Walk-on Easley leaving NU for South Dakota St. scholarship

One of the few feel-good stories for Nebraska basketball last season was the path true freshman Charlie Easley took from walk-on to scholarship starter.

But that story opened a new chapter on Saturday, as the former Lincoln (Neb.) Pius X standout announced he was moving on from the Huskers and accepting a full scholarship to South Dakota State.

After playing just a combined 10 minutes over the first 10 games of last season, Easley quickly became a mainstay in Nebraska's rotation. He eventually emerged as the backup point guard behind sophomore Cam Mack and even started four games by the end of the year.

Easley ended the season having played in 28 games and averaged 1.9 points and 0.5 assists per game in 11.7 minutes per contest.

Nebraska will return its two other in-state walk-ons nest season in redshirt freshmen Bret Porter (Millard North) and Jace Piatkowski (Elkhorn South).

“We loved having Charlie as part of our program over the last year,” NU head coach Fred Hoiberg said via statement. “He worked hard to earn a scholarship for the spring semester and took advantage of the opportunity to earn playing time last season. That put Charlie in a position where he can be a significant contributor for a program. I thank Charlie for his contributions and everyone in our program wishes him the best in the future.”