Lincoln – Nebraska Men’s Basketball Coach Fred Hoiberg has added another experienced scorer to the Husker roster with the addition of Arizona State transfer Alonzo Verge Jr.
Verge, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound guard from Chicago, spent the last two seasons at Arizona State University, where he averaged in double figures in each of the past two seasons and was the Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year in 2019-20. He will have one year of eligibility at Nebraska.
“Alonzo is a combo guard who has played at a high level,” Hoiberg said. “Offensively, he is an explosive scorer who can score at all three levels and can also distribute. He made improvements in both his free throw and 3-point shooting last year, while ranking among the Pac-12 leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio. He is also a very good rebounder for his size, and I think his skill set meshes with the other perimeter players in our program.”
Last season, Verge averaged 14.0 points, 3.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game while starting 21 of 23 games for the Sun Devils. He ranked among the Pac-12 leaders in scoring (15th), assists (seventh), assist-to-turnover ratio (1.55-to-1, sixth), steals (1.2, 13th) and free throw percentage (.809, 13th). Verge totaled five games of at least 20 points, including a season-high 28-point, eight-rebound effort against Oregon in the Pac-12 Tournament. Verge averaged 27.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, and 3.0 apg in two conference tournament games for the Sun Devils.
Verge made a major impact in his first season in Tempe, averaging 14.6 points per game, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 stelas per game as Arizona State won 20 games and finished tied for third in the Pac-12. He was nation’s top bench scorer that season, averaging 16.9 points per game in the 19 games he came off the bench for the Sun Devils, highlighted by a 43-point effort against Saint Mary’s. The effort – one of nine 40-point outbursts in school history – was the highest scoring effort by any Pac-12 player since the 2015-16 season. After a slow start in Pac-12 play, his game-winning basket in a one-point win over Arizona sparked a season-ending run which saw him average 17.3 ppg on 49 percent shooting over the Sun Devils final 13 regular-season games. He reached double figures in 12 of the 13 contests, including four 20-point efforts.
Prior to playing at Arizona State, Verge was a two-time NJCAA All-American at Moberly Area CC, where he set school marks with 1,603 points and 486 assists in two seasons. He was a first-team NJCAA All-American as a sophomore, averaging 30.9 ppg, while shooting 49 percent from the field and from 3-point range. He also averaged 8.2 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. He totaled 35 or more points on 13 occasions, including a school-record 55-point outing. Verge was the first-team all-state pick by the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun Times as a senior at Thornton High School, where he averaged 26 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals per game for coach Tai Streets.
Verge joins a Husker roster which returns three starters (Trey McGowens, Lat Mayen and Derrick Walker) from last year and also welcomes a top-15 recruiting class headlined by five-star recruit Bryce McGowens.
