3 thoughts on commitment of Gavin Griffiths to Nebraska basketball

Fred Hoiberg was faced with seven scholarship openings not long ago, but three have already been filled, including two in the last two days.

On Monday, Nebraska basketball landed the commitment of Rollie Worster, a 6-foot-4 point guard from Montana, who played four seasons with Utah and Utah State.

Worster is a pass-first, defensive-minded guard. That’s something Nebraska didn’t have last season. However, the Huskers also needed a lights-out shooter to replace Keisei Tominaga.

To be clear, you don’t just replace Tominaga — one of the most popular players in Nebraska history. However, the Huskers found someone who can shoot the heck out of the ball in former Rutgers guard Gavin Griffiths.

Griffiths was ranked 44th overall in the 2023 class when he signed with the Scarlet Knights according to the 247 Sports composite rankings. His freshman season had some ups and downs, but he’s going to be a great fit with Nebraska basketball, and here are three thoughts on Griffiths.

An ideal Tominaga replacement

Tomianga was lights out from 3-point range. He’s an unconscious shooter and while Griffiths has a long way to go, he’s got the talent. He was ranked 44th overall for a reason. He’s also 6-foot-7 or 6-foot-8. That’s going to make it easier for him to get shots up.

Last season, he made one 3-pointer per game for the Scarlet Knights but shot just 28 percent from deep. Yet, there were six different Big Ten games with at least two 3-point makes. He did that nine times during the season and shot 4-of-6 in two games against Nebraska basketball. He averaged 5.8 points overall.

Griffiths is also a solid defender. He had a higher defensive plus-minus rating than on offense, plus a better defensive win share. He’s long and athletic. Griffiths can also shoot the heck out of the ball and he makes a ton of sense as the starting two guard for Nebraska in 2024-25.

A multi-year talent

You have heard me talk about getting players not talented enough to be one-and-done recruits but talented enough to be developed into multi-year contributors. Griffiths is right in that sweet spot. His first season didn’t go as planned, but he’s got plenty of talent.

Players usually take a big leap from year one to year two. That’s going to happen for Griffiths and while this isn’t a slight on Rutgers, they are known more for defense than offense. Fred Hoiberg, on the other hand, is an offensive guru. He’s a shooting expert too.

I’d be stunned if Griffiths didn’t average 10 points per game next season at least. He’s the top-ranked player on the roster and might have the most upside of anyone.

The fact that he has three years of eligibility makes this move even better. There is no adjustment to the Big Ten and Griffiths has high-volume shooter written all over him.

Biggest needs are met

Nebraska basketball needed a point guard and it got one. The Huskers needed a dynamic 3-point shooter and they added one of those too, along with Andrew Morgan, a capable starter at the four or five.

If Rienk Mast is back next season, you could easily see a top-7 rotation of Mast, Morgan, Juwan Gary, Brice Williams, Rollie Worster, Sam Hoibeg, and Griffiths.

Griffiths is the second highest-rated player ever on the Nebraska basketball team, behind only Bryce McGowens, at least according to his high school recruiting ranking.

So the Huskers have added some solid pieces. They still need more 3-point shooting, depth on the wing, plus another big or two, especially if Mast doesn’t return, but you can see the vision for next season and if Mast, a third-team All-Big Ten selection last season is back, the Huskers will be in business.

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