Tuesday Afternoon Sports – Husker Men Battle Illinois Tonight, Hoiberg Received Unpublicized Contract in 2020, Another Transfer Joins Huskers, Local Sports Schedule

HUSKER MEN RETURN HOME TO BATTLE ILLINOIS:

After a two-game road trip, Nebraska returns to Pinnacle Bank Arena Tuesday evening, as the Huskers host No. 25/24 (AP/Coaches) Illinois.  Tipoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. 

The Huskers (6-10, 0-5 Big Ten) look to bounce back from a disappointing 93-65 loss at Rutgers on Saturday afternoon.

Illinois (11-3, 4-0 Big Ten) has won nine of its last 10 games following a 76-64 win over Maryland on Thursday night.

HOIBERG RECEIVED UNPUBLICIZED CONTRACT EXTENSION IN 2020:

According to a report from the Omaha World-Herald, Nebraska Men’s Basketball Head Coach Fred Hoiberg received an unpublicized contract extension from former Nebraska Athletic Director Bill Moos.

The contract extension surprised the new athletic staff that joined along with current AD Trev Alberts upon their arrival.

Hoiberg signed the extension after a 7-25 season and three months into the COVID-19 pandemic. The contract runs through the 2027 season. A buyout of the contract costs upwards of $18.5 million according to the report. 

MARKOWSKI NAMED USBWA NATIONAL FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK:

Nebraska’s Alexis Markowski was named the Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week by the United States Basketball Writers Association

Markowski, a 6-3 forward/center out of Lincoln Pius X High School, averaged 17.0 points and 7.5 rebounds last week in home games against No. 8 Michigan (Jan. 4) and No. 22 Iowa (Jan. 9).

The 2021 Nebraska High School Player of the Year, Markowski made her first collegiate start in place of an injured Bella Cravens in NU’s 79-58 win over the No. 8 Wolverines at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

TEXAS A&M BACK COMMITS TO NEBRASKA:

After losing both of their class of 2020 running backs to the transfer portal this season, Nebraska got one back for that cycle. Texas A&M running back Deondre Jackson officially announced he is transferring to Nebraska on Tuesday.

The Stone Mountain (Ga.) Stephenson product saw action in one game over the 2020 season and four games in 2021.

He’ll come to Lincoln with four years to play, and he’ll replace the departed Marvin Scott III and Sevion Morrison, who both left NU during the 2021 season.

The Huskers have now added a quarterback, running back and two wide receivers from the transfer portal for the 2022 season.

GEORGIA WINS FIRST NATIONAL TITLE SINCE 1980: 

Thanks to a pair of late touchdown passes by Stetson Bennett and a game-sealing pick-six by Kelee Ringo, No. 3 Georgia defeated No. 1 Alabama 33-18 in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

With the win, the Bulldogs claimed their first national title since 1980 and avenged their SEC Championship Game loss to the Crimson Tide just weeks earlier.

GARNER NAMED TO ALL SHOWCASE TEAM:

After a 13 point performance – including three triples in the first half against York – Kearney senior Kierstynn Garner was named to Saturday’s Nebraska Girls Basketball All-Showcase team. 

Others named to the team included: Anselmo-Merna’s Jaide Chandler, Clarkson-Leigh’s Chloe Hanel, York’s Mesa Scheierman, Adams Central Libby Trausch, Bridgeport’s Olivia Loomis-Goltl, Oakland Craig’s Chaney Nelson, Clarkson-Leigh’s Kennedy Settje, Broken Bow’s Kailyn Scott, North Bend Central’s Sydney Emanuel, Gracie Woods of GICC, Bridgeport’s Ruthie Loomis-Goltl, Adams Central’s Rachel Goodon, GICC’s Lucy Ghaifan, Auburn’s Melody Billings, and Oakland Craig’s Sadie Nelson.

WEIGERT NAMED TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME:

Nebraska All-American and Outland Trophy winner Zach Wiegert (WEE-gert) is one of 21 individuals who will make up the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame Class.  The 18 players and three coaches were announced on Monday by the National Football Foundation and the College Hall of Fame.

The 2022 Hall of Fame class includes nine winners of major college awards, 10 unanimous first-team All-Americans and four members of national championship teams. Wiegert is the only member of the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame class who was a member of four conference championship teams. A Fremont, Neb., native, Wiegert is among the group of players selected from the national ballot that included 78 All-Americans.

Wiegert becomes the 20th Nebraska player to earn induction into the College Hall of Fame. Nebraska is one of 12 programs nationally with 20 or more players in the College Football Hall of Fame. Wiegert is the seventh Nebraska offensive linemen to join the College Football Hall of Fame, including four coached by Tom Osborne and offensive line coach Milt Tenopir.

