Lat Mayen Selected to Preliminary South Sudan Roster
Former Husker men’s basketball performer Lat Mayen was named as one of 25 players selected to South Sudan’s preliminary Paris Olympics roster this week.
Mayen, who has played professionally in Australia and New Zealand since graduating from Nebraska in 2022, is currently playing for the Wellington Saints in the New Zealand National Basketball League, averaging 17.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in nine games this summer. He played for Cairns in the Australian National Basketball League in each of the last two seasons.
South Sudan has two games scheduled before the Olympics, when they will travel to London for matchups with Germany (July 18) and the United States (July 20). This will be South Sudan’s first Olympic appearance, as the country has been recognized by FIBA since 2018.
Previously Mayen played for the Australian U18 team in 2016 FIBA Oceania Championships, averaging 7.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in helping Australia to a runner-up finish.
At Nebraska, Mayen started 57 games for the Huskers during his two-year career (2020-21 to 2021-22), averaging 7.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in that span. In 2021-22, Mayen started 30 games for the Huskers, averaging 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He had a season-high 13 points in the Huskers’ win at Penn State and had 11 points in a loss to No. 11 Wisconsin. He was one of two Huskers to start all 27 games in 2020-21, as the junior college transfer averaged 8.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. He ranked fourth on the team in scoring and topped NU with 48 3-pointers while shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc. He poured in a career-high 25 points, including five 3-pointers, in a win over Rutgers in 2021. He also spent one season at TCU and Chipola (Fla.) College
He graduated with a degree in child, youth & family studies in 2022.
Tominaga to Begin National Team Camp
Former Husker men’s basketball standout Keisei Tominaga was one of 24 players selected for Japan’s pre-Olympic Training Camp announced this week.
Tominaga will join the team later this week, as he returns to Japan following pre-draft workouts with the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers and Chicago Bulls over the last week.
Japan will face Australia in a two-game series on June 22 and 23 to begin its preparation for the Paris Olympics. Tominaga could potentially face another former Husker, as Jack McVeigh could play for Australia, but Basketball Australia has announced its roster for the event.
Japan is scheduled to play five games prior the start of the Olympics, including two matchups with Korea (July 5 and 7) and one against Germany (July 19).
Tominaga, who will look to make his second Olympics appearance, as he played 3x3 basketball in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, has been a member of the Japan Senior National Team for the past two years, including helping Japan qualify for the Paris Olympics with his performance at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. In that event, he averaged 11.4 points per game on 45 percent shooting, including 38 percent from 3-point range, as Japan went 3-2 and qualified for the Olympics.
Tominaga spent the past three seasons at Nebraska, totaling 1,074 points to rank 30th on Nebraska’s career scoring list while finishing seventh on NU’s career 3-point list with 178. A two-time All-Big Ten honoree, he enjoyed his best season in 2023-24, averaging 15.1 points per game while posting career highs in nearly every offensive category enroute to second-team All-Big Ten honors. His 76 3-pointers in 2023-24 ranked eighth on NU’s single-season chart while he was sixth in the Big Ten in 3-pointers per game. He had a career-high 31 points at Illinois, one of three career 30-point efforts as a Husker. His efforts helped Nebraska to a 23-11 record in 2023-24, a third-place Big Ten finish and the school’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014.
He graduated from Nebraska in 2024 with a degree in child, youth & family studies in May. Tominaga was a finalist for Outstanding Male Student-Athlete and Male Athlete of the Year for his achievements in the classroom and on the basketball court in 2023-24.