Lincoln - Jaz Shelley became the first Husker graduate chosen in the WNBA Draft since 2014, when the three-time All-Big Ten guard was selected by the Phoenix Mercury with the 29th overall pick in the third round on Monday night.

Shelley, a 5-9 graduate student from Moe, Australia, averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and team highs of 5.7 assists and 1.6 steals as a senior in helping the Huskers advance to the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament after playing their way into the Big Ten Championship Game.

Shelley follows 2014 Big Ten Player of the Year and first-team All-American Jordan Hooper, who was the No. 13 overall pick as the first pick of the second round by the Tulsa Shock. Hooper went on to spend four seasons in the WNBA as part of her nine-year professional career. Shelley becomes the seventh Nebraska graduate and ninth former Husker overall to be chosen in the WNBA Draft. She was one of three Australians and one of seven Big Ten Conference players selected in the 36-player draft.

In her three-year Nebraska career, Shelley finished 16th on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,364 points. She also finished fifth in career assists (565) and fourth in career three-pointers made (244) in 100 career games with 99 starts as a Husker.

Shelley turned her game to a higher level late in her senior season, averaging 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists in four games at the Big Ten Tournament, including a huge 30-point, nine-assist effort in a semifinal victory over Maryland (March 9). She added a double-double with 16 points and 13 assists in an overtime loss to No. 3 Iowa in the championship game to earn a spot on the 2024 Big Ten All-Tournament Team.

Earlier in the season, Shelley was named Nebraska's first Associated Press National Player of the Week after going for 23 points and five assists in an 82-79 win over No. 2 Iowa (Feb. 11).

Shelley finished with 13 double-doubles in her Husker career, including a pair of triple-doubles.

A long-time member of the Australian National Team program, Shelley was the only collegian to play for the Opals at the 2021 Asia Cup.  She was chosen to the 23-player Australian Senior National Team in 2020. She was a member of the Australian U17 team that won the 2016 FIBA World Championship after a semifinal win over the United States. Shelley had 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists against the USA. She also helped the Australian U19 team to silver at the 2017 FIBA Women's World Cup by averaging 10.6 points and 3.6 assists, including 26 points and five three-pointers in a win over Russia.

The past two summers, Shelley participated in the NBA Student-Athlete Summit.

Nebraska Graduates in the WNBA Draft
2024 - Jaz Shelley, 3rd Round (No. 29 Overall), Phoenix Mercury
2014 - Jordan Hooper, 2nd Round (No. 13 Overall), Tulsa Shock
2013 - Lindsey Moore, 1st Round (No. 12 Overall), Minnesota Lynx
2010 - Kelsey Griffin, 1st Round (No. 3 Overall), Minnesota Lynx
2010 - Cory Montgomery, 3rd Round (No. 25 Overall), New York Liberty
2007 - Kiera Hardy, 3rd Round (No. 39 Overall), Connecticut Sun
2000 - Nicole Kubik, 1st Round (No. 15 Overall), LA Sparks

2024 WNBA Draft
First Round
1. Caitlin Clark, 6-0, Iowa - Indiana Fever
2. Cameron Brink, 6-4, Stanford - LA Sparks
3. Kamilla Cardoso, 6-7, South Carolina - Chicago Sky
4. Rickea Jackson, 6-2, Tennessee - LA Sparks
5. Jacy Sheldon, 5-10, Ohio State - Dallas Wings
6. Aaliyah Edwards, 6-3, UConn - Washington Mystics
7. Angel Reese, 6-3, LSU - Chicago Sky
8. Alissa Pili, 6-2, Utah - Minnesota Lynx
9. Carla Leite, 5-9, France - Dallas Wings
10. Leila Lecan, 5-11, France - Connecticut Sun
11. Marquesha Davis, 6-0, Ole Miss - New York Liberty
12. Nyadiew Puoch, 6-1, Australia - Atlanta Dream

