Nebraska
Potts Looking to Build off Fantastic Freshman Year with Nebraska Women's Basketball | Hurrdat Sports
When she first arrived on campus, Natalie Potts didn’t expect to play much during her freshman season with Nebraska women’s basketball. Knowing the kind of challenge that awaited her in Lincoln, she didn’t want to get her hopes up.
Her mom, Sharon Potts, expressed concerns about her daughter’s readiness to compete physically with the other members of the Nebraska frontcourt while Coach Amy Williams was recruiting the 6-foot-2 forward out of O’Fallon, Missouri.
However, Williams and her staff saw something special in Potts. They believed in her ability to make an immediate impact.
“If you watched Natalie play even in the recruiting process, she plays with a motor and she just has that knack for game-winning plays, hustle plays,” Williams said at Big Ten Media Days. “I can remember coming home from watching her and saying, ‘I know she had double-figure deflections.’ I would lose track of how many times she’d get her hands on balls and just make hustle plays. That motor, it translates.
“So we felt very confidently that she would be able to make an impact on our team and we don’t recruit anybody into our program if we don’t believe they have that ability to have a positive impact for us, and she was no different. We believed in her from the moment she signed those papers, and we started to see some really good flashes early in her career that she was gaining confidence as well.”
The motor Williams described showed itself in Potts’ 5.5 rebounds per game, five double-doubles and 1.7 stocks (steals plus blocks) per game. She tied Nebraska’s Big Ten Tournament record with nine blocks in four games as the Huskers made a run to the conference title game. Potts said she loves running and, more importantly, she loves winning.
“I’ve always had a high motor,” said Potts, who represented Nebraska at Big Ten Media Days alongside senior Alexis Markowski. “Growing up, I was top of the press whole games, running with my head chopped off like I was a chicken. It just keeps me going, it brings energy to the team, and I think that’s a big momentum booster.”
Potts started all 35 games and was third on the team in scoring at 10.2 points per game in addition to her work on the glass and on defense. She won Big Ten Freshman of the Week eight times, and at the end of the season the coaches voted her Big Ten Freshman of the Year while the media voted her as an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection.
“She’s just a nonstop go-getter,” Markowski said. “She’s constantly trying to find a way to get another rebound, an offensive rebound. If you need a tough basket, Natalie’s your girl to go finish one. I think where I’ve seen her impact the game the most is defensively. She gets a lot of deflections; she’s really long.”
Isabelle Bourne left some big shoes to fill at the four spot as a three-year starter, captain and honorable mention All-Big Ten selection, and Potts felt the nerves early when Williams put her in the lineup from day one. By the end of the season, however, her production wasn’t far off what Bourne had given the Nebraska women’s basketball team.
“At first I was definitely nervous being thrown into that starting spot, but after a few games I got very comfortable with the system and playing with everybody,” Potts said. “They all have a lot of trust and confidence in me, which makes it super easy to get out there and get after it.”
Potts didn’t have to do much to earn her teammates’ trust; she won them over quickly by being herself. However, Markowski pointed to the Huskers’ 87-81 win over Maryland on Dec. 31 as a turning point for the freshman. She put up 17 points and a career-high 13 points in the victory.
“Natalie, you can just trust her,” Markowski said. “She just has this very calming presence about her. When she came in as a freshman, I just knew right away she would do big, great things … I think she had a lot of sparks in games, but I think the Maryland game was huge … It was a big game for us too; I think that was the second time we’ve ever beat Maryland, and she had such a great game, and I felt like she consistently played like that the rest of the year from that moment.”
Potts said she far exceeded her expectations for herself during her freshman year, and after an offseason focuses on polishing up key areas (most notably her 25.4% 3-point clip), she’s looking to take a step forward in year two as a Husker.
“With Natalie, the things we’ve talked about, the things that she has identified in postseason meetings and offseason that she wants to improve on is just a little extended range and consistency with her range,” Williams said. “She’s been working really hard and looking good from behind the arc.
“Her ball-handling skills have just continued to get better. She’s showing confidence going over either shoulder when her back is to the basket. Just dribbling, right and left hand, and making decisions off the dribble, just some things that as she’s now more comfortable in our system, she’s just able to take the expanded skill set that she’s worked hard to develop this offseason.”
