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Has basketball maxed out?

HuskerOH

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Dec 4, 2007
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I freely admit upfront I do not follow the sport but notice headlines from around the nation. In the past decade nothing has really changed in the top tier teams outside of coaches who retired in top programs and now they are looking for identities. The teams on top are still on top, the team's in the middle are still there and the rest are looking for ways to win.

As long as I can remember (I am 60) NU has sucked at the sport with the women's team being hit and miss in the tourney. Every time the sure fire hire is signed, they fizzle out and it's lather, rinse, repeat. Hoiberg seems to be the only hire I have paid attention to and he is flaming out...

How does NU even begin to become relevant in the sport? I think their facilities are fairly new but didn't seem to dent the problem. Top tier coaches do not sniff the program so they are destined to find up and comers and pray they do not jump ship when a better job comes along. What does Trev need to do to get the sport to mediocrity and then to respect? Is it worth the energy to get it there?
 
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I've never really followed basketball. I wouldn't be sad if we just focused our resources on programs that have had success. Some schools don't have baseball, why do we have to keep basketball?
 
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That's what I'm saying. Cut basketball, focus on football.
given my choice I would rather be good in football, however, universities with small enrollments, in sparsely populated states with small alumni bases of limited economic means would do better by ditching NIL -funding of football and funneling all of their NIL into 5 basketball players and then going out and ball
 
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I've never really followed basketball. I wouldn't be sad if we just focused our resources on programs that have had success. Some schools don't have baseball, why do we have to keep basketball?
That's what I'm saying. Cut basketball, focus on football.
Do you even know how many Division 1 basketball programs there are?

After Football Basketball is the only other sport that’s in the black the only exception is Women’s Volleyball in Nebraska…
 
we are getting to point in Fred's contract that he either needs to be extended, fired or exist in that grey area where a coach has 4 or less years left on a contract which reportedly hurts recruiting efforts

we lose a lot of production after this year off of what, at best, is a NIT bubble team
 
This violates my policy of not debating things that are never going to happen (cutting basketball). Yes, they're going to keep trying. No, they're never going to cut basketball. BTW, if you're 60 it's utter bullshit to say Nebraska basketball has NEVER been good.
 
we are getting to point in Fred's contract that he either needs to be extended, fired or exist in that grey area where a coach has 4 or less years left on a contract which reportedly hurts recruiting efforts

we lose a lot of production after this year off of what, at best, is a NIT bubble team
It’s very disappointing to be always playing the first day of the B1G tournament every year Fred’s been here…

Eventually Trev need‘s to let him go..
 
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given my choice I would rather be good in football, however, universities with small enrollments, in sparsely populated states with small alumni bases of limited economic means would do better by ditching NIL -funding of football and funneling all of their NIL into 5 basketball players and then going out and ball

That would be fine for those schools if they choose to pursue basketball. I have no interest in basketball, I hope that's not the route we take.
 
Do you even know how many Division 1 basketball programs there are?

After Football Basketball is the only other sport that’s in the black the only exception is Women’s Volleyball in Nebraska…

No. Why would I?

Ok.
 
This violates my policy of not debating things that are never going to happen (cutting basketball). Yes, they're going to keep trying. No, they're never going to cut basketball. BTW, if you're 60 it's utter bullshit to say Nebraska basketball has NEVER been good.

I'm 36, they've never been good in my lifetime.

Don't worry, I don't care enough about basketball to debate it.
 
I freely admit upfront I do not follow the sport but notice headlines from around the nation. In the past decade nothing has really changed in the top tier teams outside of coaches who retired in top programs and now they are looking for identities. The teams on top are still on top, the team's in the middle are still there and the rest are looking for ways to win.

As long as I can remember (I am 60) NU has sucked at the sport with the women's team being hit and miss in the tourney. Every time the sure fire hire is signed, they fizzle out and it's lather, rinse, repeat. Hoiberg seems to be the only hire I have paid attention to and he is flaming out...

