Celebrating the Seniors Who Helped Change Nebraska Basketball's Fortunes

Sunday is the regular-season finale of the most fun Nebraska men’s basketball season in decades.

It’s also a speed bump keeping our minds from racing too fast — visions of a triple bye in the Big Ten Tournament, a raucous environment in Oklahoma City (or Philadelphia, San Diego or Tampa), the clock ticking down as Nebraska looks to achieve its first tournament win in program history and the celebration as this team delivers the exorcism the program has so desperately chased.

Sunday’s game isn’t the destination. It’s merely another stop along the journey that is the basketball season. But it gives us a chance to recall, reflect and remember why any of this even matters.

And perhaps most importantly, it’s a chance to celebrate an increasing rarity: players who spent years in the same program — two of whom helped build the floor, while another showed there’s a higher ceiling than many could have imagined in this fever dream of a season.

Sunday is the last time the trio of Sam Hoiberg, Jamarques Lawrence and Rienk Mast will ever play a home game at Pinnacle Bank Arena. That’s also true for several others like Kendall Blue and Jared Garcia, as well as potentially Connor Essegian and Ugnius Jarusevicius, though they could have waiver opportunities to return to Nebraska or pursue their final seasons of college basketball elsewhere.

But for Hoiberg, Lawrence and Mast, there’s a little extra.

In theory, Hoiberg was never supposed to be more than a side story — the son of the coach. Lightly regarded and even less recruited, no one knew that when injuries besieged Nebraska in conference play in 2023, one of the most popular and critical players of the new era of Husker basketball would emerge.

The initial profile of Hoiberg when he did begin to play regularly was every possible stereotype: gym rat, coach’s kid, smart, hard worker, does the right thing.

None of those are bad. However, all reduce Hoiberg’s value and ability. Even coming into this season, the expectations for him weren’t particularly high. Then a more assertive, aggressive Hoiberg debuted and he’s been the most talked-about Nebraska player ever since.

Opposing coaches love everything about Hoiberg. They love the hustle. They love the headiness. They love the assist-to-turnover ratio. They love the steals. They love the knack for knocking down open 3-point shots. Many see in Hoiberg the engine that drives Nebraska. There will be no bigger ovation from Nebraska basketball fans than the one awaiting Hoiberg on Sunday — and there shouldn’t be.

Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Jamarques Lawrence shoots the ball against Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Kaden Powers. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Where Hoiberg built himself in the shadows and awaited deployment, Lawrence was one of the early bright spots as Nebraska rebuilt its image in the 2022-23 season. Prior to the guard’s arrival, Nebraska under Fred Hoiberg had been a catastrophe.

Lawrence played on first time at Nebraska under Hoiberg that showed promise, including providing a critical 15-point effort in the regular-season finale — naturally against Iowa — assuring Nebraska of a non-losing season.

From there, Lawrence held different roles in his second season, starting at the point before shifting to an off-the-bench role that helped unlock scoring. However, following that season, when the nucleus of Mast, Juwan Gary and Brice Williams formed, Lawrence left for an opportunity at Rhode Island.

One year away proved to be enough, and the guard happily returned for his final season in Lincoln. He has hit critical shots — game-winners against Illinois and Ohio State — while also playing terrific basketball during stretches of January.

An ankle injury and the flu have slowed Lawrence lately, but Nebraska wouldn’t be in this position without the versatile guard, whose steady play early in conference play carried the Huskers.

Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Rienk Mast shoots the ball against Michigan State Spartans forward Jaxon Kohler. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

And then there’s Mast, whose three years at Nebraska are split between two seasons and a knee rehabilitation in between.

Just like Hoiberg and Lawrence, there are flaws with Mast. But just like the team as a whole, it has always been about how the big man accentuates the positives.

The Dutchman has been a calming presence and an irreplaceable leader for Nebraska. Throughout the season, he has shown flashes of the greatness that made him the player Nebraska has built much of its style around.

Mast’s passing and shooting allow Nebraska to open space on offense, letting crafty players exploit backdoor cuts. It has created lanes for players to work off the dribble and get to the basket. It has provided critical moments, like Mast’s late 3-pointer that helped seal a Top 10 win over Michigan State in January.

Then there’s the defense. Mast will never be regarded as a rim protector and he’s not wiping opponents off the glass as a rebounder either, but he handles his role in Nebraska’s chase-everything defense well. Teams haven’t been able to exploit him much down low and in a memorable win over No. 1 Purdue two seasons ago, Mast’s ability to control National Player of the Year Zach Edey — who would score 30 points in each of the three games following — allowed Nebraska to win.

This season, Mast has worked through some rough patches and there have been plenty of questions about his knee, but every time the center is on the floor, he provides something to Nebraska’s operation.

Sunday’s stakes are high with Iowa in town and a chance for Nebraska to solidify things before postseason play.

But that can wait. When the ball tips Sunday, it will be one more chance to see Mast pop out for a 3-pointer, or Lawrence lie in wait for the right ball rotation to find him wide open for a 3-point try of his own, or Hoiberg tip out a pass to half court, gather the ball and beat everyone down the floor for an uncontested layup — all in front of the Pinnacle Bank faithful.

When those three walk off the court to the cheers of those same fans, they’ll do so as critical players who helped bridge Nebraska’s dark, ugly past with its very bright future.