Potts didn’t arrive at Nebraska expecting to play much, but after a stellar freshman season, whatever doubts she may have had are gone. The Huskers are looking to build off last year’s NCAA Tournament win and make a deeper postseason run in 2025, and to make that happen they’ll need Markowski and Potts to lead the way.
Dana Holgorsen, the new offensive coordinator and playcaller of Nebraska football, took the stage on Tuesday for his first media availability since he arrived in Lincoln.
Unsurprisingly, if you have followed Holgorsen throughout his career especially during stops as head coach at Houston and West Virginia, the Huskers’ new OC gave point-blank honesty and matter-of-fact thoughts on the players in the building. Those evaluations were based solely on game film, practice reps and, as it should be, football-exclusive factors.
Afterward, Inside Nebraska’s Zack Carpenter and Tim Verghese jumped in front of the camera to break down Holgorsen’s first game calling the shots on offense against USC, what his next one against Wisconsin could or will look like, and a breakdown of his press conference interview.
Watch their analysis – plus the Holgorsen interview in its entirety – in the video links below and on the Inside Nebraska YouTube channel. Subscribe to our channel for FREE to get even more daily content on all things Nebraska. Listen to the audio version on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
The No. 20 Nebraska women’s basketball team put out a statement in its first road trip of the early 2024-25 season. Behind a school-record 20 three-pointers, the Huskers destroyed South Dakota in a 113-70 thrashing at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls on Saturday.
Four NU players put up double-digit points, including a team-high 23 from five-star freshman Britt Prince in her second game after returning from injury. She was an outstanding 10-for-13 from the field with four assists. Reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year Natalie Potts added 22 points with seven rebounds while Alexis Markowski (14), Kendall Moriarity (13) and Kendall Coley (12) also added to the stat sheet.
Nebraska shot over 63% from the field and went 20-for-34 from deep in a performance that will keep the Huskers’ confidence riding high going into Tuesday’s contest at home.
Here’s all you need to know as NU welcomes in North Alabama for a week night matchup.
How to Follow Along
Matchup: No. 20 Nebraska (4-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. North Alabama (2-2, 0-0 Atlantic Sun)
When: Tuesday, November 19
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, NE
Time: 7 p.m. CST
Watch: B1G+
Listen: Huskers Radio Network and Affiliates
North Alabama Scout
Head Coach: Candi Whitaker | 1st Season | 233-224 (.510) Career HC Record | 7 WNBA Draftees, 2x DII NCAA Tournament Appearances | Past head coaching stops at Missouri Western (DII), Texas Tech and UMKC.
2023-2024 Record: 12-18 (8-8 Atlantic Sun, T-6th) | 1x Third Team All-ASUN, 1x ASUN All-Freshman Team | Did not qualify for the postseason.
All-Time Series: First meeting.
Fun Fact: North Alabama head coach Candi Whitaker is no stranger to the Huskers, despite it being the first meeting between the two programs. The starting point guard for Texas Tech during her playing days, Whitaker led the Red Raiders to a pair of victories over Nebraska. In 2001 Tech won 66-50 and followed up with a 99-57 thumping of NU in 2002.
Key Returners: Alyssa Clutter, G, Jr. | Veronaye Charlton, G, Soph. | Rhema Pegues, G, Jr. | Sara Wohlgemuth, G, Gr. | Katie Criswell, G, Soph. | India Howard, F, Jr.
Key Additions: Charity Gallegos, G, Sr. (Cal-State San Marcos) | Jazzy Klinge, F, Jr. (Johnson County CC) | Sarang West, G, Jr. (Allen CC).
Key Departures: Alexis Callins, G, Gr. (Union) | Allie Craig Cruce, F (Eligibility).
Outlook: It’s a new era for North Alabama women’s basketball in just the school’s third season as part Division I and the FCS after coming up from Division II. UNA did not renew the contract of former head coach Missy Tiber, who led the Lions to a 172-147 record over 11 seasons.
