Culture

[Buglem]

After the GW loss, Miles talked about the culture of the program not being where he wanted it going into his 5th year.  Since then I think we have started to see the culture starting to take shape.  A team that works hard, plays solid defense and never gives up.  I'm not a moral victory kind of guy but there is something to be said for the way this team shows resiliency, keeps every game close and never gives up.  If this is the culture Miles is looking for, I like it.

 

Do you think the culture is starting to take shape or is this some type of anomaly based on the players on the team?

[HuskerFever]

I don't want to undermine the pre-Gardner-Webb segment this season either. This team played hard against the likes of Dayton, UCLA, VaTech, and Clemson without showing signs of giving up. Unfortunately they finished 1-3 in those outings, but they showed some fight in each of those games. You could even throw Kansas and spurts of Creighton in there if you'd like.

[hskr4life]

I think we needed to find an identity and we finally did this year.  We haven't been blown out much at all this year sans Creighton.  Now we just need to learn how to win on a consistent basis with this identity which I believe we are figuring out now.

[Norm Peterson]

I'm really glad you started this topic, Buglem.

 

There were a couple of times this year that this team COULD have folded ... but didn't.

 

I remember Doc's last season and everyone was mystified about how supposedly Doc's most talented team yet could continue losing.  I remain convinced it had more to do with the players' mindsets than any bad job of coaching Doc was doing/had done.  Those guys mentally folded.  They cashed it in.  That team could not have bounced back to beat Purdue the way this team did.

 

After the losing streaks against UCLA, Va Tech, Clemson (South Dak win) and then again with Creighton, KU and Gardner-Webb, I was worried this team was lost.  Yeah, tough schedule and all, but it's tough not to get demoralized by losing even when you're losing to some really good teams and being competitive in those games.  The coup de gras (or at least I thought it was) was the home loss to Gardner-Webb.

 

And what do they do?  They respond by going into Assembly Hall and knocking off Indiana and then going into Maryland and kicking the Terps in the balls.

 

And then there was another losing streak.  And, yeah, had a lot to do with losing our best inside defender to a foot injury.  But, after 5 straight losses, they could have wilted.  They could have folded.

 

But they didn't.

 

Instead, they went out and knocked off Purdue, the one home game that I least thought we might win.  And we did it without Ed and with a gimpy Tai Webster.

 

This crew has some moxy.  Gives you hope for the future.

[khoock]

Not taking anything away from the players toughness but I think Miles and Co. get some credit for the guys not giving up too. He's a great motivator and usually finds a way to push the right buttons.

 

Not only did Doc's team fold, but he was also unable to prevent them from doing so. They kinda go hand in hand imo.

[khoock]

Thought this was a thread about the new Migos album btw.

[Red Rum]

Nebraska only wins big games (in conference) Luckily they're all big from here on out.

[Norm Peterson]

I really have to question and doubt all the guys who have said for a long time that Miles is losing this team or Miles has lost such and such player, etc. etc. etc.

 

I remember the post mortem on the loss to Maryland in the Big Ten tourney last year.  There was a video that someone started a thread about (if I'm not mistaken.)
 

Anyway, one clip in the video showed Miles addressing the team after that loss, and getting choked up talking about Shavon and Benny and how they deserved better for their careers and how he was sorry that things hadn't turned out more successfully for them.  Marc Boehm was in the room at the time and I think you could literally see tears streaming down his cheeks as Miles is giving this talk. 

 

Then, there was the clip after either the IU game or the win at Maryland where Miles comes into the locker room and the guys spray him with water.  I studied non-verbal communication in college.  The behavior said a lot about what the players think of their coach, imo.

 

So, last night on the post-game radio show, Kent and Matt gave Miles a hard time about his hair being wet.  Miles claimed it was sweat, but I think one could reasonably surmise he got the water treatment in the locker room again.

 

This isn't a team that doesn't like their coach.

[HuskerFever]

12 minutes ago, Norm Peterson said:

There was a video that someone started a thread about (if I'm not mistaken.)

 

Here:

 

13 minutes ago, Norm Peterson said:

Then, there was the clip after either the IU game or the win at Maryland where Miles comes into the locker room and the guys spray him with water.  I studied non-verbal communication in college.  The behavior said a lot about what the players think of their coach, imo.

 

And here:

 

 

 

[HuskerFever]

I truly believe that if our team is able to pull out a tourney bid, we could compete with any team we're matched up against in that first round. We just need to find a way to get there.

