Nebraska has a new transfer on the radar and hated rival is among contenders

A new name is on the radar for Nebraska basketball out of the transfer portal: Illinois State guard Ty’Reek Coleman.

The 6-foot-2 freshman started 19 games for the Redbirds this past season in the Missouri Valley Conference. He averaged 10 points per game, dished out 1.8 assists, and averaged 0.9 steals in 22 minutes per night.

Coleman shot 55 percent on twos and 41 percent on 3-pointers, averaging 2.5 attempts per game. He also got 3.0 free-throw attempts per game.

Nebraska has been connected to some other guards in the transfer portal, namely Trevan Leonhardt, but nothing has come of that yet. There haven’t been any guards on campus. Coleman will visit this week, according to Robin Washut of Husker Online.

Nebraska basketball has competition for transfer portal guard

Nebraska won’t be the only program hosting Coleman for a visit, though. The talented guard has visits scheduled with Kansas State, Utah State, and Utah. DePaul and Oklahoma are also interested, along with Santa Clara according to Sam Kayser. 

Coleman would be a good fit because he would add some depth and experience to the backcourt. He might not be the starting point guard next season, but he could play the position and provide depth at both guard spots, something Fred Hoiberg needs on the roster.

Even if the Huskers add a point guard, they could use another guard. Cale Jacobsen will be another depth piece, but even with a transfer portal addition, Jacobsen is one injury away from being the starting point guard without a backup.

So as much as Nebraska needs two bigs, it also needs two guards. Coleman has three years left to play, and he’s a stellar 3-point shooter, a solid defender, and a decent playmaker.

He checks a lot of boxes.