Lincoln Journal Star has a harrowing, but touching, piece on Rickey Thenarse.

Thenarse, a junior safety, is from the Watts area of Los Angeles. Those mean streets recently took not one, but two, of his brothers.

“You could look at it negative, but I just look at it positive. They lived a pretty rough life. I just look at it as they just escaped it,” Thenarse says. “They’re just resting in peace now. I just want to carry on the dream, hope to make the NFL and finish out my career. That’s what they wanted me to do.”

I hope he makes it to the NFL. Big time.

Everything is back to normal. I regained my sanity and hopefully didn’t send to many people away in fright once they realized what day it was.

Go Huskers!

Aleks Maric was selected, along with 21 other Seniors, to play in the NABC All Star Game this Friday in San Antonio.  This game will be played on the same floor as the Final Four for the first time in it’s history and is only open to college Seniors without any eligibility left.

He was selected by the NABC or National Association of Basketball Coaches and is the first Husker since Eric Piatkowski to play in the long running contest.  Should be pretty interesting to see how he stacks up against some of the best competition in the country.

The folks who know me, know that I am a native Iowan, born in Cedar Falls a few decades ago. My parents are both natives, as were their parents before them. Although I spent my formative years growing up in Western Nebraska, the black and gold of the Iowa Hawkeyes was a mainstay in my household. My loyalties to the scarlet and cream came later in life and led me to Lincoln for my college education.

I’ve been a loyal follower of the Huskers for over 20 years, enough so that I started this blog several years ago - although it wasn’t until this past season that the audience reached a critical mass as Husker Fans united together and rebelled against an evil cancer that invaded our institution. The disease was defeated and sent packing and new era of Nebraska Football is rising from the ashes.

So much of my energy was depleted in the fight that I began to question my loyalties to Nebraska and self-doubt has set in. I lived with the secret for way too long and it is time I open up to our readers.

Beginning today, I am changing the name of the site from Huskerzone.com to Hawkeyezone.com. I’d like to thank our readers for their patronage and hope that they will join me in celebrating the Hawkeyes and everything they are about.

Thankfully, my co-writers are also of similar thoughts, Bugeater will be staying on board, but changing is name to Herky. Husker Brad isn’t fully committed to the football side of things but shared with me in an email conversation a couple of weeks ago that he feels a strong pull to Hawekeye Hoops.

It will take a few days for the domain name to change over, so my apologies for any confusion in the interim. My email is listed on the upper right side of the homepage if you’d like to discuss this change in depth, or just take advantage of the comment form.

 In just his third practice this spring, Bo Pelini already is sending a clear message to his players.  Physical contact is required.  Saturday the Huskers worked out in FULL PADS in MEMORIAL STADIUM.  According to the Lincoln Journal Star,  Bo Pelini liked the effort he was seeing.

I thought the tempo was good. It was physical. We made a lot of strides the first three days, especially defensively. They’ve got a lot to learn. But the tempo’s good, the effort’s good.

The practice was viewed by over 500 kids from age 8 to the eighth grade and afterward they were treated to their own tunnel walk and individual drills with members of the football team.  Pelini hit the nail on the head when he had this to say.

Obviously the fans and the people of this state are huge in our program, and it starts with the kids at this age.

That was a well said statement by Pelini and it shows how much we need the Shanle, Mackovicka, Schlessinger, Leggette, and Tomich kids of tomorrow to have a successful program in the future.

Thanks to questioning from Lincoln Journal Star’s sports staff, we now know Shawn Watson doesn’t need a catchy name for his offensive unit or scheme.

Nebraska used to run the option.

Then came the West Coast offense.

What exactly are we supposed to call it under first-year coordinator Shawn Watson?

“The Nebraska offense,” Watson quickly retorted after Friday’s spring practice inside of Memorial Stadium.

Watson was trying to be humorous in his response while also trying to get his point across.

“Everybody, stop trying to name it! Geez … everybody wants to put a name on it around here. It’s the Nebraska offense. How’s that? Sounds good to me.”

He paused and took a breath before finishing his minirant:

“I get asked that all the time. It’s the Nebraska offense.”

Duly noted.

Courtesy: Scott Bruhn/NU Media Relations

The Nebraska football team began the Bo Pelini era with a 2 ½ hour practice in helmets and shorts at the Hawks Championship Center on Wednesday afternoon. Pelini sent the team through drills and breakout work as the Huskers prepare for the annual Red-White Spring Game, which will be held on April 19.

“It was what we expected,” Pelini said of the first day of spring ball. “You are not going to be game ready on the first day. There were a lot of mistakes, but the effort was great. There were a lot of guys flying around and having fun. We will make progress from here.”

[via Huskers.com]

I would first like to thank Doc Sadler and the Nebraska men’s basketball team for an outstanding year.  Next season started Tuesday, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this team!  Thank-you Aleks Maric for a wonderful career and good luck at the next level.  Doc, you have brought a team to NU that we can all be proud of, whether on the basketball court or in the classroom, it’s being done the right way!  Thanks guys for the effort and the excitement.  Nebrasketball is in full effect!

