Former Husky Braxton Meah Returns to Face Old Team

Former University of Washington center Braxton Meah returns to Alaska Airlines Arena with Nebraska on Wednesday night to face his old team, probably feeling a little wistful as he wanders through a familiar place.

While Meah plays for a Cornhuskers team (14-8 overall, 4-7 Big Ten) having a fair amount of success this season, counting wins over Indiana, UCLA and Oregon, the big man's role has changed significantly in the past month.

After starting 18 games, the 7-foot-1, 264-pound Meah was relegated to a reserve role for the first time in a 77-71 victory Oregon on Sunday.

He went scoreless in Eugene for the third consecutive outing, and eighth overall this season. In fact, he hasn't provided the Cornhuskers with any points for nearly a month as they've learned that Meah can be offensively challenged at times.

Former Huskies center Braxton Meah (34) reacts after a dunk against California and Fardaws Aimaq (00) in 2024. | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

One reason for his role change is an ankle injury he suffered early in the season that slowed him. Another is the fact others have stepped up and passed him by for playing time.

Meah was one of four Huskies who departed the program once Mike Hopkins was fired as coach last season.

Of the others, guard Wesley Yates III is now a starter and the third-leading scorer at 11.7 points per game for USC; guard Nate Calmese starts for Washington State and tops the Cougars in scoring at 16.6; and guard Koren Johnson appeared in just two games for Louisville before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury.

After transferring from Fresno State, Meah spent two seasons with the Hopkins-led Huskies and started 47 of 63 games he played, largely as a replacement for the continuously injured Franck Kepnang. He averaged 7 points and 6.2 rebounds in that time while shooting 72.9 percent from the field, with a career-best 22 points against Stanford and multiple 14-rebound nights.

For Nebraska, his numbers have dipped notably to 3 points and 3.4 rebounds a game. He's scored in double figures just once, dropping in 12 points against South Dakota in November, and he has a season-high 6 rebounds against Rutgers. He's still shooting 77.1 percent, but he's taken no more than six shots in a game.

Alaska Airlines Arena should be a comforting place for him, reminding him of better days when he was a more focal player. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m., with the game televised by the Big Ten Network.

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