Another transfer portal addition for Nebraska basketball, plus a subtraction

Fred Hoiberg has been busy the past two weeks. In addition to leading the Huskers to the Crown championship last week in Las Vegas, the Nebraska basketball head coach has been busy retooling his roster for the 2025-26 season.

That retooling continued on Wednesday with the addition of former Air Force wing Will Cooper, a 6-foot-6 freshman who is from Omaha. Cooper played in 21 games for the Falcons this past season.

Injuries hindered him during high school. He suffered injuries as a junior and senior that certainly held him back as a recruit. Over the past month of the season for Air Force, he averaged 11 points per game. The newest Nebraska basketball player also shot 37 percent from 3-point range (20 3-point field goals), which included a 6-for-12 performance from deep in a 21-point effort against Fresno State.

Cooper scored in double figures in three of the Falcons’ last five regular-season games, and he did that as a freshman. He’ll have three years of eligibility remaining and is a smart pickup for multiple reasons.

For one, Cooper will continue to address the need for 3-point shooting. Nebraska also needed some depth at the wing/forward spots. Beyond that, Cooper has three years left to play, and being an in-state kid, the hope is that he’ll stick it out, even if that means coming off the bench for the first season or two.

There is potential for him to grow into a starting-caliber player, and that’s exactly the kind of player you want coming off the bench. It’s an especially smart move now that Nick Janowski has entered the transfer portal.

Janowski was a former top-150 recruit. He was highly touted coming out of high school, but didn’t play in any games for Nebraska basketball this past season. Hoiberg said he was the lead scout team point guard, so the addition of Jamarques Lawrence on Tuesday, who will likely be the starting point guard, may have pushed him out the door.

The reality is that if players aren’t good enough to play in year one, it’s going to be difficult to start in year two. I see a disconnect between the coaching staff and Janowski on his role, which is why he’s now in the portal.

It is what it is.

Nebraska basketball to get Cale Jacobsen back

In other roster news, Cale Jacobsen confirmed on Tuesday night that he’ll be back with Nebraska basketball after a stellar four-game stretch in the Crown.

Jacobsen started the last three games and was stellar on defense. Nebraska limited all four opponents to 1.0 points per possession or less. He also averaged five points per game, 4.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks. That’s in addition to shooting 75 percent (3 of 4) from 3-point range.

It was a small sample, but with teams expected to be able to carry 15 players on full or partial scholarships, Jacobsen being back on the roster is a no-brainer. Beyond that, he should have a shot to earn a spot in the rotation.

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