Second Round
13. Brynna Maxwell, 6-0, Gonzaga - Chicago Sky
14. Nika Muhl, 5-11, UConn - Seattle Storm
15. Celeste Taylor, 5-11, Ohio State - Indiana Fever
16. Dyaisha Fair, 5-5, Syracuse - Las Vegas Aces
17. Esmery Martinez, 6-2, Arizona - New York Liberty
18. Kate Martin, 6-0, Iowa - Las Vegas Aces
19. Taiyanna Jackson, 6-6, Kansas - Connecticut Sun
20. Isobel Borlase, 5-11, Australia - Atlanta Dream
21. Kaylynne Truong, 5-8, Gonzaga - Washington Mystics
22. Helena Pueyo, 6-0, Arizona - Connecticut Sun
23. Jessika Carter, 6-5, Mississippi State - New York Liberty
24. Elizabeth Kitley, 6-6, Virginia Tech - Las Vegas Aces

Third Round
25. Charisma Osborne, 5-9, UCLA, Phoenix Mercury
26. Mackenzie Holmes, 6-3, Indiana - Seattle Storm
27. Leilani Correa, 6-0, Florida - Indiana Fever
28. McKenzie Forbes, 6-0, USC - LA Sparks
29. Jaz Shelley, 5-9, Nebraska - Phoenix Mercury
30. Nastja Claessens, 6-0, Belgium - Washington Mystics
31. Kiki Jefferson, 6-1, Louisville - Minnesota Lynx
32. Matilde Villa, 5-7, Italy - Atlanta Dream
33. Ashley Owusu, 6-0, Penn State - Dallas Wings
34. Abbey Hsu, 5-11, Columbia - Connecticut Sun
35. Kaitlyn Davis, 6-2, USC - New York Liberty
36. Angel Jackson, 6-6, Jackson State - Las Vegas Aces

MCCONNAUGHEY NAMED BIG TEN PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Sophomore Mason McConnaughey has been named the Big Ten’s Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced Monday afternoon.

McConnaughey moved to 4-2 on the season after shutting out the Big Ten’s top offense across seven innings in Nebraska's 16-1 win at Rutgers. The sophomore matched his career high with nine strikeouts and worked around six singles, allowing just one baserunner to reach third base.

With the seven shutout innings, McConnaughey picked up his second quality start of the season. It also marked Nebraska’s second consecutive weekly accolade after Brett Sears earned recognition last week.

HUSKERS ADD DANISH NATIONAL TEAM MEMBER RIMDAL

The Nebraska women's basketball program has added transfer Alberte Rimdal (pronounced al-BER-tay RIM-dahl) to its roster for the 2024-25 season, after the Danish National Team member completed her transfer paperwork on Saturday, April 13.

Rimdal, a 5-9 guard from Koge, Denmark (pronounced Koo), is expected to have one season of eligibility remaining after spending her first three collegiate seasons at the University of Florida where she started a total of 50 games for the Gators the past two seasons. Rimdal scored in double figures 27 times in 96 career games for the Gators, averaging 6.8 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists in her three seasons. A consistent three-point threat, Rimdal hit 33.7 percent (114-338) of her threes and 89.3 percent (67-75) of her free throws at Florida.

"We are thrilled to add Alberte to our Husker family," Nebraska Head Coach Amy Williams said. "She is a great fit both on and off the basketball court. She is an experienced, high IQ, skilled athlete who makes great decisions. She can impact a game in several ways, and her versatility will be extremely valuable for our team."

As a junior in 2023-24, Rimdal made 17 starts while playing in 30 of Florida's 32 games. She averaged 7.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists while hitting 37-of-116 three-pointers (.319). She scored a season-high 20 points at Gardner-Webb (Dec. 17), as one of 10 double-figure scoring efforts on the season. Rimdal added 13 points against Florida State (Nov. 17), Michigan (Dec. 20) and at Mississippi State (Feb. 11), while pitching in 12 points against Mississippi State (Jan. 22) and Missouri (March 6), and 11 at Tennessee (Jan. 11). She contributed 10-point games at Georgia Tech (Nov. 29) and at Alabama (Feb. 29).

