At the end of the 2023-2024 season, then-junior forward Rienk Mast underwent season-ending knee surgery and missed the 2024-2025 season. He knew that it was the only way he could get his knee healthy again for his career and hopefully the rest of his life.
After a successful surgery and recovery, he returned this October for the 2025-2026 season and has already made a huge impact for the Huskers.
In his 2023 season, he averaged 12.3 points per game, which was the third best for Nebraska, and led rebounds and assists at 7.5 and three averages, respectively.
Coming into the 2025 season, Nebraska played No. 8 BYU in a home exhibition game on Oct. 18. With a 90-89 victory over the Cougars, Mast made his return known with 31 points, including 7-of-8 on 3-pointers. He hit 11-of-15 shots from the field with five rebounds and three assists. The Huskers trailed 50-46 at the half, but with seven straight points after a Mast 3-pointer, Nebraska stayed one step ahead the rest of the match.
Mast continues to affect the game with his presence this season. Against West Georgia, he posted his 27th career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds in his first official game since the 2024 NCAA Tournament against Texas A&M.
The next game against FIU became one to remember for the senior. Mast notched the third triple-double in school history with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in 25 minutes. He joins Cam Mack (2019) and Dalano Banton (2020) as the three Huskers with triple-doubles. On top of that, he became the seventh player to post a triple-double between men’s and women’s basketball in school history. He officially has eight double-doubles as a Husker and 28 in his college career.
“I’m glad Rienk (Mast) finally got the triple double,” Head Coach Fred Hoiberg said after the FIU game. “It’s good to see (Braden) Frager get the play at the rim; it was a great cut, and Rienk was obviously just phenomenal all game long.”
Mast himself didn’t expect to score much in the game.
“I knew I was going to have a good passing game,” he said. “I didn’t foresee it going well, scoring guys either, but I knew there were going to be opportunities to kick it out, and hopefully Pryce (Sandfort) gets it going for three. I know we got so many shooters, so we shot it. We shot it insanely for three today.”
However, Nebraska’s next game was not as glamorous. On Nov. 11 against Maryland Eastern Shore, Mast had dropped in production. He was 2-of-8 on field goals, 1-of-3 on 3-pointers and had two total rebounds.
Senior guard Sam Hoiberg stated that it was one of those nights.
“We were missing a lot of good looks honestly, the entire game. I mean, look at Rienk, BK (Berke Buyuktuncel) were both 2-for-8, Frager 1-for-5, Connor (Essegian) 0-for-5,” the senior guard said postgame. “That’s not going to happen very often, but when it does, you got to guard, and I think we did a good job of that up until the last about eight minutes. A little sour taste in the mouth, but I think we did a good job showing we can keep a lead even if it’s not falling.”
Regardless of the circumstances, Mast is still one of the best players on the court for Nebraska. Per game, he averages 11.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and he shoots 37.5% on 3-pointers. He also has the third most points on the Huskers at 34 and the most for rebounds at 25.
Nebraska takes on Oklahoma on the road at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 6 p.m. CT.
