With multiple family members in Nebraska, 2023 Bixby (Okla.) guard Parker Friedrichsen has probably been to Lincoln around 50 times in his life.
Three of his most recent trips have revolved around basketball, though, with the latest being an official visit to NU this past weekend.
The four-star top-100 prospect is no stranger to the area, and he's now had three on-campus meetings with the Husker coaching staff in four months.
But this weekend still managed to be unique from all the rest, as he was able to get his first look inside Pinnacle Bank Arena for Nebraska's charity exhibition win over Colorado on Sunday.
“(The visit) was different in that, as an official visit, it was obviously a lot more in-depth, and I got to spend a lot more time with the coaching staff and the guys,” Friedrichsen said. “I’d never been to Pinnacle Bank Arena, so to be able to go in there and watch a game with fans in the stands, it was really cool to see. It was a really good weekend.”
A 6-foot-4 native of St. Louis who has grown up in Tulsa, Okla., Friedrichsen averaged 27.1 points per game last season as a sophomore at Bixby and earned honorable-mention Oklahoma Class 6A (the highest level) all-state honors.
He also shot 42 percent from 3-point range and 84 percent from the free-throw line.
During his two previous visits in late June and early October, Friedrichsen said he’d seen plenty of film cut-ups of NU head coach Fred Hoiberg’s five-out offense.
But finally getting the chance to see it live hammered home all of the selling points Hoiberg and his staff had been pitching for how he would fit into their scheme.
“I’ve sat down and watched film with Coach Hoiberg a couple times now, and just to be able to watch the game and see in-person what I’ve seen on film was great," Friedrichsen said. "I was looking at how Keisei (Tominaga) gets open in transition, and how C.J. (Wilcher) got hot. For me, a lot of it was how they play in transition. It was nice to see that what I’d seen on film was what they actually do…
“Coach Hoiberg wasn’t getting frustrated with his guys for shooting. If you’re open, shoot it. Nobody really had a red light on them. It’s a great offensive system for sure.”
While Nebraska has been by far his most frequent stop, Friedrichsen and his family have been putting in serious miles on the recruiting trail since the extended dead period was finally lifted in June.
He’s taken unofficial visits to all four in-state schools - Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tulsa, and Oral Roberts - as well as North Carolina, Missouri, Iowa State, Virginia Tech, Liberty, and UTSA.
Friedrichsen has also been on official visits to Iowa and Purdue, and he has another scheduled to Creighton for Dec. 27-29. After that, the next step will be narrowing down his top schools.
“I feel like after Creighton I will have a good feeling about what my options are,” Friedrichsen said. “I’ve been to a lot of places and it’s been great to see all these coaches and schools and campuses. So I think sooner rather than later I’ll start narrowing down my list a little bit and focusing on the next steps.
“I don’t know how many (schools will be on the list), but I think it will be sooner rather than later.”
It shouldn’t be much of a surprise if Nebraska makes the cut, either.
“Just growing up around Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska is toward the top, for sure,” Friedrichsen said.
