3 thoughts on commitment of Leo Curtis to Nebraska basketball

Nebraska basketball added to its 2025-26 roster on Wednesday, landing the commitment from 7-foot-1 center Leo Curtis from Iceland.

The big man was committed to Arizona State at one point. Curtis decommitted and was pursued by Washington, West Virginia, Indiana, and others before committing to the Huskers.

This commitment puts the Nebraska basketball roster at 16 total. There isn’t any word on roster limits yet, via the House Settlement, but those could be pushed down the road.

Either way, Nebraska basketball wouldn’t add Curtis if it didn’t have the room. He’s the kind of player you make room for, and here are three thoughts on his commitment.

NEWS: 4⭐️ Leo Curtis, a 7-foot-1 center, has committed to Nebraska, his agent Johann Mpondo of Cosmo Sports Management tells @On3Recruits.

The former Arizona State commit is ranked as the No. 84 overall recruit in the 2025 class, per On3. https://t.co/E1jcXyMtOE pic.twitter.com/Mf8c9ngGh7

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) May 7, 2025

A high ceiling

Curtis is ranked as the No. 11 center according to On3 in the 2025 class. He’s also ranked 84th overall. It’s easy to see why when you watch him play.

The D-1 Iceland stuff shows him as a man amongst boys. But he shot 42 percent from 3-point range, scoring more than 15 points per game.

Playing for the Iceland U20 team, he averaged just over five points and four rebounds per game in a limited role. Long term, though, it’s hard not to look at his skillset and think of someone like Kristaps Porziņģis.

That’s a big leap. It’s also going to take time for Curtis to get anywhere close to that. He’s far from a finished product — to the point I wouldn’t expect him to be a regular next season, unless there are some injury problems.

Yet, Curtis could be an NBA draft pick down the road. If Fred Hoiberg can keep him on the roster long enough.

Huskers should keep recruiting international

There has been a strong international flavor in Nebraska basketball recruiting, not just in the transfer portal. It’s something Fred Hoiberg should keep doing.

High school recruiting has limited upside for Nebraska. The Huskers strike out on the higher-rated prospects, and the ones that need developing are moving on before they are developed.

International players can take some development, but Fred Hoiberg has proven he can help guys play professionally, so it feels like a smart strategy to keep pursuing to fill out the bottom part of the roster.

The Nebraska basketball roster is set

You can’t have too many players on one roster. Nebraska basketball is already close. The Huskers have 16 players. Some of them are former walk-ons, but each has a realistic path to playing time, at least at some point.

However, with Rienk Mast, Berke Büyüktuncel, Ugnius Jarusevicius, and Jared Garcia in the frontcourt, this move doesn’t move the needle much for this season.

That’s why it doesn’t matter in terms of upsetting the team. Curtis probably won’t have a big role. Yet, next season, when at least three of those bigs I just mentioned graduate, Curtis will be in line for a big role.