Nebraska men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg announced Thursday that Leo Curtis has signed with the Huskers for the 2025-26 season.

Curtis, a 7-foot-1, 220-pound forward from Reykjavik, Iceland, spent his senior season at Cambridge Arts, Technology and Science (CATS Academy) in Braintree, Mass., where he earned National Prep All-American Honorable-Mention honors after moving to the United States last fall.  Playing for coach Cary Herer, Curtis averaged 12.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.7 blocks per game. His effort helped CATS Academy to a 28-7 record, a runner-up finish in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class AA tournament and a No. 5 national ranking. For his efforts, he was a first-team All-NEPSAC Class AA honoree.

At the National Prep Championships in March, Curtis averaged 12.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 blocks per game in games against Sunrise (Kan.) Christian and Vermont Academy to help CATS Academy to a quarterfinal appearance.

“Leo’s combination of size and skill set is an ideal fit for our system” Hoiberg said. “He is a natural stretch forward who can initiate offense and put pressure on the rim.  At 7-foot-1, he can impact both ends of the floor. He played for one of the best prep teams in the country this past season, and that will help him in his adjustment to the college game. He is a natural athlete who played soccer before turning his attention to basketball. He is just scratching the surface of his potential, and I believe his best days are ahead of him.”

Curtis, who didn’t play basketball competitively until he was a teenager, is ranked No. 84 nationally in the class of 2025 by On3, which also has Curtis as the No. 11 center in the 2025 class. He was also ranked in the top 150 nationally by 247 Sports and a four-star prospect.

Curtis played for IR Reykjavik in the Iceland Subway League in 2023-24 and averaged 15.4 points per game on 58 percent shooting, including 42 percent from 3-point range, along with 8.9 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. He totaled 10 double-doubles in 31 games in 2023-24, highlighted by a 35-point, 13-rebound effort. He was also a member of the Iceland National team pipeline, as he averaged 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game the 2024 U20 European Championships and averaged 8.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game at the 2023 U18 European Championships.

Curtis, whose full name is Frithrik Leo Curtis, will be the second player from Iceland to play at Nebraska, as Thorir Thorbjarnarson was a two-year starter for the Huskers in 2019-20 and 2020-21.  Curtis looked at a host of schools during the recruiting process and took visits to Arizona State, Indiana and West Virginia as well as Nebraska.

Curtis joins Quentin Rhymes (Hillcrest Prep) in Nebraska’s 2025 freshman class, as both Curtis and Rhymes are ranked in the top 150 players nationally by On3. In all, Nebraska has added eight newcomers for the 2025-26 season, including six transfers: Kendall Blue (St. Thomas); Will Cooper (Air Force); Jared Garcia (Tulsa); Ugnius Jaruševicius (Central Michigan); Jamarques Lawrence (Rhode Island) and Pryce Sandfort (Iowa).

Huskers Advance to Semifinals After 9-1 Win

West Lafayette, Ind. - The No. 19 Nebraska softball team posted its 23rd run-rule victory of the season with a 9-1 five-inning win over the Penn State Nittany Lions in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament in West Lafayette, Ind., on Thursday. With the win, NU advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals and will face the winner of UCLA/Indiana tomorrow. 

For the second straight game, Ava Kuszak was the one to seal the victory for the Huskers, as she hit a walk-off single that sent Jordyn Bahl to the plate with the game-ending run in the bottom of the fifth. Kuszak added three walks on the day. Ava Bredwell was 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs and Abbie Squier added a triple and two RBIs. Bella Bacon contributed a double.

Bahl (23-5) grabbed the win in the circle, as she tossed all 5.0 innings and allowed one run and two hits. She struck out nine batters in the process. Bahl retired the final 12 hitters of the game - eight via strikeout - as Penn State did not have a base runner after a leadoff walk to begin the second inning. Mady Volpe (10-16) took the loss for the Nittany Lions.

NU moved to 39-12 on the season, while PSU fell to 25-27. 

Penn State got on the board in the top of the first with a two-out RBI single, taking advantage of a leadoff walk.

NU fought back with a five-run bottom of the first with all five runs scoring with two outs. Kuszak walked and went to third on a Nittany Lion error. Olivia DiNardo reached first on a fielder’s choice and went to second on a wild pitch that also scored Kuszak. Hannah Camenzind walked and advanced to second on another wild pitch. DiNardo went to third beforeSquier hit a triple to score both H. Camenzind and DiNardo. Bacon walked and stole second, and she and Squier crossed the plate on a Bredwell single. The Big Red led 5-1 after the inning.

The Huskers added two more in the bottom of the second. Bahl and Kuszak both walked and Bahl scored on a DiNardo single. Kuszak crossed the plate on a H. Camenzind sacrifice fly to make the lead 7-1. 

After scoreless third and fourth innings, Bacon kicked off the bottom of the fifth with a double and Katelyn Caneda pinch ran for her. Caneda went home on a Bredwell double. Bahl walked and Bland reached on a fielder’s choice that advanced Bahl to second. Kuszak hit the walk-off single that sent Bahl across the plate and locked up the 9-1, five-inning win. 

The Huskers will face the winner of the UCLA/Indiana game tomorrow, May 9 at 4 p.m. (CT). The game will be streamed on the Big Ten Network and can be heard across the Huskers Radio Network. 

Postgame Notes

  • Samantha Bland started the 100th game in her career. 
  • NU now has a 10-9 record in the Big Ten Tournament.
  • The Huskers advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for the sixth time in program history. 
  • After its five-run first inning, Nebraska has scored 4+ runs in 40 innings this season, and 5+ in 22 innings. 
  • Today marked the Huskers’ 23rd run-rule win of the season, which is the most in program history.