Nebraska Foward Rienk Mast To Undergo Knee Surgery

Nebraska forward Rienk Mast (51) goes up for a shot against Ohio State’s Jamison Battle in Tuesday night’s men’s basketball game at Pinnacle Bank Arena. (Courtesy of NU Athletics)

LINCOLN–(NU Athletics May 2)–University of Nebraska men’s basketball Coach Fred Hoiberg announced Thursday that Rienk Mast will undergo left knee surgery and miss the entire 2024-25 season.

Mast, a 6-foot-10 forward from Groningen, Netherlands, will take a medical redshirt and return for the 2025-26 season. He earned third-team All-Big Ten honors from the media last season, averaging 12.3 points per game while leading the Huskers in both rebounds (7.5 rpg) and assists (3.0 apg). Mast totaled six double-doubles – the most by a Husker since the 2007-08 season – and reached double figures 20 times, including a career-high 34-point effort against Ohio State.

STAEMENT FROM MAST:

Husker Nation,

This past season was one of the most fun years of my life. Thank you for taking me in and giving me another place that feels like home.

As some people know, I played most of last season with a knee that wasn’t completely healthy. Over these past couple weeks, I’ve spoken with multiple doctors about what we can do to get my knee healthy for the rest of my playing career and hopefully life. These have been some difficult conversations, but the best way forward for me is to undergo surgery.

This was not an easy decision, as it will mean I will have to medically redshirt the 2024-25 season, while still maintaining my last year of eligibility.

I want to thank everyone involved with our athletic department and men’s basketball team for the support they have shown me. This upcoming year will be very challenging for me individually, but I’ll try to help the team in the best possible way I can.

#GBR