The February 2021 issue of Hail Varsity hits mailboxes and newsstands this week. To preview the issue, here’s is the letter from editor Mike Babcock in the issue. Make sure you don’t miss any of our Husker coverage––including 11 issues a year and premium online content––by subscribing today.
Any issue including a Creedence Clearwater Revival reference deserves immediate consideration, to my way of thinking. And we’ve got it here.
Derek Peterson includes that in his profile of Husker women’s basketball player Mi’Cole Cayton, a transfer from California who has battled knee injuries to get back on the court. Her determination has paid off. She got back on the court—the first time at Nebraska—in late January against Illinois.
Her story is inspirational, and you’ll find the CCR reference reading it.
After upsets of three ranked opponents early in Big Ten play, Coach Amy Williams’ team struggled some, losing four in a row to drop to 9-9, including 7-8 in the conference.
Nebraska guard Mi’Cole Cayton on the Feb. 2021 cover of Hail Varsity
The men’s team was out of action because of COVID-19 following a Jan. 10 loss to Indiana until Feb. 6, when it returned to face a schedule of eight games through Feb. 20, including on back-to-back nights at Maryland. Coach Fred Hoiberg’s team won the fifth of the eight at Penn State, 62-61, to snap a school-record 26-game conference losing streak.
Another positive note, just before we were preparing to go to the printer, the Huskers got a commitment from a big man, about whom Jacob Padilla provides details in Hot Reads.
What would you consider a successful football season for Scott Frost’s fourth team in 2021? How about seven wins? Also in Hot Reads, managing editor Brandon Vogel points out “win probabilities” indicate a seven-win season for Nebraska, with Michigan among the seven wins.
Volleyball continues as the Huskers’ high-profile, nationally prominent sport. Coach John Cook’s team was off to a 6-0 start, with a No. 4 national ranking, as it prepared for back-to-back weekend two-match series against No. 5 Minnesota in Lincoln followed by a trip to No. 1 Wisconsin.
Jacob provides a Q&A with freshman Keonilei Akana, only the second Husker volleyball player from Hawaii, as well as a volleyball notebook. There’s a volleyball photo spread, too.
Greg Smith has a Q&A as well, with DaWon Baker, the Nebraska athletic department’s Diversity & Inclusion Director—Life Skills & Enrichment. In his notebook, Greg also offers an opinion on where Husker football recruiting might be headed. Hint, 12 of 23 members in the 2021 recruiting class are from the Midwest, most prominently tight end Thomas Fidone from Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Former Huskers Ndamukong Suh and Lavonte David played prominent roles on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Super Bowl champions—Khalil Davis was also a Buc—and Brandon and Erin Sorensen talked with Barrett Ruud, Josh Mitchell, Blake Lawrence and Mike Ekeler about them during their time at Nebraska.
There’s more, of course. Do you remember Tom Pate? How about Wally Winter?
It’s all in this issue, including that wave to CCR.