Instead, athletic director Josh Looney brought along his hire from Missouri Western Candi Whitaker. Looney hired Whitaker at MWSU in 2019, in which she led the Griffons to an overall record of 100-47 with an Division II Elite Eight Appearance in 2022, 2024 MIAA Regular Season Championship and 2024 MIAA Coach of the Year. Whitaker also brings key experience as a head coach at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (two postseason appearances) from 2006-12 and Texas Tech–her alma mater– where she averaged just over 10 wins a season.
The Lions are .500 early in Whitaker’s first season, beating UT Martin (66-63) and South Alabama (71-62) while losing to Tennessee Tech (73-64) and a most recent trip to Kansas (81-64).
Only two players averaged double-digit points last season and both Alexis Callins (Union) and Allie Craig Cruce (graduated) are both gone from the roster. However, the Lions returned most of their roster that went 12-18 in 2023-2024. Give credit to Whitaker, who unlocked the abilities of Cameron Jones (10.5 PPG) and Emma Kate Tittle (9.3 PPG) who were the bottom two scorers from last season.
Cal-State San Marcos transfer Charity Gallegas has been leading the way with 11.3 points per game with Clutter (7.8 PPG), Katie Criswell (6.8 PPG) and India Howard (5.8 PPG) all adding help. Transfer forward Jazzy Klinge has also provided four points and two rebounds per game off the bench. She came in from Allen Community College where she was a first-team NJCAA All-American last season.
For a program trying to find its footing in the Division I scene, a hire like Whitaker should spell confidence moving forward. However, it could be a painful couple years before seeing the rewards. A 10th-place voting in the ASUN preseason poll points toward a rough season, and the Huskers will most likely be their second consecutive blowout loss for the Lions.
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Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
Bergen Reilly’s stellar sophomore season continues to add more accolades.
The Nebraska volleyball setter claimed the Big Ten Conference’s Setter of the Week honor on Monday as the conference awarded weekly honors. It is the ninth time this season a Husker has been honored, and the fourth time for Reilly in 2024.
The sophomore led No. 2 Nebraska to wins over No. 16 Minnesota and Indiana with over ten assists per set and nearly four digs per set in the wins last week. In the four-set over the Golden Gophers Thursday, Reilly had 40 assists and a career-high 20 digs with six kills. She became the first Husker setter to record at least 40 assists, 20 digs, and five kills in a match in the rally scoring era.
Reilly then capped the weekend in a dominant Saturday sweep of Indiana, adding 35 assists with seven digs. She aided the Nebraska offense to a .324 hitting percentage, and totaled 75 assists, 27 digs, eight kills, seven blocks, and one ace over the two matches.
Reilly joins her own company for the fourth time this season as the Huskers’ Setter of the Week honoree, claiming the award for the first time in November. She last won the award on Oct. 14, and had previously claimed the honor on Sept. 2 and Sept. 16.
Reilly’s fourth award keeps her ahead of Penn State freshman setter Izzy Starck, who has claimed the conference’s honor three times this season. Nebraska has had four players claim conference honors, as Reilly, middle blockers Andi Jackson and Rebekah Allick, and libero Lexi Rodriguez have all earned a weekly award this year.
Allick has won two defensive players of the week honors, while Rodriguez has earned two. Jackson, a fellow sophomore, claimed defensive player of the week honors on Oct. 28. Reilly’s Nov. 18 honor marks the eighth Big Ten Setter of the Week honor of her career, as the South Dakota native won four weekly honors in 2023.
Nebraska (26-1, 16-0 B1G) continues to lead the Big Ten regular season race with key wins over the top teams in the conference, including No. 7 Wisconsin, No. 8 Purdue, No. 13 Oregon, No. 16 Minnesota, No. 21 USC, and RV Washington. The No. 2 Huskers head to Iowa on Wednesday for a match in Iowa City, then return to Lincoln Saturday night for a home rematch against the Badgers.
MORE: Carriker Chronicles: Dawson Merritt on Choosing Nebraska Over Alabama & More
MORE: Huskers Have Two Chances for Win No. 6
MORE: Nebraska Volleyball Remains at No. 2 in Latest AVCA Rankings
MORE: What Will it Take for Nebraska Football to Turn the Corner?
MORE: Big Ten Jumps Into Latest College Basketball Top 25, 5 Conference Teams Ranked
Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.
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