Nebraska Men’s Basketball Team Thrives With Jared Garcia Filling Reserve Role

Undefeated college basketball teams tend to have a star or two — as 11-0 Nebraska does.

They also have valuable role players. Guys who aren’t basking in glory. But guys who step in and step up and make things happen. Teammates and coaches know how important these guys are. Fans, too.

The Huskers have one such player in particular coming off the bench in sixth-year forward Jared Garcia. In fact, they have several.

Garcia had 10 crucial points in the final eight minutes of the Huskers' stunning, 83-80 win at No. 13 Illinois on Saturday. In his 14 minutes of action, Garcia was 4-of-8 from the field and had four rebounds.

One important basket, in particular, came off an offensive rebound after two short misses by guard Sam Hoiberg and gave Nebraska a three-point lead, 80-77, with 26 seconds to play.

“I thought Sam had a really good play, getting to the rim, missed it. Got the offensive rebound, missed, and Jared was right there for the tip-in, which was a huge possession for us,” Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said in a postgame news conference after the win over Illinois.

“Jared [gave] us a huge stretch, made four key baskets for us.”

Nebraska is Garcia’s fourth team

Garcia came to Nebraska this season after spending the past two seasons at Tulsa. Before that, he played at Salt Lake City CC and Charlotte. The 6-foot-8, 235-pounder is from Houston.

That’s a lot of stops for a guy who might have found a home with the Huskers.

“It’s very important to know your role,” Garcia said at a news conference after the Huskers’ win over Illinois.

“Also to carry the momentum off the bench once your number is called. Just doing everything to the best of your ability, being the best teammate, being the best overall player for your team.”

According to the Nebraska Athletics website, Garcia earned his undergraduate degree in organizational studies at Tulsa in May. He currently is in Nebraska’s master’s program where he hopes to study strategic innovation and entrepreneurship.

Garcia earns praise from Hoiberg

“Jared was phenomenal [against Illinois],” Fred Hoiberg said. “That’s what he can do. He can take the lid off the basket.

“They went to a little bit of a matchup zone and it got us stagnant for a couple possessions. Then once we started flashing in the middle and got it in there and sprayed it out, Jared had a couple really nice takes to the basket.

“We needed somebody to come in that could give us an offensive punch. And tonight it was Jared. Lot of times it’s Braden [Frager]. Last time [against Wisconsin] it was Berke [Buyuktuncel].

“That’s the beauty of this team. We do have depth and we got weapons. Jared just gave us a phenomenal last eight minutes of the game.”

In nine games, Garcia is averaging 9.5 minutes per game. He’s averaging 4.6 points per game on 37.1 percent shooting and 2.6 rebounds per game.

Garcia bounced back from injuries

Last season at Tulsa, Garcia missed the first 16 games. This season, he had a preseason foot injury.

“We have to just stay positive about everything,” Garcia said. “Just continuing to be the best teammate that I can be, also getting more reps in practice and in games just so I can be more comfortable with these guys and continuing to win.”

Moving forward, Garcia will help the 15th-ranked Huskers, who are in uncharted territory with 11 consecutive wins to start the season, the best start in school history. Next up for the Huskers is North Dakota, at 7 p.m. CT Sunday, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Nebraska’s next Big Ten game is at 8 p.m. CT Jan. 2, at home, vs. Michigan State. The Huskers keep getting tested, and keep passing tests this season — especially winning at Illinois — and the Spartans will present another huge challenge.

“We got some age on this team, you got experience, a lot of them are battle-tested and I thought they played with great composure [against Illinois],” Fred Hoiberg said.

“Early on I thought we were really good. I thought we were very diligent in our blockouts … then they got around us and they were batting the ball out and that’s what got them all the second-chance points in the last 10 minutes of the first half.

“And, listen, it’s a mindset … Michigan State is our next Big Ten opponent. If you have that type of effort, you’re going to get smoked.”

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