Four players with ties to the state of Nebraska invited to NBA Draft Combine
Updated: 4:07 PM CDT May 2, 2025
LOSS TO TOP SEEDED AUBURN ON SATURDAY MARKS THE END OF AN ERA FOR BLUEJAY BASKETBALL. AFTER FIVE SEASONS. RYAN KALKBRENNER, ONE OF THE MOST DECORATED PLAYERS IN CREIGHTON’S HISTORY, CLOSES THE CURTAIN ON HIS COLLEGE CAREER. OUR MATT SOTTILE WENT ONE ON ONE WITH KALKBRENNER AFTER THE LOSS. LOOKING BACK ON WHO I WAS AS A FRESHMAN AND WHO I AM NOW, LIKE I COULDN’T, COULDN’T ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE FROM MAT, FROM THIS PROGRAM, FROM MY TEAMMATES. LIKE IT’S BEEN AN AMAZING RIDE AND ALL OF THAT’S CREDIT TO THEM BECAUSE I COULD I WOULDN’T BE WHO I AM TODAY WITHOUT ANY OF THEM. WHAT DID MACK SAY TO YOU IN THE MOMENTS AFTER THIS ONE? YEAH, GAVE ME A HUG. SAID IT’S BEEN A JOY COACHING YOU FOR FIVE YEARS. HE SAID, I CAN’T WAIT TO MEET GREGORY JUNIOR IN THE FUTURE. I SAID, RACHEL’S NOT GOING FOR THAT ONE. MAT. BUT YEAH, I MEAN, THIS THIS IS JUST ME AND MACK’S RELATIONSHIP. LIKE HE’S REALLY A FATHER FIGURE TO ME. AND YOU KNOW, I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING MY KIDS IN THE FUTURE. YOU KNOW, KNOW HIM AND GRANDPA MACK OVER THERE. BUT, YEAH, HE’S HE’S MEANT THE WORLD TO ME. WHAT’S YOUR SALES PITCH TO PEOPLE WHO MAYBE DON’T KNOW CREIGHTON OR WHAT THIS LOCKER ROOM IS LIKE, OR WHAT THE BONDS ARE WITH THESE GUYS. STUFF OFF THE COURT. I MEAN, ESPECIALLY IN TODAY’S DAY AND AGE WITH N.I.L AND TRANSFER PORTAL, THERE CAN BE A LOT OF EGOS OR SELF-SERVING INTERESTS. YEAH, NONE OF THAT IN THIS LOCKER ROOM. AND IT’S TRULY LIKE A FAMILY. AND THAT’S WHAT MAKES IT TRULY, TRULY SPECIAL. EXPERIENCE. HAS IT HIT YOU YET THAT THIS IS IT? NO, NO, NOT YET. BUT I’M GLAD THAT I WAS ABLE TO HAVE THE MINDSET ALL YEAR, YOU KNOW, TAKING IT IN BECAUSE I KNOW IT’S MY LAST YEAR. AND, YOU KNOW, I CAN HONESTLY LOOK BACK ON IT WITH NO REGRETS. I GIVE MY ALL I KNOW MY TEAM GAVE MY ALL FOR ME AND FOR EACH OTHER. SO I JUST I’M JUST HAPPY IT HAPPENED. WHAT KIND OF A PLACE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE LEAVING THIS PROGRAM IN? AND PUTTING IT IN THE HANDS OF THE GUYS AFTER YOU? IT’S IN GREAT HANDS, MAN. LIKE TY, JACK, JASON, SHANE, THOMAS, ALL THOSE GUYS. LIKE, THEY’LL BE FINE. WE TALK A LOT ABOUT HOW OUR CULTURE MAKES US SUCCESSFUL, AND ALL THOSE GUYS ARE ABOUT THAT, AND THEY’RE GOING TO KEEP THIS CULTURE GOING AND THEY’RE GOING TO KEEP WINNING JUST BECAUSE THEY’RE ALWAYS ABOUT THE RIGHT THINGS. THEY WANT TO GET BETTER. THEY THEY COME TO PRACTICE EVERY DAY WITH THE RIGHT MINDSET OF DOING IT FOR EACH OTHER, NOT FOR THEMSELVES. SO THEY’RE GOING TO BE JUST FINE. RYAN, CONGRATULATIONS ON A
Four players with ties to the state of Nebraska invited to NBA Draft Combine
Updated: 4:07 PM CDT May 2, 2025
Four players with ties to the state of Nebraska were invited to the NBA Draft Combine.Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner and Nebraska’s Brice Williams received invites Friday to the event, which will be held from May 11-18 in Chicago.Millard North grad Hunter Sallis and Omaha Central grad John Tonje were also invited to the combine.Kalkbrenner led the Big East in blocked shots per game with 2.7, rebounds per game with 8.7, and field goal percentage with .653. The 7-foot-1 center joined Patrick Ewing as the second four-time winner of the Big East Defensive Player of the Year.Williams became the first Nebraska men’s basketball player since 2018 to earn first team All-Big Ten honors. He averaged a league-high 20.7 points per game with 4.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in conference play.Sallis averaged 18.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in 32 games as a senior for Wake Forest.Tonje led the Badgers to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, averaging 19.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
OMAHA, Neb. —
Four players with ties to the state of Nebraska were invited to the NBA Draft Combine.
Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner and Nebraska’s Brice Williams received invites Friday to the event, which will be held from May 11-18 in Chicago.
Millard North grad Hunter Sallis and Omaha Central grad John Tonje were also invited to the combine.
Kalkbrenner led the Big East in blocked shots per game with 2.7, rebounds per game with 8.7, and field goal percentage with .653. The 7-foot-1 center joined Patrick Ewing as the second four-time winner of the Big East Defensive Player of the Year.
Williams became the first Nebraska men’s basketball player since 2018 to earn first team All-Big Ten honors. He averaged a league-high 20.7 points per game with 4.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in conference play.
Sallis averaged 18.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in 32 games as a senior for Wake Forest.
Tonje led the Badgers to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, averaging 19.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
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