LINCOLN — When Doc Sadler held his first Nebraska basketball practice four years ago, he barely had enough able bodies to run a layup line.

On Friday, at the first practice for 2009-10, Sadler literally could have compiled a depth chart.

Thirteen scholarship players and five walk-ons drilled for three hours Friday evening, a first step toward trying to prove the Big 12 coaches wrong. Earlier this week, that group voted the Huskers 11th in the preseason poll.

Is Sadler excited?

“As excited as someone who was picked 11th can be,'' he cracked.

The roster is inexperienced. Of the 18 players practicing, 13 have never checked in to a Big 12 game.

But the depth of talent, Sadler said, helps compensate for lack of game time.

“I like the numbers,'' he said. “It gives you a chance to do a lot of different things.

“The most important thing is all of them can help. The competition, with the numbers we have, is going to be really tough.''

Sadler warned that no one could afford to lollygag into practice.

“In a lot of ways, practice time is going to be like playing time for most teams,'' he said. “Guys better understand if you get time at practice, you better do something with it or somebody else will.''

The depth should give Sadler less stress this season in keeping the level of play like he wants it when substituting.

“Guys will be more in set positions,'' he said. “We won't have to piece things together to have a lineup like we have in the past.''

One early depth chart change involves the move of true freshman Ray Gallegos from point guard to wing. That will leave the point duties to junior Lance Jeter and sophomore Brandon Richardson.

Said Sadler: “Gallegos, with his ability to score and his quickness, I've got to get him more on the wing.''

With Sadler's extensive junior college background, he shrugged about the chore of forming a team with so many newcomers.

“I probably have more experience in this situation than a lot of guys,'' he said. “The thing I've learned is to set the expectations right.

“If you don't have guys try to exceed them, they probably won't. The fact is they've got to speed up the progress. But I don't think we would have got some of these guys to come here if there wasn't an opportunity.''

Sadler said his first goal is to teach new players and reinforce with returning players that playing hard is a requirement.

With that, practice began. And the opening drill was Sadler rolling a ball on the court and the players diving on their stomachs to retrieve it.

• NOTES: Point guard Kenyon McNeaill from Conway, Ark., who orally committed this summer, is on campus this weekend for his official visit. ... Monday and Tuesday are officially fall break days on the NU calendar, but nobody in basketball is getting any time off. Six hours of practice are set each day.

Contact the writer:

444-1024, lee.barfknecht@owh.com

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