4:42 p.m.: Four years ago, five Nebraska players would stay after practice for a freshman-only session. Oftentimes, it wasn't pretty.

When a team's stuck in its Big 12 preparation routine (two games per week), there's no time allotted during the normal practice structure to teach the most basic principles. New to Connie Yori's philosophies and strategies, these five players needed extra work to adjust to this higher level of play.

So they stayed late.

“There's probably a lot of film that we could watch from that and be like, 'What were you doing?'” senior Vonnie Turner said. “You're not going to know a lot of stuff when you're a freshman. You usually have to learn by watching.”

But because there were five –– Turner, Kala Kuhlmann, Nikki Bober, Nicole Neals and Cory Montgomery –– they had a full team. And Yori could work with them while they tried to execute against male practice players.

Those very valuable sessions, Kuhlmann remembers. They've come a long way since then, days that turned out to be the foundation of a pretty strong bond between the now-seasoned veterans.

“It was kind of an opportunity for us to kind of do a little bit more instead of trying to figure out the system,” Kuhlmann said. “I think it was the first time where we recognized that this was our group, our sense of identity kind of. We could have something special here.”

Those five –– plus redshirted senior Kelsey Griffin –– will be honored tonight before No. 3 Nebraska hosts Kansas at 7:05 in the Devaney Center. The game will be televised statewide by NET.

A large crowd is expected again. This time they'll witness an emotional night.

“It probably won't even be the games that I'll remember most,” Neals said. “It's the time that we spent off the court together, all of the little memories, all of the goofy stuff that we've done over the years.”

Check out Omaha.com for coverage after the Huskers' home finale. We'll have post-game video, photos and recaps once the game ends.

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