While the rest of the country is busy playing in their conference tournaments, the Nebraska basketball team focuses instead on what comes next. More importantly, who will be on the next version of Hoiberg’s Heroes? As it turns out, guard Connor Essegian has an idea of at least one addition to the squad.
Essegian has been quite vocal on social media all season, showing a complete buy-in to the Husker culture since coming to Lincoln from Wisconsin. Now he’s wanting to put his own stamp on the program by bringing in a transfer player he knows quite well.
Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons star guard Jalen Jackson entered the transfer portal earlier this week and the Nebraska basketball long-range shooter would very much like Jackson to join him on the Cornhuskers. He made no secret of that when he posted on X: “Future Cornhusker??? Need yall help by showing love to my boy Husker Nation,” while tagging Jackson in the Mastodon’s transfer announcement.
Nebraska basketball's Connor Essegian has a future teammate in mind
This kind of thing isn’t all that unusual when talking about former teammates, but the two have never really been teammates in high school or college. It does appear the two know each other from their high school days in Fort Waye, Indiana.
Essegian, who played for Central Noble is looking to land Jackson, who starred for Northrop High before originally taking his talents to Illinois-Chicago. After one season with the Flames, he moved over to IPFW and averaged 19.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game in 2024-25. The guard was the leading scorer in the Horizon League.
If Essegian has made his desires known on social media, you’ve got to assume he’s also talked to his head coach and the administration with the Nebraska basketball team about Jalen Jackson. Whether the Huskers make a real push for him in the wake of departures like Brice Williams will be interesting to watch.