3/8/2022 basketball Edit

Bryce McGowens highlights Nebraska's postseason honors

Robin Washut • InsideNebraska

Senior Writer

Robin has been with HuskerOnline since July of 2008, focusing on Nebraska football team coverage as well as being the No. 1 Husker men's basketball team and recruiting writer.

Heralded as the first five-star recruit in program history, Bryce McGowens concluded his debut season at Nebraska with a haul of individual accolades on Tuesday.

McGowens was named the Big Ten Newcomer of the Year by the Associated Press and was a consensus third-team All-Big Ten selection. He also made the conference's All-Freshman team and finished second for Big Ten Freshman of the Year behind Ohio State's Malaki Branham.

McGowens became the first Husker to make an all-conference team since James Palmer Jr. in 2018-19.

Nebraska freshman Bryce McGowens hauled in several postseason accolades on Tuesday. (Associated Press)

The 6-foot-7 guard from Pendleton, S.C., ranked eighth in the Big Ten with a team-high 17.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in 30 starts during the regular season. He was the highest-scoring freshman in the country and the top scorer as a Big Ten freshman since Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell in 2014-15.

His eight Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards this season were the second-most of any player in conference history, behind only OSU's Jared Sullinger (12) in 2010-11.

McGowens led all Big Ten freshmen in scoring and was second in rebounding. He also led the league in made free throws (160) and was second in free throws attempted (191) and free-throw percentage (83.3%).

He scored in double figures in 25 of his 30 games, including 11 20-point efforts, led by his 25 points at Penn State and 26 at No. 23 Ohio State.

McGowens already holds the Nebraska freshman records for points (516), free throws made, and free throws attempted. He ranks second on the NU freshman list in field goals made (158), sixth in rebounds (158), and sixth in made 3-pointers (40).

McGowens wasn't the only Husker recognized on Tuesday, either.

Junior forward Derrick Walker was also Nebraska's nomination for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

Starting all 31 games for Nebraska, Walker averaged 9.3 points and a team-high 6.0 rebounds and is on pace to break NU's single-season field goal percentage record (currently at 67.9%).

Walker's impact has been felt just as much off the court as he's worked with the Malone Center while pursuing his master's degree in Child, Youth & Family Studies.