It was a long and difficult eight months from the time Isaac Copeland arrived at Nebraska in January to this Tuesday morning.
But after transferring to Lincoln from Georgetown, undergoing back surgery and the months of ensuing rehab, and then waiting to know if he’d even be eligible to start the 2017-18 season, all of Copeland’s hard work finally paid off.
It was announced on Tuesday morning that the NCAA had granted the 6-foot-9, 220-pound power forward’s appeal for a medical hardship waiver for last season, giving him two full years with the Huskers starting this fall.
Though the process took longer than most anyone had initially thought, Copeland said he couldn’t be happier to have a major weight lifted off his shoulders.
“It’s a great feeling,” Copeland said. “It’s a long process, coming here in the middle of January and not really knowing too many people, then getting surgery and now getting back playing. Now finally realizing I’m going to be able to play at the start of the season, it feels great.”
When the Raleigh, N.C., native and former Brewster (N.H.) Academy standout committed to Nebraska back in January, he seemed cautiously optimistic that the NCAA would grant his appeal.
The former five-star prospect who ranked No. 23 in the 2014 class was a starter for Georgetown for much of his first two seasons, including earning Big East All-Freshman Team honors in 2014-15.
He ranked second on the team in minutes played (32.0 per game) as a freshman while averaging 11.1 points and 5.4 rebounds.
However, injuries diminished Copeland’s production noticeably last season. He had been averaging 5.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 19.6 minutes to start the year, but a herniated disc in his back forced him to cut his season short.
Because he played less than the NCAA’s medical hardship cut-off point of 10 games, Copeland said he maintained the belief that the ruling would eventually go in his favor.
“I was still confident,” Copeland said. “I was under the impression I wouldn’t find out until the day before the first game, so that’s how I went into this and approaching the situation. I found out today, and we haven’t even started official practices yet, so that’s a big relief and I’m happy.”
As for Copeland’s health status, he underwent back surgery on Feb. 23 and wasn’t fully cleared by Nebraska’s medical staff until just a couple weeks before the end of summer break.
He said NU’s staff was very cautious in easing him back into action, and while his time on the court was limited, he focused on making big strides in the weight room by adding muscle, strengthening his core, and improving his overall explosiveness.
“It’s back surgery, so it’s no piece of cake,” Copeland said. “It’s hard, but you just have to attack every day like it’s its own individual challenge and just hope for the best, really.”
The time off also allowed him to get a feel for how things worked under head coach Tim Miles, both on and off the court. Along with getting to know the Huskers’ system and style of play, Copeland said he was also able to develop a good chemistry with his new teammates.
“I think whenever you can really connect with people off the court, it translates on the court,” Copeland said. “We’re very close off the court, so I feel like with the amount of time we’ve had so far, we’re in a good spot.”
Copeland became Nebraska’s first ever five-star recruit and its highest-rated commit since Rivals’ basketball rankings began in 2003.
Adding him to a roster that features five former four-stars (Glynn Watson, Thomas Allen, Isaiah Roby, James Palmer and Anton Gill) and two other Rivals150 recruits (Jordy Tshimanga and Nana Akenten), Copeland said the Huskers are going to surprise some people this season.
“We know a lot of people are doubting us, and we know what we have,” Copeland said. “We’re full of talent this year, probably the most we’ve had here in a while. We’re really excited. We just want to prove everybody wrong and show them what we’re made of really attack everybody this year.”
