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Diaz officially a Husker
The most-asked question of the past five months regarding Nebraska men’s basketball has finally been answered.
Brian Jorge Diaz has enrolled in classes at Nebraska and is officially a Husker.
“I know your next question,” Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said Saturday night, “and I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Sadler’s predicament, of course, is whether to play Diaz — officially measured after Saturday’s game at 6 feet, 11 inches and 235 pounds — with only 13 regular-season games remaining.
Diaz would give a boost, of sorts, to the nation’s smallest team. Nebraska’s tallest player, 6-8 Chris Balham, averages only 10 minutes a game.
Sadler said he’s not visited at length with Diaz about whether he’ll play immediately. Diaz is a true freshman with four years of eligibility.
“We’re going to be here a long time,” Sadler said. “Kids can only be here four years, maybe five. Is it fair to him? I still want to win every game we play, but not at the expense at the college career of a kid, either.
“If he wants to play and he can help us and make a difference, then we’ll look at it. But is he willing to give half a year away? I don’t know.”
Sadler said it will be at least a few days before a decision is made. Diaz, who arrived at the Devaney Sports Center during Saturday’s game against Kansas State, can begin practicing Monday. Nebraska is taking today off.
“We’ll get him out here,” Sadler said. “It’s not like what we do is real complicated. Maybe he can pick up on it pretty quick.”
Nebraska plays at No. 5 Oklahoma on Wednesday. The Sooners boast the Big 12’s top player in 6-foot-10 center Blake Griffin.
Diaz, who’s from Puerto Rico, committed to Nebraska in August and was cleared by the NCAA clearinghouse. He didn’t meet Nebraska’s admissions standards, however, because he hadn’t passed an English proficiency test — a Nebraska requirement because Diaz didn’t attend an English-speaking high school.
A member of Team Puerto Rico, Diaz played in tournaments last summer in Las Vegas, where Sadler was in attendance. In four games, Diaz scored 19, 15, 18 and 10 points, and had six blocked shots in one of those games.
The addition of Diaz, combined with Friday’s announcement that recruit Vander Joaquim will attend junior college next season, means Nebraska is currently at the 13-player scholarship limit for the 2009-10 season. Sadler signed three other players beside Joaquim in November — 6-9 forward Brandon Ubel, 6-2 guard Rayes Gallegos and 6-8 forward Christian Standhardinger. Ubel attended Saturday night’s game.
The most-asked question of the past five months regarding Nebraska men’s basketball has finally been answered.
Brian Jorge Diaz has enrolled in classes at Nebraska and is officially a Husker.
“I know your next question,” Nebraska coach Doc Sadler said Saturday night, “and I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Sadler’s predicament, of course, is whether to play Diaz — officially measured after Saturday’s game at 6 feet, 11 inches and 235 pounds — with only 13 regular-season games remaining.
Diaz would give a boost, of sorts, to the nation’s smallest team. Nebraska’s tallest player, 6-8 Chris Balham, averages only 10 minutes a game.
Sadler said he’s not visited at length with Diaz about whether he’ll play immediately. Diaz is a true freshman with four years of eligibility.
“We’re going to be here a long time,” Sadler said. “Kids can only be here four years, maybe five. Is it fair to him? I still want to win every game we play, but not at the expense at the college career of a kid, either.
“If he wants to play and he can help us and make a difference, then we’ll look at it. But is he willing to give half a year away? I don’t know.”
Sadler said it will be at least a few days before a decision is made. Diaz, who arrived at the Devaney Sports Center during Saturday’s game against Kansas State, can begin practicing Monday. Nebraska is taking today off.
“We’ll get him out here,” Sadler said. “It’s not like what we do is real complicated. Maybe he can pick up on it pretty quick.”
Nebraska plays at No. 5 Oklahoma on Wednesday. The Sooners boast the Big 12’s top player in 6-foot-10 center Blake Griffin.
Diaz, who’s from Puerto Rico, committed to Nebraska in August and was cleared by the NCAA clearinghouse. He didn’t meet Nebraska’s admissions standards, however, because he hadn’t passed an English proficiency test — a Nebraska requirement because Diaz didn’t attend an English-speaking high school.
A member of Team Puerto Rico, Diaz played in tournaments last summer in Las Vegas, where Sadler was in attendance. In four games, Diaz scored 19, 15, 18 and 10 points, and had six blocked shots in one of those games.
The addition of Diaz, combined with Friday’s announcement that recruit Vander Joaquim will attend junior college next season, means Nebraska is currently at the 13-player scholarship limit for the 2009-10 season. Sadler signed three other players beside Joaquim in November — 6-9 forward Brandon Ubel, 6-2 guard Rayes Gallegos and 6-8 forward Christian Standhardinger. Ubel attended Saturday night’s game.
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