When it comes to height, NU faces an uphill climb

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BY BRIAN ROSENTHAL / Lincoln Journal Star

Doc Sadler has been here before.

Yes, the Nebraska men’s basketball coach knows what it’s like to steer a team of height-challenged players.

Then the coach at Arkansas-Fort Smith, Sadler coached what he said was a big basketball team. But, for a variety of reasons, he changed philosophies midway through the season.

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Doc Sadler (LJS file)

Doc Sadler (LJS file)

“We just decided to go with a small team,” Sadler said.

How small?

The eight-to-nine-player rotation included no players taller than 6-foot-2. The Lions’ center stood 6-1.

“That’s the first time I started playing around with playing full court and trapping in the half court,” Sadler said, “doing a lot of different things.”

UA-Fort Smith went undefeated in its league, won its region and went 3-1 at the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan. The Lions won 30 games.

“Probably one of the best years I’ve spent coaching,” Sadler said, “because it allowed me to do some things that I had never done before. It really helped me become a more well-rounded coach, playing a different style.”

That experience is coming in handy this season, as Sadler, who enters his third season at Nebraska, is replacing departed center Aleks Maric with, uh, well …

“We’re going to miss big Al a lot, obviously,” said 6-8 junior Chris Balham, who will play Maric’s position. “But that’s life, I guess. It happens.”

Balham isn’t a true center, but he’s the tallest player in NU’s starting lineup.

Now, about that UA-Fort Smith team …

“I had a guy who could really guard the ball — really guard the ball. And all of them had great basketball IQs,” Sadler said.

“This team’s a lot like them. This team’s getting better at it, but that team really played off each other defensively, and knew were people would be, and how to help. They’d switch sometimes. They just played.”

Will what Sadler did with UA-Fort Smith work at the Big 12 level? Perhaps this is the season to find out, as the conference, aside from front-runners Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, is lacking many established big men.

“I’m not as fearful as others might be of not having Aleks Maric,” Nebraska senior guard Ade Dagunduro said. “Obviously, he’s a huge loss. You can’t replace a guy like that, but we’re looking forward to being good this year.

“We still have Chris Balham, even though he’s not as big as Aleks Maric. We are going to count on him for some productivity. And our guards. We’ve got strong guards, man, and depth at that position.”

Sadler has said he’ll play, at times, with five guards. Many assume that means Nebraska will play a faster tempo and run up and down the court, although that’s only effective if the Huskers are able to rebound on the defensive end.

Junior Ryan Anderson, one of four returning starters, knows as well as any Husker about dealing with taller players. The 6-4 Anderson is a shooting guard but has played in the front court throughout much of his first two seasons in Lincoln.

“It’s something you’ve got to do,” Anderson said. “It’s hard to guard those big guys down there, man. It’s a battle, to box out somebody like that. But it comes with the territory, you know?

“There’s not really much you can say about it. We’re small. We’ve been small, probably, since I’ve been here.”

While the Husker guards will be asked to guard bigger forwards, the size discrepancy could, at times, work in Nebraska’s favor on the other end.

“It’s going to be a disadvantage for us on defense,” Dagunduro said, “but it’s also going to be an advantage for us on offense. Having 7-footers coming out to guard our guards on the perimeter, it’s going to be tough on them as well.”

And, as Balham said, almost everybody “can stroke it pretty good.” That includes freshman Bear Jones, who’s trying to play through a foot injury.

“We’ll just ride that horse as long as he’ll ride,” Sadler said, “and hopefully we’ll get through the whole season with him.”

And without a big man.

“The will of a person to win can outweigh the height and stats,” Anderson said. “The will of wanting to win is stronger than being at a disadvantage height-wise.”

Reach Brian Rosenthal at 473-7436 or brosenthal@journalstar.com.