Haanif Cheatham was barely halfway through his first official visit on Saturday afternoon after reopening his recruitment as a graduate transfer out of Florida Gulf Coast.
But all it took was a little more than 24 hours in Nebraska with new head coach Fred Hoiberg and staff for him to know he wanted to be a Husker.
The 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard announced his commitment to NU via Twitter, choosing the Huskers over the likes of Arkansas, Cincinnati, Arizona, and Virginia Tech.
“Just the coaching staff and the people I’m going to be surrounded by every day; the resources that are here that are going to allow me to become a better player throughout the whole season,” Cheatham said of why he decided to make his commitment on Saturday.
“And then just playing for an amazing coach in Fred Hoiberg, a guy who knows what he’s doing. I’m looking forward to playing for a great fanbase, and I’m just excited about it all.”
Cheatham had another official visit scheduled to Arkansas on May 3-5, and his original plan was to let his recruitment go a little longer to make sure he explored all of his potential options. But both he and his mother, who joined him in Lincoln this weekend, knew they had found exactly what they were looking for at Nebraska.
“Just the genuine feeling that she got from Coach Hoiberg and the staff and just loving everything about it,” Cheatham said. “There was a big part of me that wanted to let it play out, but you’ve got to go where you’re wanted.
“You’ve got to go where you know you’re going to have a good opportunity, and I feel like here is a really good chance and opportunity for myself and for the team to win big-time games in a big-time environment, and just have fun while doing it.”
A former four-star prospect who ranked No. 76 in the 2015 Rivals150 coming out of Pembroke Pines (Fla.) Charter, Cheatham originally committed to Marquette and played two full seasons with the Golden Eagles.
He started 63 of his first 70 games at Marquette, was a member of the Big East All-Freshman team, and was voted team defensive MVP after both his seasons.
But Cheatham only played in five games as a junior and opted to transfer. He wound up at Florida Gulf Coast and averaged 13.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists to start the year, but a shoulder injury sidelined him after just 10 games.
After debating on pursuing a professional career, Cheatham decided to put his name in the NCAA transfer portal and take advantage of his final season college eligibility.
Cheatham underwent shoulder surgery in December and said he was already close to 100-percent recovered.
He’ll be an immediate factor for Nebraska in 2019-20, and despite the Huskers still having four available scholarships – not including Isaiah Roby’s looming NBA decision – Cheatham feels next season will be much better than most people might think.
“We’ll be ready for sure,” Cheatham said. “Coach Hoiberg knows what he’s doing. It’s not like he hasn’t been through this process before. With the team that we’re going to be having next season, we know we’re going to be ready to rock out and compete every game.”
