfortunately, his eligibility is up, and that is where Mcgowens comes into play. Coach Hoiberg is hoping McGowens can step in and take on a very similar role. That is if he can play next year.

With the COVID-19 virus putting an end to the 2020 NCAA season eligibility questions are lingering. As most of you know excluding grad transfers players must sit out one season after transferring from their previous school. But with the COVID-19 lingering, the NCAA will be making a ruling to see if not just grad transfers but all transfer will be immediately eligible for 2020.

Heading into his second season at Nebraska, Fred Hoiberg is set to bring in his first true recruiting class along with some other transfers. Nebraska signed two 3-stars Teddy Allen and Lat Mayen. Nebraska also landed two sought after transfers. Wisconsin’s Kobe King and Western Illinois guard Kobe Webster. Bringing in transfers is something Fred Hoiberg is all too familiar with.

In his time at Iowa State, Hoiberg was always plucking guys from the transfer portal. In his six seasons at Iowa State, Hoiberg managed to get eight transfers that were double digit scorers. And two more which developed into such when Hoiberg decided to leave for the NBA.

None of us know the severity of the situation or what the future of american sports is right now. In these times all we can do is pray and anticipate we will have another college basketball season. For Trey McGowens we hope the NCAA is a little more lenient than usual and will grant him immediate eligibility. And I’m sure all of Husker nation out there is doing the same.