Nebraska Basketball: 2022-23 season preview for the Cornhuskers

Key pieces off the bench

Emmanuel Bandoumel – Senior

Bandoumel was always going to play, and likely a lot, but given that the backup point guard Quaran McPherson tore his ACL in practice, the senior guard is going to be thrust into the backup point guard position. It is a position that the transfer from SMU said he can play the position but has never played at the college level. The guard does two things very well, he can defend sideline to sideline and is a great shooter from deep.

Bandoumel is also a guy who has been a go-to guy in an offense. He was a huge part of SMU on the offensive end when he played there. Over half of his shots were from deep and he like Gary and Griesel comes from a program that wins and knows how to win. He is going to be a tremendous asset for Nebraska beyond the arc and on the defensive end. Nebraska has finally gotten their lockdown defender.

Blaise Keita – Sophomore

As a Nebraska basketball fan, I am very excited to watch Keita play for Nebraska. The sophomore from Mali was a force in every aspect of the game at Coffeyville Community College last season. Keita averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds on 52% shooting, he had a game with 21 rebounds and the big man averaged 14 rebounds per game over the last 5 games of the season. We all know that the transition from JUCO to Power 5 basketball can take a little bit of time, but Keita is a guy who should be adjusting comfortably.

This year so far in practice Keita leads Nebraska with charges taken which shows his feet are in the right spot and he is also in the right position on the defensive end. The sophomore big man is going to be a force on offense and on defense once he adjusts to the speed of the game. He is a true big man and rim protector that Hoiberg has desperately needed. The sophomore center is going to push Walker for minutes and there will likely be times when the two of them are on the floor together or they both start a game. He has a chance to be a star.

Keisei Tominaga – Junior

Husker fans are going to be very interested to see what role Tominaga plays this year. He is the other player in addition to Wilcher, and the coaching staff has given him the ultimate green light from deep. Tominaga is a great shooter and while he had a tough year shooting last year, he was a great shooter in JUCO and has been one of the best shooters in International play, playing for his home country of Japan.

The guard has adjusted to the speed of the game now and I expect him to have a good year shooting the ball. The only thing that is going to keep him off the floor is his inability to play defense. Unless his defense has gotten a lot better it is going to be hard to play him some games.

Ramel Lloyd Jr – Freshman

Every Husker fan should be ecstatic that Lloyd decided to keep his commitment to Nebraska. I will repeat the word ecstatic!  The wing comes from a factory of High School hoops in Sierra Canyon, and all the Trailblazers do is win. He played with Kijani Wright, Bronny James, and Amari Bailey. All those players are going to be household names and will all wind up in the NBA.

Just so we are clear Lloyd started for Sierra Canyon and played a huge role on the wing, obviously he didn’t have the clout of the other names listed but he was good enough to start for a team loaded with talent and he held averages of 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. Sierra Canyon played a National Schedule against the nation’s best players and teams. He is going to step right in and be just fine the stage will not be too big for Lloyd. He can score from all areas of the floor and is a good defender. He will play a lot.

Denim Dawson – Freshman

Dawson was a member of the 2021 recruiting class and has been on campus since the fall of 2021. He did redshirt last year but he was able to learn the offense and gain valuable development time over the course of that year. Dawson is another guy who doesn’t have a clearly defined role on the team as of yet and his playing time may be sporadic.

The one thing he has going for him is that he is one of the better defenders on the team and the coaches really like his ability to jump into passing lanes and deflect the ball.  He was a great shooter from deep in High School as he shot over 40%. Dawson is going to have to use his defense to earn him some playing time as there are a lot of guys in front of him in his position this year.

Jamarques Lawrence – Freshman

The true freshman guard from New Jersey is another player who did nothing but win in High School. Lawrence played for powerhouse program Roselle Catholic and while there he played very well. He averaged 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists while running an offense that also featured North Carolina commit Simeon Wilcher. Lawrence is another guy who may have to sit for a year and develop but he is also a guy who has the offensive game to quickly play for the Huskers.

He is a good shooter from deep and has the ability to be an elite scorer at the college level. Lawrence was only a three-star recruit but many recruiting experts think he will outplay that ranking and be a star at the college level. This year Lawrence may struggle to find playing time but if he shows well in practice anything can happen.