HONOLULU — It was finally time to hit the beach.
To earn that privilege, all Nebraska had to do was win the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. The all-business Cornhuskers downed Oregon State and its multiple defenses, 78-66, behind Most Outstanding Player Brice Williams’ 25 points on 9-for-13 shooting.
[Note: See below for more photos of the Diamond Head Classic championship between Nebraska-Oregon State.]
About 500 fans, tilted toward “Big Red,” occupied the Stan Sheriff Center lower bowl for what is expected to be the final edition of the nationally televised tournament on Christmas. DHC operator ESPN Events is taking it to Thanksgiving week starting in 2025.
Williams scored 10 points in the final 5:32 to help the Huskers win going away in what had been a tight game to that point.
“I didn’t really grow up watching a ton of basketball, but I knew on certain days certain tournaments were happening,” said the 6-foot-7 senior Williams, a two-way star who tallied seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. “You’d always hear about the Diamond Head Classic and all the good teams and good players that played in it. So, it’s a blessing to be a part of it and even more of a blessing to win it.”
Huskers coach Fred Hoiberg became the first coach to win the DHC twice. He prevailed with his alma mater Iowa State in 2013.
Hoiberg said the key Wednesday was to continue to play with pace against each type of defense that Beavers coach Wayne Tinkle threw out — a 1-3-1 zone, a press, a 2-3, and a 2-3 that morphed into man-to-man.
Nebraska shot 53.2%, setting a DHC record for accuracy from the field in the championship.
The Huskers (10-2), a rare Big Ten team to make the trip to Hawaii in late December, are positioned well to build on the success here, Hoiberg said, with a Quad 1 win against OSU and a true road win against Hawaii in Monday’s semifinals. They became the first Big Ten team to win the DHC. (USC, a two-time DHC champion now in the Big Ten, was a Pac-12 member at the time of both of its titles.)
“You don’t get a chance to compete for a lot of championships over the course of your life,” Hoiberg said. “I’m proud of the guys for going out there and getting one.”
Hoiberg told his group heading into the trip that the team that limited distractions the most would be the one to fly back with the trophy, and he was proven correct. Nebraska took that ethos to an extreme to win its first multi-team event since 2000, eschewing all the trappings that come with a week’s stay in Waikiki.
“We haven’t hung out,” Williams said with a smile. “We’ve been in Hawaii for a few days now and we haven’t been able to take in the sights or anything. But you know, now me and Juwan (teammate Gary) get to hang out.”
Even the buttoned-up Hoiberg, known as "The Mayor" during his time at ISU and as an NBA guard, loosened up a little after the win, leading his team in a rendition of "Mele Kalikimaka."
Williams was quiet in the opening round with a season-low nine points against Murray State. He erupted for 57 points the next two rounds against host Hawaii and OSU.
“He was phenomenal," Hoiberg said. "We rode him, both ends of the floor I thought he was really good, guarding the point guard (Damarco Minor) and then getting in the paint, making plays, getting to the free-throw line and knocking down shots. He just did everything for us.”
Oregon State, one of two schools in the Pac-12 remnant, will compete in the West Coast Conference this season. The Beavers entered the game off to their best start in the Tinkle era and got 19 points from guard Nate Kingz, but it was not enough as OSU dropped to 10-3.
Williams and forward Berke Buyuktuncel (career-high 16 points, 6-for-8 shooting) received koa paddles as members of the all-tournament team, as did OSU’s Minor (16 points, four assists), Hawaii forward Gytis Nemeiksa and College of Charleston guard Deywilk Tavarez.
Brian McInnis covers the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.