As a sophomore in 2022-23, Rimdal started 33 of 34 games for the Gators while averaging career bests of 8.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists. She knocked down 38.2 percent (50-131) of her three-point attempts while connecting on 89.4 percent (42-47) of her free throws in 28.1 minutes per game for a Florida team that finished 19-15 and advanced to the Postseason WNIT quarterfinals. She produced 12 games in double figures as a sophomore, including a career-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field to go with a career-high five assists against Tennessee (Dec. 29, 2022). Rimdal added 19 points and a season-best four three-pointers against Furman (Nov. 21, 2022), while adding four more threes to finish with 12 points against Georgia (Jan. 8, 2023).

Rimdal also earned a spot on the Denmark National Team for the 2023 Mitsui Fudosan Cup, a three-game series between Denmark and Japan at Takasaki Arena (June 16-18).

Rimdal's sophomore season followed her first year at Florida in 2021-22, when she averaged 4.5 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 32 games off the bench. She went a perfect 16-for-16 at the free throw line and connected on 27-of-91 three-pointers (.297) to earn a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team.

She was named the USBWA National Freshman of the Week (Jan. 25, 2022) after back-to-back scintillating shooting efforts at Alabama (Jan. 16) and Kentucky (Jan. 20). Rimdal went 6-for-6 from the field, including 5-for-5 from three-point range on her way to 17 points in 23 minutes at Alabama. She matched her career high with five more threes on 5-of-6 shooting to finish with 15 points at Kentucky, before adding six points against LSU (Jan. 23), including a make on her only three-point attempt. For the week (Jan. 16-23), Rimdal went 11-for-12 from three-point range.

Rimdal finished with five games in double figures as a freshman.

Rimdal came to the United States with extensive international experience, competing in Denmark's national team program since she was 15 and playing in over 50 countries at the national level. She averaged 13.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists at the 2019 U18 European Championships, after averaging 18.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists at the FIBA U16 Women's European Championships in 2018. She was chosen twice to participate in the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp, including 2019 when she was named the all-star game MVP and the three-point champion.

HUSKERS ADD BISON BIG MAN TO ROSTER

The Nebraska men’s basketball program added an all-conference performer to its 2024-25 roster with the addition of North Dakota State transfer Andrew Morgan. 

A 6-foot-10, 245-pound forward from Waseca, Minn., Morgan comes to Nebraska after starting the last two seasons at North Dakota State. He totaled 860 points and 402 rebounds in 85 contests during his tenure with the Bison. He has one season of eligibility remaining. 

According to Coach Fred Hoiberg, Morgan’s combination of size and skill fit what the Huskers were looking for in helping bolster their frontcourt. 

“Andrew fits exactly what are looking for and is a perfect fit for our offensive and defensive system.” Hoiberg said. “He is a physical presence in the paint and can stretch the defense with his ability to shoot.’

Morgan started 29 of 32 contests in 2023-24, averaging 12.9 points per game on 56 percent shooting and 5.0 rebounds per game en route to All-Summit League second team accolades. Morgan ranked among Summit League leaders in scoring (15th), rebounding (16th) and free throw percentage (.703, ninth). Morgan had 22 double-figure games this past season, including four 20-point outings. He had a season-high 31 points against Kansas City and posted double-doubles against Western Michigan (12 points, 13 rebounds) and against Oral Roberts (14 points, 13 rebounds). 

As a sophomore, Morgan made 30 starts and averaged 10.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as the Bison reached the title game of the 2023 Summit League Tournament. He was second on the team in rebounding and third in scoring, including a season-high 29-point effort on 11-of-16 shooting against Kansas City. He also had 24 points and 13 rebounds in a win over South Dakota State. Morgan played in 21 games as a freshman, averaging 5.3 points on 63 percent shooting and 3.3 rebounds per game. 

Morgan was ranked in the top 250 nationally by Prep Hoops as a senior, as he helped Waseca High School to a 23-1 record and a Class 2A state title for Coach Seth Anderson. A finalist for Mr. Basketball in Minnesota in 2021, he was a second-team all-state performer as a senior and averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds per game during his junior season.  Morgan played AAU ball for the Minnesota Heat.