WATCH: Keisei Tominaga put on a show to win the college 3-point shooting contest. Now looks to the College All-Star game and NBA draft.
Keisei Tominaga put on a show for the crowd Thursday as he was crowned U.S. college basketball’s three-point shooting champion.
The sharp-shooting Nebraska Cornhuskers guard was among an eight-man field for the contest held in the lead-up to the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament’s Final Four in Phoenix, Arizona.
Tominaga attracted huge cheers for his audacious performance in the opening round of the shootout at Phoenix Convention Center, waiting until the last second to fire off his final shot, then turning his back to the basket as the ball swished through the net.
The 23-year-old also drew out the suspense as he waited until the clock was set to expire before sealing his 24-23 semifinal win against Ohio State’s Jamison Battle. He clinched a 19-17 victory over Hofstra’s Tyler Thomas in the final with a handful of balls to spare.
Tominaga, who recently played his last college game in the opening round of the NCAA tourney, dedicated the three-point win to Cornhuskers fans in a video posted to Nebraska Men’s Basketball’s official social media.
“Hey Husker nation, I just won the three-point contest for you. Thank you for supporting me. Go big red,” Tominaga said, reciting a line from the Cornhuskers fight song.
Tominaga capped off the night by beating the women’s three-point contest winner, Indiana’s Sara Scalia, in a “battle of champions” 20-16.
The Japanese guard, who is set to represent his country at the Paris Olympics, will be in action again Friday in the college All-Star Game.
With the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s March Madness exit closing the curtain on his college basketball days, Keisei Tominaga is moving to the next phase of his career.
The Japanese national team guard was a standout in his final season for coach Fred Hoiberg’s Cornhuskers, helping them secure a place in the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament.
While they lost 98-83 to Texas A&M in the first round on Friday, Tominaga finished with a trademark performance, sinking five three-pointers on his way to 21 points.
“There were some ups and downs over the three years, but I gave 100 percent,” Tominaga said.
The Aichi Prefecture native struggled in his first season in Lincoln after transferring from Ranger College in Texas. He had difficulty dealing with the physicality of Division 1 basketball and did not get as much playing time as he hoped.
Hoiberg, a former head coach of the Chicago Bulls in the NBA, praised Tominaga for adding the necessary muscle and further honing his three-point shot to become a star of the Cornhuskers’ program.
Tominaga started every game this season, averaging a team-high 15.1 points while shooting 37.6 percent from downtown.
“You see what he does for us on the court, his play speaks for itself,” said Hoiberg, who also credited Tominaga for improving his English skills to become a vocal on-court leader.
“What he has done from a leadership standpoint to how he has ingrained himself in the community, he is one of the most popular players, not only in Nebraska, but in the country.”
Tominaga is hoping to be selected in the NBA Draft in June and is likely to be an important piece for Japan coach Tom Hovasse at the Paris Olympics later in the summer.
“For Keisei now, to move on to the next phase of his career, that’s where it starts,” Hoiberg said.
“I told him in the locker room, he now gets to go represent his country in the Olympic Games. How cool is that.”
Although some predict Tominaga may go undrafted, the veteran coach believes the 23-year-old has what it takes to succeed at the next level.
“Hopefully, he’ll get the opportunity, with the way he shoots and the way he puts the ball in the basket, to play in these types of arenas for a long time,” Hoiberg said.
“He’s just got that skill set that is so unique, especially with analytics the way they are right now.”
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