Eric the Red
Team HuskerBoard
Maric says he'll return to NU
BY THE LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR
Tuesday, Jun 20, 2006 - 12:11:11 am CDT
Aleks Marics (left) became a force in the middle for the Nebraska men's basketball team last team. He decided to return to NU this fall instead of making himself eligible for the NBA Draft. (LJS)
As long as Aleks Maric put the correct postage on the envelope, the big Aussie will be returning to Nebraska for his junior basketball season.
The 6-foot-11 Maric said the paperwork to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft has been mailed and he’s “excited to return to Nebraska.”
He had until Sunday to pull his name from the draft. He tiptoed right up to the deadline before making an announcement.
This is the last time Maric can do this dance. A player is allowed to pull his name from the draft after entering it just once.
That drama over, Maric is in the process of trying to make the Australian national team.
“This has always been a dream and is something I’ve worked to achieve for a long time,” said Maric, who averaged 10.9 points and 8.1 rebounds a game for the Huskers last year.
The first of two tryout sessions started Monday. If he makes the team, he’ll play in the World Championships in Japan from Aug. 19 to Sept. 3.
Who went where?
Because of transfers or, in one case, bad behavior, four players from last season’s Husker team have been looking for a new college jersey to wear.
Tim Waller, NU director of basketball operations, said Monday that three of those players have, or are close, to finding a new home.
According to Waller, point guard Marcus Walker is going to Indian Hills Community College in Iowa. His AAU coach was hired as an assistant there.
Walker, highly touted coming out of his Kansas City O’Hara High School, asked for a release in late May after just one season at NU.
Also leaving after just one year in Lincoln, a redshirt year, is freshman point guard Mike Smith.
He’s going to play ball at Independence Community College in Kansas. “It’s cool. I’m going to run the show,” the Bronx native said.
Waller said power forward B.J. Walker has narrowed his choices to two NAIA schools: Georgetown College (Ky.) and Oklahoma City University.
B.J. Walker had to go to an NAIA school. He played at the University of Buffalo before he averaged 4.7 points a game last year at Nebraska. A player can only transfer once to another NCAA school.
As for shooting guard Joe McCray — booted from the team midway through his sophomore year for various misdeeds — things are still cloudy.
Waller said he talked to McCray about a week ago. The player who averaged more points a game than any Nebraska freshman is history currently has no college prospects.
Schedule update
The Husker schedule is getting closer to finalization.
Waller said these games are already on the docket:
-- At Rutgers on Dec. 2 and Oregon on Dec. 9. The game at Oregon is tentatively set to be televised by ESPN.
-- At the Orange Bowl Classic (a neutral site game) against Miami on Dec. 30. The Huskers are negotiating to set up a neutral site game against the Hurricanes in Nebraska for the 2008-09 season, possibly at Qwest Center Omaha.
-- Home games against Creighton (Nov. 18), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 27), Savannah State (Jan. 2 or 3) and Western Kentucky (Jan. 6).
The game against Western Kentucky will mark the return of Paul Sanderford, the former Husker women’s coach. He’s now an assistant for the Hilltopper men’s team.
-- At the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii on Dec. 20-23. NU’s opening game in that tournament will be against Wyoming. Creighton is also in the eight-team field, on the other side of the bracket.
BY THE LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR
Tuesday, Jun 20, 2006 - 12:11:11 am CDT
Aleks Marics (left) became a force in the middle for the Nebraska men's basketball team last team. He decided to return to NU this fall instead of making himself eligible for the NBA Draft. (LJS)
As long as Aleks Maric put the correct postage on the envelope, the big Aussie will be returning to Nebraska for his junior basketball season.
The 6-foot-11 Maric said the paperwork to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft has been mailed and he’s “excited to return to Nebraska.”
He had until Sunday to pull his name from the draft. He tiptoed right up to the deadline before making an announcement.
This is the last time Maric can do this dance. A player is allowed to pull his name from the draft after entering it just once.
That drama over, Maric is in the process of trying to make the Australian national team.
“This has always been a dream and is something I’ve worked to achieve for a long time,” said Maric, who averaged 10.9 points and 8.1 rebounds a game for the Huskers last year.
The first of two tryout sessions started Monday. If he makes the team, he’ll play in the World Championships in Japan from Aug. 19 to Sept. 3.
Who went where?
Because of transfers or, in one case, bad behavior, four players from last season’s Husker team have been looking for a new college jersey to wear.
Tim Waller, NU director of basketball operations, said Monday that three of those players have, or are close, to finding a new home.
According to Waller, point guard Marcus Walker is going to Indian Hills Community College in Iowa. His AAU coach was hired as an assistant there.
Walker, highly touted coming out of his Kansas City O’Hara High School, asked for a release in late May after just one season at NU.
Also leaving after just one year in Lincoln, a redshirt year, is freshman point guard Mike Smith.
He’s going to play ball at Independence Community College in Kansas. “It’s cool. I’m going to run the show,” the Bronx native said.
Waller said power forward B.J. Walker has narrowed his choices to two NAIA schools: Georgetown College (Ky.) and Oklahoma City University.
B.J. Walker had to go to an NAIA school. He played at the University of Buffalo before he averaged 4.7 points a game last year at Nebraska. A player can only transfer once to another NCAA school.
As for shooting guard Joe McCray — booted from the team midway through his sophomore year for various misdeeds — things are still cloudy.
Waller said he talked to McCray about a week ago. The player who averaged more points a game than any Nebraska freshman is history currently has no college prospects.
Schedule update
The Husker schedule is getting closer to finalization.
Waller said these games are already on the docket:
-- At Rutgers on Dec. 2 and Oregon on Dec. 9. The game at Oregon is tentatively set to be televised by ESPN.
-- At the Orange Bowl Classic (a neutral site game) against Miami on Dec. 30. The Huskers are negotiating to set up a neutral site game against the Hurricanes in Nebraska for the 2008-09 season, possibly at Qwest Center Omaha.
-- Home games against Creighton (Nov. 18), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Nov. 27), Savannah State (Jan. 2 or 3) and Western Kentucky (Jan. 6).
The game against Western Kentucky will mark the return of Paul Sanderford, the former Husker women’s coach. He’s now an assistant for the Hilltopper men’s team.
-- At the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii on Dec. 20-23. NU’s opening game in that tournament will be against Wyoming. Creighton is also in the eight-team field, on the other side of the bracket.