How does NU even begin to become relevant in the sport? I think their facilities are fairly new but didn't seem to dent the problem. Top tier coaches do not sniff the program so they are destined to find up and comers and pray they do not jump ship when a better job comes along. What does Trev need to do to get the sport to mediocrity and then to respect? Is it worth the energy to get it there?
Money. If NU wants to be good, they need to buy better players…
 
This violates my policy of not debating things that are never going to happen (cutting basketball). Yes, they're going to keep trying. No, they're never going to cut basketball. BTW, if you're 60 it's utter bullshit to say Nebraska basketball has NEVER been good.
Well said. In fact, it may be more accurate to say they have never been as bad as they have been the past 5 years.
 
Right now Nebraska would be better off following the Cincinnati and San Diego St models from years past. They should zero in on raw guys that are athletic freaks and play a grind it out defensive war every night. Good foundation to get the program some wins and then attract better players.
 
When were they good? Did they win a conference title? Did they win an NCAA tournament game?
They won the big 8 in 94. At one point in the early 90s they had more players in the nba than Kansas. So yeah they were good. They lost as a 3 seed in the tournament so to be a 3 seed you are top 15 in the country. They have had bad luck in the ncaa tournament.
 
When were they good? Did they win a conference title? Did they win an NCAA tournament game?
Back during the 1965-66 season they only rated the top 10 and Nebraska was ranked 8th and 9th for 4 weeks.. Back then only 16 teams made the tournament and you had to win your conference.

Kansas won the Big 8 with Jo Jo White..That was also the year UTEP started 5 black players for the very first time and beat Kentucky for the National title..

Nee and Nebraska in 1990- 1991 season started entering the ranking in December at 22 and went all the way to 11 in the country but were knock out in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

In short, Nebraska has won the Big 8 tournament with Eric Piatkowski and has won the NIT tournament..
 
While I don't agree that NU basketball has never been good, I understand why people would have that perception. The biggest disappointment with Hoiberg is that the program seems to have no direction whatsoever.

Over the years the Huskers have had several veteran teams that were decent, and a few that were better than that. They also had a lot of young teams that gave fans hope that better times could be ahead. Fred seems to give us neither. His teams are not only bad, but the production comes almost entirely from players who won't be here the following season. Every damn year.
 
we are getting to point in Fred's contract that he either needs to be extended, fired or exist in that grey area where a coach has 4 or less years left on a contract which reportedly hurts recruiting efforts

we lose a lot of production after this year off of what, at best, is a NIT bubble team
No offense to you, but this is the absolute dumbest thought pattern that people use with coaches. Nobody is holding a coach and administration down and making them promise they will be around when their kid graduates. This is the kind of crap Bill Moos believed (worst AD in history of power 5 sports).
 
Fred and his "kids" have to WANT to be successful. To be brutally honest, I wish the fans would stop watching, following and commenting on Nebraska basketball. What a f@#king joke.
 
Fred and his "kids" have to WANT to be successful. To be brutally honest, I wish the fans would stop watching, following and commenting on Nebraska basketball. What a f@#king joke.
That’s not happening..
 
I've never really followed basketball. I wouldn't be sad if we just focused our resources on programs that have had success. Some schools don't have baseball, why do we have to keep basketball?

This is a really dumb post. Men's basketball is a profitable sport, you don't get rid of profitable businesses. Furthermore, it's one of the easiest to turn around, since there are only 5 players. But you have to be able to recruit, and this program keeps hiring coaches who are not known for their recruiting prowess.
 
No offense to you, but this is the absolute dumbest thought pattern that people use with coaches. Nobody is holding a coach and administration down and making them promise they will be around when their kid graduates. This is the kind of crap Bill Moos believed (worst AD in history of power 5 sports).
Agree completely. The notion that coaches must perpetually have 4 or 5 years left on their contracts is nothing more than a golden parachute scam.

Nearly every coach who gets fired has years left on his contract. Nearly every coach who takes a better job just signed a contract extension on which the ink is barely dry. But somehow top recruits and their parents are the only people on the planet who are unaware of this.
 
They won the big 8 in 94. At one point in the early 90s they had more players in the nba than Kansas. So yeah they were good. They lost as a 3 seed in the tournament so to be a 3 seed you are top 15 in the country. They have had bad luck in the ncaa tournament.

The tourney title, or regular season? If they aren't winning championships, then I don't really think they are good.

