Nebraska basketball coach Fred Hoiberg met with the media on Monday to deliver some updates on what he’s seen during summer workouts. He also shared who is standing out as the Huskers prepare for an encore season following the program’s best campaign in its long history.
Chief among the updates and talk about who and what is standing out this summer, Hoiberg offered a couple of injury updates on key players. Pryce Sandfort and Connor Essegian are both on their way back from injuries with different degrees of severity. He talked to the media about both and when and if the Cornhuskers can expect them back for the 2026 season.
In regard to Essegian, Nebraska went most of the 2025-26 season without the guard who would have been much-needed depth off the bench as the season wore on. At the end of November, Essegian suffered a knee injury in a game against Winthrop and was almost immediately ruled out for the rest of the campaign.
"I feel awful for Connor because of all the work he puts in and things he provides our team both on and off the court," Hoiberg said at the time. "With an injury like this, we don't want to rush Connor back without him being 100 percent, so we have made the decision to shut him down for the rest of the season, and he will apply for a medical hardship."
Connor Essegian and Pryce Sandfort give Nebraska basketball major health boost
Thanks to the new five-for-five eligibility rule, the veteran guard doesn’t need the hardship waiver to get another year. This is his fifth year in college basketball and would be his last either way. On that note, Hoiberg delivered good news: “Connor is full go - it’s great to have him back out there.”
Sandfort had offseason surgery not long after Nebraska’s season came to a close in the Sweet Sixteen. While he’s not quite as all the way back as his teammate, Hoiberg doesn’t see any reason to be worried about the dead-eye from deep being 100% once fall practices officially start, and he will definitely be all the way back when the season tips off.
“We’re going to hold him out of live play this week,” Hoiberg said. “And next week, if he feels good, which we anticipate he will, we’ll get him back out there with no restriction.”
Essegian got off to a rough start last season before getting injured seven games into the season. His early-season slump saw him hit just 31% from the field and 25% from 3-point land. However, now that he’s fully healthy and ready to go, he’s expected to return to at least close to the player who averaged 10.7 points per game in his first season with Nebraska while hitting nearly 40% of his shots from deep.
Sandfort, on the other hand, had a breakout season after transferring over from Iowa. He scored 18.1 points per game and hit 41% from beyond the arc. There were concerns he’d depart Nebraska for the NBA Draft, but in the end he decided to return for at least one more go-around.
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