Nebraska has secured a commitment from Arizona State grad transfer Alonzo Verge Jr.
The 6-foot-2 guard from Chicago fills the void left by Dalano Banton’s decision to remain in the 2021 NBA Draft. Verge averaged 14.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 39.1% from the field, 33.3% from 3 and 80.9% from the free-throw line.
“Alonzo is a combo guard who has played at a high level,” Coach Fred Hoiberg said in a release after Verge signed with Nebraska. “Offensively, he is an explosive scorer who can score at all three levels and can also distribute. He made improvements in both his free-throw and 3-point shooting last year, while ranking among the Pac-12 leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio. He is also a very good rebounder for his size, and I think his skill set meshes with the other perimeter players in our program.”
In 2019-20, Verge averaged 14.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 43.8% from the field, 28.9% from 3 and 73.7% from the foul line while earning Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year honors. In Arizona State’s 96-56 loss to Saint Mary’s on Dec. 18, 2019, Verge exploded for 43 points off the bench. He shot 18-of-29 from the field and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe while his teammates combined to shoot 5-of-35 from the field and 1-of-2 from the line.
Verge recorded 12 20-point games in his two seasons in Tempe and the 43-point outing is the fourth-most points in a game by a Sun Devil. He dropped 28 points, eight rebounds and four assists in his final game at Arizona State, though he shot just 2-of-11 from 3.
Verge spent his first two seasons at Mobley Area Community College where he averaged 26.7 points, 7.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 51% from the field, 39.2% from 3 and 75.6% from the free-throw line in 60 games. He earned NJCAA All-America recognition both seasons.
As a senior at Thornton High School in Chicago, Verge averaged 26 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
Verge’s addition adds to a deep backcourt including veterans Trey McGowens and Kobe Webster, 5-star recruit Bryce McGowens and other newcomers Keisei Tominaga, C.J. Wilcher, Keon Edwards and Quaran McPherson.
With Verge, Nebraska is at 14 scholarship players, but Webster and Trevor Lakes don’t count toward the 13-scholarship limit as returning seniors.
