Of note: Kendall Coley is a first-of-her-kind player for the Nebraska women’s basketball team, having graduated from high school a few months early and joining the Huskers about two months into their season in mid-January. She did so because the high school season in Minneapolis was delayed due to the pandemic, and she could play this season for the Huskers and not lose a year of eligibility due to the NCAA’s pandemic exception for all players. At least 10 other players in the nation graduated high school early and joined the teams at Minnesota, UConn, Oregon State, UCLA and Iowa State. On Wednesday, Coley returned to her hometown when the Huskers played Minnesota and had the best game of her seven appearances. She scored six points, making both three-pointers she attempted.
“We had talked about (coming early) a little bit back in November, but then we weren’t really sure how the logistics of how it would work, so then it kind of went away. And then when I heard about the girl who graduated early and went to Minnesota, Katie Borowicz, I called the coaches and I asked them if there was any way we could do that because it was a thing.
“I was really excited to get here. The (high school) season for Minnesota was not super-certain, if they would let it happen or if it would end up going all of the way through just with all of the COVID stuff. It was sometimes borderline shaky in Minneapolis with the higher (COVID-19) numbers. So it was just nice to come here and get ahead in training and get to know the team, and it’s been a really fun experience.
“It’s going good. The girls have all been really nice and they’ve made the adjustment super-easy, just coming to a new place and in a totally different environment.
“(I’m glad I came early). I like being here, and I like being around the girls. I love playing basketball, and it's fun to be exposed to this next level and all of the fun competition.
“It’s been difficult, to say the least, just coming in the middle of the season, and I know everybody has been in the system. But the girls have all been really helpful and they’ll answer all of my questions and they make it easier.
“At the beginning, I’d stay after practice and the coaches would run through extra plays with me. And some days before practice I’ll come in with one of the coaches and we’ll run through stuff and get some extra work in. I’ve got about 80% of it down.
“As of right now, the offensive side is tougher just because there is so many different things that go on, whether it’s transition offense or running a set play or getting a quick score late in the shot clock or sideline plays or baseline plays. Whereas defense, it’s like, ‘You’re not going to score on me.’
“Playing is getting better as it goes. When I go in the game, we run the plays that I know, so there is not much to think about. The thinking part is more the focus. Focusing on the game plan and what we have to do.
“I’ve learned a lot about just all of the work and energy and time that gets put into it. It’s a different perspective, just balancing school, that you didn’t realize how much school there was, and not having a lot of free time. It’s an adjustment, but when I started doing it, I just became more and more impressed by the girls that I was around and how they’ve been managing this and they still have good grades and they still perform on the basketball court really well.â€