Huskers eyeing Rivals150 center Gabe Wiznitzer for 2020, '21
Just hours after losing out on its top target for 2020, Nebraska’s coaching staff was already well underway in finding other options for its final open scholarship.
Head coach Fred Hoiberg and assistant coach Matt Abdelmassih held a virtual visit with 2021 Hargrave (Va.) Military School center Gabe Wiznitzer on Tuesday evening.
A player the Huskers first offered back in April of 2019, NU has turned its attention to the 6-foot-11, 240-pound Wiznitzer not only as a 2021 recruit but also as a possible reclassification option up to 2020.
The three-star Rivals150 prospect told HuskerOnline.com that his meeting with Hoiberg and Abdelmassih went very well and that Nebraska was hoping to convince him to move up as an immediately eligible recruit.
“(Hoiberg) pretty much told me there’s an opportunity for me to come in for the Class of 2020 and play a lot, which is definitely exciting,” Wiznitzer said.
However, the likelihood of the Walhalla, S.C., native reclassifying is entirely contingent on him being able to visit campus. As of now, the Big Ten Conference has banned all in-person recruiting activity – including official visits – until at least June 1.
“There’s definitely a chance (of reclassifying), but I’d say it’s a small chance I go 2020,” Wiznitzer said. “Just because I won’t commit anywhere without visiting since I have the option to go back to Hargrave. I’d say there’s still a small chance I could go 2020, but only if I’m able to visit and feel out the school and kind of the culture and the other guys on the team.”
Regardless of whether Wiznitzer jumps to 2020 or stays in ’21, his interest in Nebraska definitely elevated after Tuesday’s talk.
“They like to play a spaced, kind of NBA-style of offense, which I really like, and I think fits well to my playing style because I can make plays on the perimeter as well as play inside,” Wiznitzer said.
“And then just his history of developing guys, I would say, is very impressive. He was telling me about Georges Niang and some of the other guys he had at Iowa State, and then he was showing me the film of how he used Lauri Markkenan in Chicago.
“So it was definitely really cool to see how he would use me like that, and I definitely think it’s unique. He even told me he would put me in some positions as a guard just because my style can make the other team’s big uncomfortable.”
Before transferring to Hargrave for his senior year, Wiznitzer averaged 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting roughly 35 percent from 3-point range as a junior at The Christ School in Arden, N.C., where he played the past three seasons.
Other programs that have offered and are recruiting him for 2020 are Providence and West Virginia, while Illinois has yet to offer but has also been in contact recently.
Those focusing on him as a 2021 prospect include Pittsburgh, Iowa, Cincinnati, Xavier, DePaul, Clemson, and Iona. He held Zoom meetings with new Iona coach Rick Pitino on Monday and then had one with Pittsburgh’s Jeff Capel on Tuesday.
There may still be a lot for Wiznitzer to figure out regarding his college path, but whether he goes 2020 or remains in 2021, he has a clear idea of what he’s looking for in his future school.
“Style of play is really important to me, and then the way they develop their players on the court and off the court,” Wiznitzer said. “And then I would say the culture is really important to me as far as having a group of guys that really want to win and want to succeed with each other and enjoy being around each other.”