After unexpected setbacks, Mack now ready to thrive with Huskers
CHICAGO – All Cam Mack wanted to do was play.
But after arriving in Lincoln as one of the highlights of head coach Fred Hoiberg’s total roster makeover this offseason, the sophomore point guard's debut kept facing unexpected delays.
First, Mack was not allowed to join Nebraska for its 10 additional full-team practices leading up to the trip to Italy this summer because he had to wait to be cleared academically by the NCAA following his transfer from Salt Lake (Utah) Community College.
Shortly after getting the green light to practice, Mack came down with an illness that got so bad he ended up being hospitalized for several days. He was diagnosed with Chron’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract.
“That was my first time actually going to a hospital,” Mack said. “I don’t really deal with a hospital. I don’t get sick; I do any of that… When I was in the hospital literally just (stuck) there, it was weird.”
Mack ended up losing nearly 10 pounds – “Ten pounds that he didn’t have to give,” Hoiberg said - after his hospitalization, and now he has to take three steroid pills a day to help aid his continued recovery.
The good news is that he feels like his old self again and has been full-go since the start of fall practices.
“I’m back healthy,” Mack said. “I’m back feeling good.”
Even after all of that, the Austin, Texas, native is already well on his way to becoming the player his coaches hope and need him to be this season.
Regarded as one of the nation’s top junior college prospects in the 2019 class, Mack is a dynamic playmaker who fits exactly what Hoiberg wants in a floor general point guard. In fact, a source close to the program said NU’s staff thinks Mack could be as good of a point guard as they’ve ever recruited.
“He’s as fast with the ball as anybody I’ve ever been around,” Hoiberg said. “That’s where it starts with him. He’s running by guys. We’re trying to get them out in front of the ball, but with his speed, he’s going by our guys… He’s got a chance to be special.”
Hoiberg was later asked if Mack compared to any other point guard he’d coached in his career.
“No,” Hoiberg answered bluntly. “He’s unlike anybody I’ve ever had.”
Mack averaged 19.1 points, 7.6 assists, 5.9 rebounds and shot 45.6 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from 3-point range last season for SLCC. He originally committed and signed with St. John’s over other programs like Gonzaga, West Virginia, Washington State, and San Diego State.
But when lead recruiter Matt Abdelmassih left the Red Storm to rejoin Hoiberg at Nebraska, Mack would soon follow him to Lincoln.
Senior guard Haanif Cheatham said that even with all the time Mack missed this offseason, it hasn't taken him long to develop the chemistry and respect that a true point guard needs both on the court and in the locker room.
“Cam’s been great,” Cheatham said. “Even after those setbacks, he came in ready to roll and he’s been amazing. He’s done a good job and been a great teammate and fun to play with, and that’s all you can ask for from your point guard.”
Mack knew he had a lot of catching up to do both in terms of fitting into his role with the Huskers and also making up for the time he lost in his absence in Italy. That's why Mack has ben meeting with Hoiberg every day to work out individually and go over the playbook and game film.
Nebraska’s coaches have not tempered their expectations for Mack this season and beyond, and that was actually a major selling point during his recruitment that helped land him in Lincoln.
Mack is a player with no shortage of confidence, and that might end up being one of his most valuable assets as he gets back on track to take the reins of the Husker offense.
“I wanted to be put in this position,” Mack said. “I expect my coaches to expect a lot out of me. That’s what I want. I’m blessed to be in this position, to be the point guard at the University of Nebraska.”