Freshman Miller sparks NU men
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BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star
Nebraska’s start to the second half Saturday was decisively better than its start to the basketball game.
It’s logical to think a fiery halftime speech by coach Doc Sadler had something to do with that.
Not necessarily, says Cookie Miller.
“He was mostly calm,” Miller said.
Perhaps Sadler’s vocal chords were also on holiday break.
Whatever the coach’s approach, the Huskers responded favorably in their 77-53 victory against Alcorn State before 8,035 fans at the Devaney Sports Center.
Nebraska’s first action in a week featured those not-so-unusual blunders that accompany a post-Christmas game. The Huskers were coming off their second three-day break in two weeks — this one in which many players traveled home — and were sluggish from the outset.
“Didn’t think we were ready at all,” Sadler said. “I could tell in pre-game, after leaving the locker room, that the concentration level wasn’t what you would want it to be.”
The result, in the first half, was nine turnovers, seven missed layups, a 38.7 percent shooting percentage and a mere 36-23 lead over a team whose only victory was against an NAIA school.
“We didn’t come out to play,” Miller said. “It started at the beginning of the game, with warmups. We’ve got to come out ready to play, no matter who we’re playing.”
That’s what happened after halftime, when Nebraska rattled off 30 points in the first 8 minutes, 13 seconds of the second half to open a 31-point lead.
Miller highlighted a career night with some nifty play during that stretch. The 5-foot-7 freshman point guard fed Aleks Maric for a three-point play that gave Nebraska a 49-27 lead.
Miller then delivered a perfect alley-oop pass that Sek Henry dunked for a 51-27 lead. He had a similar play with Ade Dagunduro early in the game.
That was part of a 10-assist, no-turnover game for Miller, who also made a couple of three pointers and finished with eight points. He did it all with a new haircut — no dreadlocks — and last year’s Nebraska point guard, Charles Richardson, watching in the stands.
Miller is the first Husker freshman with 10 assists in a game since Brian Carr in 1983-84. The fact those assists came against no turnovers eased Miller.
“I know I’ve been having a lot of turnovers lately,” said Miller, who said visits with his father and other family members over break helped him refocus.
Miller also tied a career high with five steals.
“Cookie, I thought, was probably about as good on the ball as he’s been all year,” Sadler said. “We’ve got to have that, because we’re not going to have the advantage when it gets in a half-court game.”
Dagunduro scored 14 points and Maric had 13 for the Huskers, who shot 61.5 percent in the second half and were perfect on 10 layups.
“It started with the defense,” Miller said. “When we pick up our defense, then our offense gets started.”
Still, Sadler wasn’t pleased with Nebraska’s 16 turnovers, or Alcorn State’s 10 offensive rebounds. The Braves (1-11) had a team-leading 14 points from Anthony Ford.
Nebraska has one more nonconference game — Friday night against Maryland-Eastern Shore — before hosting third-ranked Kansas in the Big 12 Conference opener on Jan. 12.
“This basketball team has to play as hard, or harder, and make fewer mistakes than the other team once we get in Big 12 play, or we’re not going to have a chance,” Sadler said. “We’re not talented enough or deep enough to go out there and play the teams that we’re going to be playing and not be ready to play.”
Briefly
-- Steve Harley suited but didn’t play, his punishment for returning to Lincoln a day late from Christmas break. Sadler said Harley will play Friday.
-- Nebraska had 20 assists, the third game this year the Huskers have had at least 20 in a game.
Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.
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