Samuel Griesel

Samuel Griesel (born Samuel Achim Griesel to Kathy and Achim Griesel; March 22, 2000 in Lincoln, Nebraska) is an American fifth-year senior college basketball player for the Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Ten Conference. He spent his first four years of college at North Dakota State University, helping them to back-to-back conference championship titles in the 2018-'19 and 2019-'20 seasons (Summit League) and a March Madness appearance in 2019. In that same year, Griesel played for Germany's national team in the European U20 Championships. Following a transfer to the University of Nebraska for his final year of eligibility, he averages over 33 minutes a game, cementing his status as a favorite amongst students and other fans. Alongside fellow guards Keisei Tominaga and Emmanuel Bandoumel, Griesel led the Huskers to a 16-15 regular season record, the school's first winning season under head coach Fred Hoiberg.
==High school career==
Griesel attended Lincoln East High School in Lincoln, Nebraska and played for its basketball team. Across his 50 games played for the LEHS varsity team, he averaged 15.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists/game. His 17.1 points/game senior season contributed to East's Class A state tournament run and earned him Super-State honors from the Lincoln Journal Star. 
In November of his senior year, Griesel committed to play basketball for the University of South Dakota Coyotes. But following his de-commitment from USD, he committed to North Dakota State University in May of 2018, and enrolled at NDSU weeks later.
==College career==
===North Dakota State University (NDSU)===
====Freshman====
His freshman year, Griesel averaged 6.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists/game for NDSU. He started 22 of his 24 games played that season, helping the Bison to reach 19 wins, a conference championship, and their first NCAA March Madness appearance since 2015. They would go on to lose to #1-ranked Duke 85-62 in the first round of the tournament. 
====Sophomore====
Despite a significant portion of his season being affected by a knee injury, Griesel played 22 games as a sophomore, starting in 13. He averaged 6.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists/game, again contributing to a Summit League title for the Bison. His performance in his conference tournament (9.0 points/game and 7.7 rebounds/game) earned him a spot on the Summit League All-Tournament team. 
====Junior====
After averaging 11.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists/game as a junior, Griesel was given second-team all-conference honors. He highlighted his year with a season-high 26 points against his original college commitment, USD. He started in all 27 of the games he played, and his 33.9 minutes per game average remains his career high.
====Senior====
Griesel highlighted his senior year with his 2021-2022 Summit League first-team all-conference selection. This was following his 14.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists/game performance, helping to lead NDSU to a 23-10 season and second-place finish in their conference (with 24 points in the conference championship.) Griesel excelled with his shooting his senior year; he shot nearly 50% from the field (48.2) and 38% from behind the arc (37.8).
On March 15, 2022, Griesel entered the transfer portal and, five days later, announced he would be transferring to the University of Nebraska. In May, he graduated from NDSU with a degree in business administration.
===University of Nebraska===
====Fifth-year senior====
Griesel is currently in his fifth year of NCAA eligibility at the University of Nebraska. As of the end of the 2022-2023 regular season, he has started in all 29 games the Huskers have played with 11.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and team-leading 3.8 assists/game.
==International career==
In July of 2019, Griesel, a rising sophomore at North Dakota State University, was named to Germany's national team for the European U20 Championships. The tournament was played in Tel Aviv, Israel. 
Germany won their first pool play game against Latvia 92-66, but lost their second game to Croatia 80-69, and their third game to Spain 78-66, placing third in Group C. They would go on to beat Greece and Great Britain in tournament play but fall to Spain in the semifinals. The team would place third in the tournament after beating France 73-65 in the third-place game. 
Sam's father, Achim, was born and raised in Germany.
Category:2000 births
Category:College men's basketball players in the United States
Category:People from Lincoln, Nebraska
Category:University of South Dakota alumni