Ever since he can remember, Sam Griesel has been a fan of Nebraska basketball.
A first-team Super-State selection as a senior at Lincoln (Neb.) East in 2018, Griesel always dreamt ofone day suiting up for the Huskers. But an NU offer never came out of high school, so the 6-foot-6, 220-pound guard eventually took his talents to North Dakota State.
Four years later, Griesel finally got his chance to turn that dream into a reality.
After entering his name into the NCAA transfer portal earlier this week as a graduate transfer, Griesel was immediately contacted by Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg. After a few phone conversations, the two met in-person on Wednesday.
Needless to say, the mutual interest between Griesel and his hometown school has heated up in a hurry.
“Obviously, being a hometown kid, I’m really excited about Nebraska,” Griesel said. “It’s been a dream of mine to be a Nebraska Cornhusker and play basketball here. I love the idea about Nebraska, but I’m trying to focus on not letting that cloud my judgment as far as when it comes to other schools, just because I want to make sure I’m doing what’s best for my future.”
A campus visit could be coming soon, which would go a long way in vaulting the Huskers up even higher on Griesel’s long list of potential transfer options.
Barely 24 hours after entering the portal, Griesel heard from Creighton, Ohio State, Penn State, Clemson, Virginia, Minnesota, Stanford, Northwestern, Colorado State, and several other programs.
But the draw to Nebraska goes well beyond Griesel’s local ties.
He started 25 of the 26 games he played this season and averaged 14.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and a team-high 3.4 assists per contest as North Dakota State’s primary point guard. All of that came despite a terrifying health scare he went through in November.
With 87 career starts under his belt, Griesel has all the experience, size, and versatility Hoiberg covets in his position-less system.
“Fred Hoiberg is a name that I’ve known for a long time and a name that’s well-known in the coaching business, and it’s really cool that he has NBA experience as a player and a coach,” Griesel said.
“I’ve watched Nebraska basketball for a really long time - not as much while playing for another school, obviously, but I know its a pro-style offense and spread out with ball screens and stuff like that, and it’s definitely something I could see myself playing in.”
Hoiberg got a front-row seat to see Griesel play when the Huskers topped the Bison 79-57 in the 2020 Golden Window Classic at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Then a junior, Griesel finished with nine points and 12 rebounds, including a game-high five offensive boards that helped lead to 24 second-chance points for NDSU.
After that game, Hoiberg gave some unsolicited praise for Griesel, calling him “a big, strong, 6-6 point guard that’s different for our guys” to defend.
Looking ahead, Griesel is in no rush in deciding where to play his final collegiate season. However, he’s already put in plenty of thought about what it would mean to potentially suit up for the Huskers.
“I’ve spent 18 years of my life in Lincoln, Nebraska, and I know kind of the narrative and the culture around Nebraska basketball,” Griesel said. “I want to be able to come in and change that as far as the off-the-court stuff and being a good leader by example for the team and the young guys, because I think I have a pretty unique perspective.
“Just to be able to lead the younger guys and give them that perspective and kind of start the change, if you will. It’s kind of a dream of mine at this point to be able to do that.
“I want to win. I want to change the narrative around Nebraska basketball. Obviously, it hasn’t been the most successful as far as wins and losses the past few years, and I want to help bring more wins to this university and to this team, and I’m willing to do anything and everything I can for those results.”
