Nebraska announced the addition of two new Huskers on Wednesday as junior college guard Keisei Tominaga and high school big man Wilhelm Breidenbach both signed on the first day of the early singing period.
Tominaga, a 6-foot-2, 176-pound shooting guard from Moriyama Nagoya Aichi, Japan, is a sophomore at Ranger College in Texas. He committed to Fred Hoiberg on Thanksgiving Day of 2019.
Playing for Coach Billy Gillespie, Tominaga led Ranger to a 28-3 record last season while averaging 16.8 points per game. He was one of the best shooters in junior college basketball last season, shooting 47.9% on over 200 attempts as a freshman. He shot 45.9% overall from the field and 85.5% from the free-throw line.
Tominaga is the first Japanese player to sign with Nebraska basketball, and he comes from good basketball stock as his father, Hiroyuki, played professionally for a decade and competed with the Japanese national team in 1998 FIBA World Championship. As a senior, he averaged 39.8 points for Sakuragaoka Gakuen High School at the All-Japan Championship, a run that featured a 46-point explosion in the third-place game.
Tominaga also has extensive national team experience, making his debut with the U16 team in the 2017 Asian Championships where he averaged 17.5 points per game. He competed with the U-18 team at the 2018 Asian Championships and was fifth among all scorers in the event at 19.7 points per game. In August of 2017, Tominaga was named to Japan’s B National Team, consisting of some of the top prospects in the country.
“Keisei is one of the more unique signees in program history, and we are excited to add him to our team,” Coach Fred Hoiberg said in a release. “He’s nicknamed ‘the Japanese Steph Curry’ and is truly an elite 3-point shooter with unlimited range and a quick release. Keisei will make an immediate impact not only with his shooting, but also in floor spacing, as it will help us create driving lanes for others.”
The second signee, Breidenbach, hails from Santa Ana, California and has been a starter for powerhouse program Mater Dei since his freshman year. The 6-foot-9, 210-pound forward is ranked 90th overall in the 247Sports Composite, though ESPN has him at No. 53 nationally.
As a junior, Breidenbach averaged 11.9 points and 8.0 rebounds for a 25-8 squad while playing alongside 5-star point guard Devin Askew, now a freshman at Kentucky. He was even more productive as a sophomore, averaging 12.4 points and 8.8 rebounds as the Monarchs went 25-9. Breidenbach is a skilled forward capable of finishing with either hand around the basket as well as stepping out to shoot from the perimeter and he’s notched 16 double doubles, showcasing the motor he has on the glass.
“Wilhelm brings a skill set that translates well to the up-tempo system we play,” Hoiberg said. “He runs the floor well, has the ability to play inside out and is a physical player who can easily step out to the perimeter and stretch the defense. One of the things that stands out when you watch him is his energy level he plays with. He is relentless and is not afraid to make the hustle plays that help his team win.”
Tominaga and Breidenbach fill the only two open scholarships Nebraska is currently set to have for 2021-22, but the Huskers aren’t done recruiting yet. Five-star guard Bryce McGowens, the younger brother of Nebraska junior Trey McGowens and close friend of Nebraska freshman Elijah Wood, will announce his commitment on Friday. He’s deciding between Nebraska and Georgia, and if he chooses the Huskers, the coaching staff will have to make some room before he arrives. The Huskers can over-sign if they need to so long as they get down below the limit before the recruiting class arrives on campus.
Jacob Padilla has been writing for Hail Varsity since 2015. He covers football, volleyball men’s basketball and prep sports. He also co-hosts the Nebraska Preps Postgame and Nebraska Shootaround podcasts for the Hurrdat Media and Hail Varsity podcast networks. His love of basketball can best be described as an obsession and if you need to find him, he’s probably in a gym somewhere watching, coaching or playing hoops.
