Richardson, McCray unlikely to burn redshirts
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BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Doc Sadler believes he’s got a couple of viable solutions to some of Nebraska’s offensive problems.
The catch is, they’re off-limits.
So far, anyway.
Sadler, the Nebraska men’s basketball coach, told Thursday’s “Talk with Doc” luncheon crowd in Lincoln that he’s going to revisit the decision to redshirt freshman guards Brandon Richardson and Toney McCray.
“The last week to 10 days, there’s probably no question about it. They’re our two best perimeter shooters,” Sadler said, only hours after Nebraska’s 69-62 overtime loss at Western Kentucky, a game in which the Huskers were 3-of-13 from three-point range.
“I really feel like they can help this basketball team.”
In an interview after the luncheon, Sadler cooled on his original statement, saying it’s not likely Richardson nor McCray will burn redshirts.
Not that they couldn’t help.
“I’ll talk to them, but it’s not going to happen. That’s what they want to do,” Sadler said. “It’s just that you could use ‘em, boy.”
Sadler announced after two exhibition games that Richardson, a 6-foot point guard, and Alex Chapman, a sophomore transfer forward, would redshirt. The decisions to redshirt McCray, a 6-foot-6 wing player, and Alonzo Edwards, a freshman forward, came Sunday.
The redshirt decisions are better for the program’s long term, Sadler said. When it’s not likely Nebraska will recruit a Kevin Durant-type, freshman-to-NBA player, it’s best to build for the future. He referenced Purdue and Gonzaga, schools that have built programs with fifth-year players.
“I’m hoping our fourth and fifth-year players are going to be better than North Carolina’s freshmen,” he said, “and the experience of four or five years will overcome that freshman phenom that we’re going to play against.”
But when Sadler sees players in street clothes who could probably give his team an immediate boost ...
“No question that Brandon and Toney would be in the top eight,” he said. “Those two guys can really shoot the basketball.”
Nebraska shot 41.7 percent, including 1-of-7 in overtime, in Wednesday night’s loss to Western Kentucky. Sadler pointed to a combined 78 minutes from guards Sek Henry, Steve Harley and Jay-R Strowbridge that produced, altogether, six points on 2-of-13 shooting.
“We’ve got to get some scoring,” Sadler said. “We talked on the plane coming home last night, we can defend all we want, but if you can’t score, then you’re in trouble.
“We have to put guys on the floor that can get us some points.”
Of course, 23 turnovers against WKU didn’t help matters. Nebraska, averaging 12 turnovers in five victorious home games, has 44 turnovers in two road losses. Freshman point guard Cookie Miller, who had a mere nine turnovers through six games, committed seven against Western Kentucky.
“Forget it,” Sadler said, when asked what he told Miller after the game. “Not forget it, but learn from it more.
“It’s just tough being a freshman and being put in that situation of being your point guard. He is what he is, and he’s got to grow up. He’s been great. He just didn’t have a good game last night.”
Briefly
* Nebraska (5-2) hosts Rutgers (6-2) at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Devaney Sports Center. Sadler said to expect some lineup changes — probably more Shang Ping and Chris Balham against the bigger Scarlet Knights.
* Roughly 12,000 tickets have been sold for the Dec. 15 game against No. 19 Oregon at Qwest Center Omaha. Single-game tickets are available only through Ticketmaster — (866) 448-7849, or ticketmaster.com.
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
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