Nebraska Head Coach Fred Hoiberg announced Wednesday that Braxton Meah (pronounced MEE-uh) will join the Husker program in 2024-25.
Meah, a 7-foot-1, 255-pound center from Layton, Utah, comes to Lincoln after spending two years at the University of Washington, where he started 47 of 63 games for the Huskies. He has one year of eligibility remaining.
According to Hoiberg, Meah is an experienced inside presence who can make an impact on both ends of the court. At 7-foot-1, he would become the tallest player to play at Nebraska since the 2013-14 season.
“Braxton gives us a different dimension for our system with his skill set and athleticism,” Hoiberg said. “He puts a lot of pressure on defenses with his ability to get to the rim and finish around the basket. Defensively, he’s led Washington in blocked shots each of the past two years and was on the Pac-12 all-defensive team in 2022-23. He has the size and length to be an effective rim protector.”
Last season, Meah played in all 32 games, averaging 5.3 points on 77 percent shooting and 5.5 rebounds per game, leading Washington in both field goal percentage and blocked shots (27). He reached double figures six times in 2022-23, including a 19-point, eight-rebound, five-block effort against UCLA when he was a perfect 8-of-8 from the field. He posted four games with 10 or more rebounds, including a career-high 14 rebounds at Arizona State when he had 13 points, including the game-winning free throws in overtime. It was one of three double-doubles that Meah had in Pac-12 play, as he totaled 10 points and 14 rebounds against Arizona State in the first meeting as well as 15 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks at Oregon.
Meah was an impact newcomer for Washington in 2022-23, starting 31 games he played in that season and averaging 8.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. He was selected to the Pac-12 All-Defensive team after ranking fifth in the conference in blocked shots and seventh in rebounding, while also pacing the Pac-12 with a .706 field goal percentage. He had 14 double-figure games, including a career-high 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting, along with nine rebounds and five blocked shots against Stanford, and had 20 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots against UCLA. Meah had three-double doubles – all in Pac-12 action – and six games with at least 10 rebounds. He recorded five-or-more blocks three times, including a career-high six blocks against Cal Poly and five each against UCLA and at Cal.
He began his career at Fresno State, where he played 52 games over two seasons. He had a season-high 14 points on 6-of-6 shooting against Youngstown State in 2021-22, as he averaged 2.2 points on 78 percent shooting and 2.2 rebounds per game in 32 contests. He played in 23 games as a freshman, averaging 2.8 points and 2.3 rebounds per game.
Meah played for San Joaquin Memorial as a junior during the 2018-19 season, averaging 11.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game en route to a 22-11 record and the Central Section Division II title. He was teammates with Jalen Green, who was the No. 2 pick of the 2021 NBA Draft. He played two seasons at Layton (Utah) Christian Academy. Meah did not play at SJM during what would have been his senior season (2019-20) because he started his high school eligibility clock by enrolling while still junior-high age, which is allowed in the state of Utah.