Nebraska’s season ended Monday at Ole’ Miss, with the Huskers dropping a disappointing OT thriller, 85-75.  Ade Dagunduro threw the Huskers on his shoulders during stretches of the game and came up big, tying the game at 70 apiece with 40 seconds left on the clock.  Ade was very aggressive, even with 4 fouls, playing one of  his best games as a Husker.  Ade was poised to win it for the Huskers in regulation, but a double dribble call gave the ball back to the Rebels with .5 seconds left.  What followed could’ve been one of the greatest shots in Mississippi history.  Inbounding from halfcourt, Ole’ Miss put a back pick on Maric and his guy ran to the hoop.  The inbound lob was perfect for a mid air catch and shoot.  Luckily for us this guy didn’t have stick-em on his hands and he fumbled the lob and put up a wild shot.  OVERTIME……

My wife, who is not a basketball fan, was beating my arm and (kids sleeping) screaming for joy about taking it to OT.  I on the other hand, feared what would ensue.  NU is 1-2 in OT games this year.  There was the thriller at the Qwest over Oregon where NU shot down the Ducks.  But there was also Western Kentucky and Mizzou.  In those 2 games, NU didn’t play with the urgency that got them to OT.  Monday was no different.  Ryan Anderson had fouled out in the 4th quarter so there is one of your deep threats gone.  Not to mention all the little things RA does, like passing, rebounding, and stealing the ball.  The shots didn’t fall and the aggressiveness faded.  It was a great game, but NU just didn’t match the intensity or urgency Ole’ Miss had.  Nothing irritated me more than hearing the crowd chant S.E.C S.E.C and I couldn’t help but think that maybe it was because it was important for their team to beat Nebraska.  On paper the Rebels should have won by 20, but NU went into their house and made them work as hard as they had all season for the W.  That says alot about our program and where it’s going.  I look forward to next year with Roburt Sallie, Edwards, and McCray joining a more experience Husker line-up.  Should be exciting!!

Great season Huskers.  Thanks for giving us something to be proud of and believe in!! 

[see the box score courtesy of Huskers.com]

Nebraska held close tonight, fighting back and keeping the game in check. But the gas ran out in overtime as Mississippi outscored the Huskers 15-5 to win 85-75 and end Nebraska’s run in the NIT.

I’m sure Husker Brad will be along soon with his analysis, but as a self-admitted non-fan of hoops, I will say that I like the energy they play with and I’ll likely be in attendance quite a bit more that I have been in the past. Let’s just hope Nebraska can hang on to Doc.

AIR ADE 

Nebraska OVERWHELMINGLY dominated Charlotte in the first round match of the NIT on Wednesday, 67-48.  The Huskers played the most complete game of the season against the 49ers and led by as many as 26 points with just over 5 minutes left.  A hefty dose of Ade Dagunduro, who obviously found his post season legs, is just what Doc Sadler ordered.  Ade seemed to be all over the place, blocking shots, driving in the lane, or hitting an open 3, while going 6 of 8 from the floor and pulling down 5 rebounds.  Off the bench, Jay-R Strowbridge, Paul Velander, and Cookie Miller contributed 27 points, and like Velander’s  three 3’s, they came at times that halted any momentum Charlotte was trying to build.  Nebraska sat Alecs Maric at many times throughout the game and for good at just over two minutes to play.  Maric became only the second Husker to reach 1000 career rebounds ( any guesses who the other is? ) with 1005 and gained sole possession of the fifth spot for points scored in a career at 1612.

NU’s defensive pressure is something, I am sure of, Charlotte has seen nothing like this year.  Leemire Goldwire is Charlotte’s best perimeter player and he averages 19 points a game, mostly off quick 3’s.  Goldwire is also known to get freaky streaky on shooting the deep ball.  His stats after he played the Huskers couldn’t read more appealing to Doc Sadler.  Two 3 pointers, 2 of 13 from the field, and only 6 points.  As a team, Charlotte shot only 31% from the floor while NU shot a respectable 46% ( 23-50 ).  Doc Sadler came up with a brilliant game plan that Nebraska executed almost flawlessly.  A steady stream of defenders was NU’s strategy to stop Goldwire and by the middle of the second half, it was evident NU’s pressure was bothering him.  Sek Henry played an awesome game at the point for NU  (although his six TO’s might suggest otherwise) and by the time he left the game, you could tell he gave all he had.  They all did!  Great Job Nebraska, YOU GUYS PLAYED TREMENDOUSLY HARD TONIGHT!!!

Up next, NU travels to Mississippi on Monday the 24th to play in the second round.  Ole Miss is 22-10 and outside of 2 games this year, no one really beat them soundly.  They average almost 80 points a game , give up 73 and are quite tall in the frontcourt.  This year they are 16-2, including a perfect 10-0 in the non-conference, at home. Doc Sadler had this cutting edge news to say about the Rebels of Ole Miss.

 NU definitely has their work cut out for them.  GOOD LUCK HUSKERS!!

[see the box score courtesy of Huskers.com]