BUSCH NAMED SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR FOR HUSKERS:

Nebraska Head Coach Scott Frost announced Monday the hiring of Bill Busch as the Huskers’ special teams coordinator. Busch moves into the role as a full-time assistant at Nebraska after spending the 2021 season as a defensive analyst in the program.

Frost also announced that Mike Dawson will continue to coach Nebraska’s edge rushers, while adding the duties of tutoring the interior defensive linemen. Dawson previously coached the NU defensive line in 2018.

Busch brings three decades of college coaching experience to the Nebraska staff and is in his third stint with the Cornhuskers. During Busch’s career he has worked for three national championship coaches including Tom Osborne, Urban Meyer and Ed Orgeron.

MARKOWSKI EARNS THIRD BIG TEN FRESHMAN HONOR:

Nebraska’s Alexis Markowski was named the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Freshman of the Week for the third time this season when the conference announced its weekly award winners.

Markowski, a 6-3 forward/center out of Lincoln Pius X High School, averaged 17.0 points and 7.5 rebounds last week in home games against No. 8 Michigan (Jan. 4) and No. 22 Iowa (Jan. 9).

She erupted for a career-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting while pulling down seven rebounds and grabbing a career-high two steals in the upset win over the Wolverines.

UNK MEN’S MATCHUP WITH LINCOLN RESCHEDULED:

The Nebraska-Kearney/Lincoln University men’s basketball game has been rescheduled for Monday, January 31st.

The Blue Tigers (1-10, 0-6) were slated to come to Kearney last Thursday (Jan. 6) but COVID issues within the LU program postponed a trip to the Health & Sports Center and to Fort Hays State. The makeup game will tip at 3 p.m.

Local Results & Schedules:

THIS WEEK IN LOCAL SPORTS:

TUESDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • SWIMMING & DIVING: Double Dual @ Lincoln Southwest
    • V. LSW & v. Lincoln North Star

• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • SWIMMING & DIVING: Double Dual @ Lincoln Southwest
    • V. LSW & v. Lincoln North Star
  • GIRLS BASKETBALL: @ Lexington
  • BOYS BASKETBALL: @ Lexington

• UNK:
  • N/a

• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • N/a

WEDNESDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • N/a

• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • N/a

• UNK:
  • N/a

• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • WOMENS BASKETBALL: v. No. 10 Morningside @ Lynn Farrell Arena – 6 PM
  • MENS BASKETBALL: v. Morningside @ Lynn Farrell Arena – 7:45 PM

THURSDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • WRESTLING: Varsity Dual @ North Platte

• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • GIRLS BASKETBALL: @ Broken Bow
  • BOYS BASKETBALL: @ Broken Bow

• UNK:
  • WOMENS BASKETBALL: @ Missouri Western St. – 5:30 PM
  • MENS BASKETBALL: @ Missouri Western St. 7:30 PM

• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • N/a

FRIDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • SWIMMING & DIVING: @ Lincoln High Invite
  • GIRLS BASKETBALL: v. Lincoln Northeast
    • Pregame on KGFW at 5:45 PM
  • BOYS BASKETBALL: v. Lincoln Northeast
    • Pregame on KGFW at 7:30 PM

• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • SWIMMING & DIVING: @ Lincoln High Invite
  • WRESTLING: @ Gibbon Invite
  • GIRLS BASKETBALL: v. Hastings St. Cecilia
  • BOYS BASKETBALL: v. Hastings St. Cecilia

• UNK:
  • M/W T&F: @ Graduate Classic, Lincoln NE

• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • N/a

SATURDAY:

• KEARNEY HIGH:
  • WRESTLING: HAC Championships@ Columbus High School
  • SWIMMING & DIVING: @ Lincoln High Invite
  • GIRLS BASKETBALL: @ Papillion-LaVista South – 2 PM
    • Pregame on KGFW at 1:45 PM
  • BOYS BASKETBALL: @ Papillion-LaVista South – 3:45 PM
    • Pregame on KGFW at 3:30 PM

• KEARNEY CATHOLIC:
  • SWIMMING & DIVING: @ Lincoln High Invite
  • GIRLS BASKETBALL: v. North Platte
  • BOYS BASKETBALL: v. North Platte

• UNK:
  • M/W T&F: @ Graduate Classic, Lincoln NE
  • WRESTLING: v. Grand View, IA – 1 PM
  • WOMENS BASKETBALL: @ Northwest Missouri St. – 2 PM
  • MENS BASKETBALL: @ Northwest Missouri St. – 4 PM

• HASTINGS COLLEGE:
  • MENS WRESTLING: @ Lakeland, FL
    • Fire Duals
  • WOMENS WRESTLING: @ York Open
  • M/W T&F: @ Doane Invite
  • WOMENS BASKETBALL @ College of St. Mary – 2 PM