Incoming Nebraska freshman Logan Nissley didn’t always have the Huskers as her top option while being recruited.
The program itself wasn’t a problem — the top-100 prospect knew she liked Nebraska’s coaching staff. Location, however, dissuaded the North Dakota native at first.
“Honestly, when I was going through my recruiting process, I really wanted to get out of the Midwest,” Nissley said Tuesday on Huskers Radio Network. “I didn’t want to stay here. I wanted to kind of branch out.”
That changed on a trip to Omaha for her brother’s baseball tournament. She said her parents suggested a visit, which she agreed to. Even without meeting any of the players, Nissley seeing the facilities and talking to coaches was enough to sway her opinion.
“Going through my visit with all of the coaches there, just telling me how much of a family aspect their team is,” Nissley said. “And then kind of explained to me how they do things and just talking to coach Amy (Williams) and (Tandem) Mays and then coach Tom Goehle at the time. It was just such an incredible feeling.”
She valued that coaches not only talked about how good she was as an athlete, but emphasized that they want to help her grow as a person too.
On the court, she’ll have a chance to factor into the rotation quickly. The guard is coming off a fantastic high school career in which she was North Dakota’s Gatorade Player of the Year three times. Listed at six feet tall, she’ll be one of Nebraska’s tallest guards, but her 3-point shooting ability might be her biggest strength.
On her own Huskers Radio Network appearance last week, head coach Amy Williams called Nissley one of the best shooters she’s ever recruited. In her sophomore and junior years, she shot over 45% from beyond the arc. The guard said she’d go to the gym with her dad early in the mornings and would have to make 10 threes from different spots behind the arc before she could leave.
“I found love in shooting the ball. Obviously I love the game of basketball, that’s probably my favorite part,” she said. “Just seeing like how the crowd and the team lights up when a 3 goes in, or making a big play like that, I think that brings energy up and just kind of lights up the room and an arena, especially like PBA, I’m really excited to play in there.”
There will be plenty of opportunity for shooting on this roster. Nebraska shot more 3s per game than any other Big Ten team last year, ranking in the top 25 nationally. The Huskers might look for a little more balance on offense this coming season, but they’ll likely still shoot 3s at a high volume.
It won’t necessarily be easy for Nissley to carve out a spot in the backcourt, given what the team already has there. Jaz Shelley, Allison Weidner and Maddie Krull were all starters last season, and incoming Montana State transfer Darian White is expected to have a significant role along with those three. Callin Hake, Kendall Moriarty and guard/forward Kendall Coley have each spent at least a season with the program off the bench.
In hoping to make an immediate impact, Nissley is looking to show her skills in practices with confidence.
“Our coaches are big on energy and big on communication,” she said. “So just not being a little scared freshman that is stereotypical for college. I think just getting out of my box a little bit and helping in whatever way they need me.”
Of course, Nissley and the rest of the team are looking to win, helping the team get back into the NCAA Tournament. Between basketball and volleyball, the freshman won multiple state championships in North Dakota. She said she told her parents years ago that she wanted to win, and that’s a mentality she’ll carry into college.
“I want to win championships. I want to be a national champion,” Nissley said. “And then whatever conference at that time I was wanting to be in, but now it’s about like being a Big Ten champion, helping my team be as successful as they can be.”
