Nebraska Basketball: Analyzing Cornhuskers 2020-21 depth chart

Nebraska Basketball backcourt for 2020-21

Thorir Thorbjarnarson

The Husker backcourt took a big hit at the end of the last year when almost the entire backcourt either left via graduation or transferred. The only returner who got significant minutes last year is Thorir Thorbjarnarson. The Icelandic guard had a breakout year last year and further solidified his standing as a coach and fan favorite.

Thor plays hard and is a perfect fit in the Hoiberg offense. He is a threat from beyond the arc, and he is quick enough to get to the rim for easy baskets with back cuts. The senior guard knows the offense and is one of the only players who has played a full conference schedule for multiple years. He understands the offense and understands what coach Hoiberg wants to do on offense.

His greatest asset may be on the defensive end and he fits in well with coach Doc Sadler’s defensive gameplan.  Thor is not the most athletic kid in the world and he doesn’t do anything at an elite level. What he does do is everything well enough to play and be a starter in the Big Ten. He plays good fundamental basketball on both ends and he is going to be looked upon to help lead the Huskers on the court this season.

Teddy Allen

Allen or what Nebraska fans will soon know him as is Teddy Buckets. As his nickname suggests the guard is a walking bucket. He had one of the most prolific careers of any Nebraska high school player ever. He averaged over 30 points per game his senior year at Boys Town and then headed to play for West Virginia and head coach Bob Huggins. Allen played a huge role in his freshman year before getting into trouble and transferring to Wichita State. He also got in trouble with the Shockers as well and ended up back in Nebraska.

Allen is a skilled scorer from all levels, and he lit the JUCO world on fire as he led JUCO in scoring also scoring over 30 points per game. Allen has played high major basketball before in the Big 12 and is going to fit in just fine. Oh yeah, He can shoot free throws so that will be a welcome relief.

Dalano Banton

The Western Kentucky transfer is finally eligible for the Big Red. The 6’8” Point guard, yes you read that correctly the point guard who didn’t put up a ton of numbers his freshman season for the Hilltoppers comes with a ton of expectations. Banton only averaged a little over 3 points per game and a little over 3.0 points per game. The Toronto, Ontario native seemed to fall out of favor with the coaching staff towards the end of the season prompting the transfer.

Its hard to pinpoint exactly what to expect from Banton because there are so many unknowns. Is he the player he showed at Western Kentucky over the whole season or is he more like the player displayed against Wisconsin that same season when he scored 13 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists in 31 minutes?

All accounts are Banton is more like the player that played against Wisconsin and he is going to provide a tremendous amount of length at the guard position. He didn’t show he was a great shooter, but he is a good passer and rebounder and can get to the rim. Banton is a talented kid and hopefully, the redshirt year was great for his development.

Kobe Webster

Webster is a graduate transfer from Western Illinois and comes in as instantly one of the best shooters from long range on the team. Webster is also another player much like Teddy Allen who has a penchant for scoring points. The point guard is also a great passer and can handle the ball without turning it over. Webster averaged a little over 16 points per game in his 85 starts in the summit league.

The graduate transfer guard may not start right away but he is going to be on the floor a lot and when he is on the floor he is going to be looking to fire from long range. The one key thing here about Webster is he can take over a game on the offensive end. He has been known to get red hot from the outside and can score points quickly as evidenced by his career-high 40 points last season against Omaha. If he can do that it will be a welcome sight for all Nebraska fans.

Shamiel Stevenson

Another sit out transfer who is finally going to be eligible for the Huskers. Many thought the wing would be eligible a season ago but his waiver by the NCAA was denied. This worked out in Nebraska’s favor because the Huskers are now going to have the services of the wing for two full seasons. Stevenson is strong and he showed he could shoot a little bit, which as mentioned is a huge component to Hoibergs offense.

The former Pittsburgh Panther is a great rebounder and gets fouled a good amount so when he does play, he is going to go to the line. Hopefully, he can improve upon his 60% free throw shooting. Stevenson is a wildcard in that he just arrived on campus a few days ago as his family decided it was in their best interest to hold the guard out of voluntary workouts during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Stevenson was on the team last year as he was a sit-out transfer so he should have no trouble getting up to speed on the offense and the gameplan. He has a chance to be a huge asset to the Husker backcourt.

Two other players may factor into the backcourt rotation, but they have many question marks right now. Trey McGowens yet another Pitt transfer is still awaiting his approval of a waiver to play right away. If he does get the waiver it would be a huge boost to the Huskers. Not so much from a scoring standpoint, McGowens can score but from an experience standpoint. McGowens has played a lot of basketball in one of the best conferences in the country and he will bring a ton of needed experience to the Huskers.

The other player is freshman Elijah Wood. Wood is originally from the Baltimore area and was originally supposed to be a 2021 commit. When Kobe King de-committed from Nebraska the coaching staff went searching and found Wood.

In a previous article, it outlined why Wood fits well into the offense and why the Huskers wanted him so much. How much he plays will determine how well he adjusts to the offense, but Hoiberg expects the guard to play, but he may not have as big of a role as the others mentioned.