Time for a Coaching Change at Nebraska Basketball

Deep down we all had to know, we had to know that a Nebraska basketball team that was 13-4 and ranked #24 in country was going to let us down. We had to know a team that beat Creighton by 19, Seton Hall by 23, Oklahoma State by 23, and at Clemson by 2, was going to be off the bubble come the end of February. As inexplicable and freakish as the utter collapse of this team has been, the program has to suffer the consequences, and so does the head coach. 

Tim Miles has done a good job at Nebraska. Look at where the program was when Doc Salder got fired. It was pretty much nothing. In his seven years in Lincoln, Miles has risen the profile of the program significantly. Nebraska has a new arena, and Miles run to the NCAA Tournament in 2014 might have a huge effect down the road. That run put so much energy into the program, and its effects are still present today. Returning most of the team that made the tournament in 2014, and with a preseason ranking to its name, Nebraska completely tanked. That was followed by a disastrous 2015-16 season, and the Huskers lost nine in a row to end 2016-17. Nonetheless last year, Nebraska went 13-5 in the Big Ten and 22-9 overall. The travesty of that team not making the NCAA Tournament led to enormous expectation for 2018-19. And everyone was happy after Nebraska dominated Indiana at Assembly Hall. They were 13-4 on the year. The Huskers lost close to Michigan State at home, and then a 31-18 lead to Rutgers was the last time any Nebraska fan was truly happy this year. Nebraska gave up a 15-0 run and the rest is history. It was game two of an eventual seven game losing skid. Game three of the skid saw Isaac Copeland blow his knee, and he was out for the year. Even on February 19, the Huskers had a shot. All they had to do was beat the worst team in the league, and Miles’ team would have been firmly on the bubble. Well, we all should have known what was going to happen. Penn State 95, Nebraska 71.  

Miles was almost certainly fired at the end of the death march that was the last 8 weeks, but his time in Lincoln should not be remembered in the same breath as Collier or Sadler. He brought energy into this program, and that energy will hopefully transpire into the first ever big name hire in Nebraska basketball history. 

There is one realistic hire who can instantly boost Nebraska’s profile. That would be Fred Hoiberg. Hoiberg was fired from the Chicago Bulls in December. It ended an NBA career that was not exactly successful. At the collegiate level, Hoiberg was a rock star. He took Iowa State to unprecedented heights in his time in Ames. He made four NCAA Tournaments in five years and was consistently near the top of the Big 12. Hoiberg also has connections to Nebraska, and his grandfather coached the Big Red from 1954-1963. He was born in Lincoln, and his niece is involved in the Nebraska basketball program, while she attends college at UNL. Hoiberg also knows college basketball in this part of the country better than pretty much anyone alive. This is clearly the right fit for Nebraska, and Bill Moos needs to do everything he possibly can in order to bring him to Lincoln. 

The Tim Miles era at Nebraska can be seen as a transition period. He elevated the profile of the program significantly, successfully opened a new arena, and helped Nebraska get used to life in the Big Ten. He could not quite get the program over the top. Now, is the time, when the guy that can do it, gets hired. Hoiberg did it in Ames, and there is no reason why he cannot do it in Lincoln. It is time for Nebraska to open up the checkbook, and bring in a big name hire, specifically Fred Hoiberg.