Hansen Signs Washington State Transfer Suggs
May 17, 2016 | Men's Basketball
OMAHA, Neb. -- Former Washington State guard Renard Suggs will join the Omaha men's basketball program in 2016-17, head coach Derrin Hansen announced Monday.
Suggs, a 6-2, 190-pound guard from St. Paul, Minn., comes to Omaha from WSU, where he played for coach Ernie Kent in 2015-16. As a junior, he played in 25 games for the Cougars, averaging 5.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists over 12.6 minutes per game. Suggs scored in double figures in the first three games of the season and posted a career-high 14 points off the bench in WSU's upset of No. 25 UCLA.
In compliance with NCAA transfer rules, Suggs will sit out the 2016-17 season at UNO and will be eligible to play again in 2017-18.
Suggs began his collegiate career under coach Scott Neary at Gillette College in Gillette, Wyo. He averaged 14.2 points and 3.2 rebounds as a freshman and was named second-team all-region. As a sophomore, Suggs led Gillette to the NJCAA national tournament, averaging 13.5 points per game while hitting a team-high 89 3-pointers in 35 contests. He served as team captain and repeated as a second-team all-region selection.
At Woodbury High School, Suggs lettered four years for coach Scott Swansson. The two-year captain led the Royals to the state tournament as a junior and followed up as a senior by being named SEC Player of the Year.
Suggs already has a connection to the Mavericks, as his father, Rickey Suggs, played basketball at UNO from 1980-85 and went on to a professional football career in the Canadian Football League. The elder Suggs was part of three Maverick squads to play in the NCAA Tournament (1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84).
"We're excited to have Renard Suggs join our basketball program," Hansen said. "He's the son of a former Maverick, Rickey Suggs, who played on some excellent Bob Hanson-coached teams in the 1980s.
"Renard had an outstanding junior college career at Gillette College and now has a year of Division I experience at Washington State under his belt. We're happy he's decided to join us at Omaha, and he can bring us athleticism, scoring ability and length on the wing. The biggest upside is that Renard fits the way we play. He's a great player and student, and this will be a very positive addition for our program."
