by Lee Barfknecht, WORLD-HERALD Bureau , Omaha World-Herald

?It?s kind of the same players as I had before,?? he said by phone, citing offers from NU, Creighton and Colorado State and interest from Stanford, Virginia and Minnesota among many others.

But some competition for that 2010-11 scholarship spot may have emerged.

Big competition.

Andre Almeida, a 6-10, 340-pound center at Arizona Western College, is drawing strong interest from Husker coach Doc Sadler, sources with knowledge of the situation said Thursday.

As a freshman, Almeida was the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference player of the year, averaging 13.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots.

?While his scoring and rebounding averages may not have been at the top of the ACCAC leaders,?? according to a league press release accompanying the honor, ?the coaches agreed Almeida was simply the most unstoppable force in the conference.

?Those who watched Almeida work weren?t just taken aback by his size, but rather his soft hands and his nose for the basket .... Almeida?s offensive game continued to progress all season, while his defense was flawless.??

Almeida, who earned second-team All-America honors from the National Junior College Athletic Association, already has ties to the Nebraska coaching staff.

He is from Sao Paulo, Brazil, the home country of Nebraska assistant Walter Roese, who still coaches a Brazilian junior national team.

Also, Arizona Western coach Kelly Green, who was voted league coach of the year for the sixth time in his 12 seasons, is the brother of South Plains (Texas) coach Steve Green, a longtime friend of Sadler and the juco coach of ex-Husker Steve Harley.

Kelly Green couldn?t be reached for comment Thursday.

Nebraska already has 6-11 sophomore Christopher Niemann and 6-11 redshirt freshman Brian Diaz on the roster. How many big men Sadler will take for 2010-11 remains unclear.

Eliason is preparing for a busy July, with plans to play in tournaments in Tulsa, Okla., Kansas City, Mo., Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

?I?m just waiting to see what happens in July to narrow things way down,?? he said. ?So everything is sort of on hold.??

Eliason said he?s looking into majoring in business. As for the business of recruiting, he said:

?I?m getting through it. It?s pretty neat to think about going to college and getting a free education.??

Surgery for two

LINCOLN ? Nebraska guards Sek Henry and Brandon Richardson were scheduled for minor knee surgeries Thursday, coach Doc Sadler said.

Henry, a senior, was to have both knees worked on ? one for tendinitis (four to six weeks) and the other for a slight cartilage tear (two weeks).

Richardson, a sophomore, is expected to miss two weeks after having scar tissue removed.

In other Husker basketball news

Sadler said all paperwork on incoming German recruit Christian Standhardinger is in the hands of the NCAA Clearinghouse. ?Now, we just have to wait,?? Sadler said.

Standhardinger is seeking immediate eligibility. Past recruits from his German club team, including NU teammate Christopher Niemann, have been forced to sit one season as a penalty for playing on a team in which some members were paid.

If Standhardinger, who wasn?t paid, has to sit a year, it?s unclear if he would still enroll at Nebraska.

Two incoming recruits have tweaked their names. Guard Rayes Gallegos wants to go by Ray. Forward Quincy Hankins now will use the last name Hankins-Cole.

Contact the writer:

444-1024, lee.barfknecht@owh.com

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