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2016 3-star Forward Jeriah Horne Is Another Solid Addition for Nebraska Basketball

Tim Miles landed a promising big man with Rivals top-150 recruit Jeriah Horne. Let's look at what he'll bring to the table for the Cornhuskers.

By Brian Sonnenberg
Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

Tim Miles, like a few other new Big Ten coaches, is looking to establish a program. Landing a coveted recruit helps elevate a program and puts it on the map with other high school stars. Jeriah Horne's commitment is a nice get for Miles and his program.

Jeriah Horne is a 6'6", 220 pound power forward from Kansas City, MO. Rivals rates him as a 3-star, top-150 prospect. Horne plays for The Barstow School and helped them to the Missouri Class 3 state championship last season. The Cornhuskers ended up winning him over in a battle with Wichita State, Kansas State, DePaul and Pepperdine. His size and skill will be an asset to Nebraska, but more specifically, how will he help them?

Scouting Report
Horne has an excellent mid-post game. Against larger defenders he can turn, face and shoot over them. Larger power forwards in the Big Ten will have to respect his outside jumper, even more so as he has plenty of confidence and doesn't shy away from shooting from outside. He'll also back down people and has a little jump hook that he can unleash on unsuspecting defenders.

Athletically he's not super imposing, but he uses his body well around the basket and has great touch. Also, his outside game opens up driving lanes and Horne has a good handle. He's not afraid to take it to the basket and can finish near the rim in multiple ways (and with either hand). Horne also plays well off penetrating guards. Cutting without the ball appears to be a strength and guards will try to find him because he has great hands and is a solid finisher. Horne seems to have a knack for finding cutting lanes and making himself available. Some may call that basketball IQ, an area that Horne seems to score well in.

Defensively, some may feel like he's undersized. That being said, though, Horne's physical and not afraid to mix it up. He plays bigger than his height and in a couple clips it's easy to see how he'll protect the rim.

Areas for Improvement
Horne is a bit more physically developed than the average prospect  and he also has another year of high school left to develop. That being said, though, he'll definitely benefit from Nebraska's strength and conditioning program. Even so, I'm not sure he's undersized to play against most college fours. He could struggle against length and height initially, but the mismatch works both ways as larger, plodding defenders will have to deal with his outside shooting and penetration.  Overall though, Horne will compete defensively and that's half of it. Playing hard and competing will help him overcome his supposed lack of size.

Horne's jumper is really good and it stands to wonder whether he can extend it. It looks like Horne can shoot from three, or at least has the foundation to be consistent from that distance.  It's not as if that's where he'll live, but big men who can shoot are really dangerous. Adding a three point shot to his game will make him a nightmare for big defenders in the league and that'll give Nebraska's guards the opportunity to attack the rim with larger defenders on the perimeter.

Outlook
Jeriah Horne is a very talented player, who apparently has a relationship with Shavon Shields and Benny Parker, current Cornhuskers.  Those relationships will help him transition into the program next season.  Horne has refined skills for someone entering his senior year of high school and he has a lot in front of him this year with a repeat state championship is at stake.

Tim Miles is a really energetic guy and his energy is starting to infect current players and recruits. That's definitely a positive as the program needed an infusion of energy, quite frankly. Miles clearly made an impact on Horne and Husker nation has reason to feed off that energy.

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