Iowa has a bunch of players in the NFL, I don't think they are good. Maybe we just have different definitions of good.

Top 10 finishes, conference champions, or an NCAA tournament sweet 16 appearance, and I will say the team had a good year. I haven't seen any of that in my lifetime.
 
This is a really dumb post. Men's basketball is a profitable sport, you don't get rid of profitable businesses. Furthermore, it's one of the easiest to turn around, since there are only 5 players. But you have to be able to recruit, and this program keeps hiring coaches who are not known for their recruiting prowess.

I thought hoiberg brought in the good recruiters? Didn't we get a 5 star player? How much better can they recruit?

Still waiting for that easy turnaround.
 
Right now Nebraska would be better off following the Cincinnati and San Diego St models from years past. They should zero in on raw guys that are athletic freaks and play a grind it out defensive war every night. Good foundation to get the program some wins and then attract better players.
To me, Nebraska’s basketball model should be Joe Cipriano and Moe Iba’s teams, which resembles this years team. Bring in some competitive, talented but undersized kids who play great defense. Add a slow footed shooter or two. A couple jucos (or today grad transfers & portals guys). And just watch them play their asses off.

That is sustainable. That’s also something Nebraska fans can get behind. Then (beyond that) maybe we keep the 4 & 5 stars in-state rather than not even trying. Or get lucky in some other way by recruiting a stud from somewhere else. And the goal would be to reach the tournament and be the type of team that nobody wants to play. Like a Texas Tech.
 
Back during the 1965-66 season they only rated the top 10 and Nebraska was ranked 8th and 9th for 4 weeks.. Back then only 16 teams made the tournament and you had to win your conference.

Kansas won the Big 8 with Jo Jo White..That was also the year UTEP started 5 black players for the very first time and beat Kentucky for the National title..

Nee and Nebraska in 1990- 1991 season started entering the ranking in December at 22 and went all the way to 11 in the country but were knock out in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

In short, Nebraska has won the Big 8 tournament with Eric Piatkowski and has won the NIT tournament..

They were good for one year then? Sorry my bad.

I was 8 the last time Nebraska had a basketball team that won a conference tourney championship. I want to apologize to everyone for not remembering that it happened.

Losing is losing.

Nit is not the ncaa tournament, being the best of the second tier doesn't do it for me.
 
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They were good for one year then? Sorry my bad.

I was 8 the last time Nebraska had a basketball team that won a conference tourney championship. I want to apologize to everyone for not remembering that it happened.

Losing is losing.

Nit is not the ncaa tournament, being the best of the second tier doesn't do it for me.
Bet you NEVER shot hoops outside or made your Junior or High school Varsity basketball teams EITHER..
 
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I freely admit upfront I do not follow the sport but notice headlines from around the nation. In the past decade nothing has really changed in the top tier teams outside of coaches who retired in top programs and now they are looking for identities. The teams on top are still on top, the team's in the middle are still there and the rest are looking for ways to win.

As long as I can remember (I am 60) NU has sucked at the sport with the women's team being hit and miss in the tourney. Every time the sure fire hire is signed, they fizzle out and it's lather, rinse, repeat. Hoiberg seems to be the only hire I have paid attention to and he is flaming out...

How does NU even begin to become relevant in the sport? I think their facilities are fairly new but didn't seem to dent the problem. Top tier coaches do not sniff the program so they are destined to find up and comers and pray they do not jump ship when a better job comes along. What does Trev need to do to get the sport to mediocrity and then to respect? Is it worth the energy to get it there?

I have said several times in other BB threads, but NU cannot, repeat CANNOT, keep going with the same model for coaches. If/When Hoiberg leaves, NU need to be super aggressive in hiring a top assistant at a blue blood program, preferably a younger dude. With little history in BB, we need a relentless recruiter who has ties to AAU already. It can get turned around in 2-3 years if we get the right coach who can also get relentless recruiters as assistants. A G5 coach is not the answer. A middle tier P5 coach is not the answer. We have excellent facilities and excellent fan base support. If NU could get the “right” hire, you wouls see us consistently in the upper half of the B1G. It can be done!!
 
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