[Huskerpapa]

The only "concern" I have had about this team is that we seem to play to the level of the competition.  If we play every game like we did against Maryland, Indiana, Purdue, UCLA and a few others, we may be a top ten team.  Our let-downs tend to be mental, not physical.  To me, that is a sign of a young team.  Sure it is a possible excuse; not a reason, but nonetheless, it seems plausible.

[Swan88]

1 hour ago, Norm Peterson said:

I really have to question and doubt all the guys who have said for a long time that Miles is losing this team or Miles has lost such and such player, etc. etc. etc.

 

I remember the post mortem on the loss to Maryland in the Big Ten tourney last year.  There was a video that someone started a thread about (if I'm not mistaken.)
 

Anyway, one clip in the video showed Miles addressing the team after that loss, and getting choked up talking about Shavon and Benny and how they deserved better for their careers and how he was sorry that things hadn't turned out more successfully for them.  Marc Boehm was in the room at the time and I think you could literally see tears streaming down his cheeks as Miles is giving this talk. 

 

Then, there was the clip after either the IU game or the win at Maryland where Miles comes into the locker room and the guys spray him with water.  I studied non-verbal communication in college.  The behavior said a lot about what the players think of their coach, imo.

 

So, last night on the post-game radio show, Kent and Matt gave Miles a hard time about his hair being wet.  Miles claimed it was sweat, but I think one could reasonably surmise he got the water treatment in the locker room again.

 

This isn't a team that doesn't like their coach.

This reminds me of mid-season last year when a towel-toss from a Cav player toward Coach Lue became interpreted as a sign of disrespect and that "poor" Tyronn Lue had lost control of his players and team.

And then the Cavs go off and win it all.  

[AuroranHusker]

2 hours ago, khoock said:

Thought this was a thread about the new Migos album btw.

 

I was thinking a good yogurt place.

 

 

[AuroranHusker]

3 minutes ago, Swan88 said:

This reminds me of mid-season last year when a towel-toss from a Cav player toward Coach Lue became interpreted as a sign of disrespect and that "poor" Tyronn Lue had lost control of his players and team.

And then the Cavs go off and win it all.  

 

And, here it is, this Thursday Ty Lue is coming to The Vault for the 1st time to have his jersey hung from the North end of PBA.

 

Perhaps Nebrasketball can sprint to the finish like Lue's band did in the NBA Finals.  

 

[Norm Peterson]

2 hours ago, HuskerFever said:

 

Here:

 

 

And here:

 

 

 

 

Actually, same video of the Big Ten tourney but I was thinking of an older thread from, oh, March of last year.  Anyway, same video.  You can still see Boehm with basically tears rolling down his cheeks and the players rallying around each other as well.  As I said before, this does not strike me as a team that doesn't like its coaches.

[aphilso1]

3 hours ago, khoock said:

Thought this was a thread about the new Migos album btw.

 

What's a migo, amigo?

[hhcmatt]

3 hours ago, hskr4life said:

I think we needed to find an identity and we finally did this year.

 

5 hours ago, Buglem said:

After the GW loss, Miles talked about the culture of the program not being where he wanted it going into his 5th year.  Since then I think we have started to see the culture starting to take shape.  A team that works hard, plays solid defense and never gives up.

 

To me a team that works hard, plays solid defense, and never gives up has been the consistent message for day 1.  

Is there a perception that it's been something different?  

Is finding an identity a process every single year?

[khoock]

11 minutes ago, aphilso1 said:

 

What's a migo, amigo?

Lol its a hip hop/rap group. Thought that joke might have been a little out of place here but figured it was worth a shot.

[HuskerFever]

23 minutes ago, khoock said:

Lol its a hip hop/rap group. Thought that joke might have been a little out of place here but figured it was worth a shot.

 

Some people would understand it better if you said 'hip hop hogwash'

[cozrulz]

3 hours ago, HuskerFever said:

I truly believe that if our team is able to pull out a tourney bid, we could compete with any team we're matched up against in that first round. We just need to find a way to get there.

 

They'd probably be the hottest team in the country if they pulled that off.  I would be ok with any postseason play.

[hskr4life]

4 hours ago, hhcdimes said:

 

 

To me a team that works hard, plays solid defense, and never gives up has been the consistent message for day 1.  

Is there a perception that it's been something different?  

Is finding an identity a process every single year?

 

No, I would 100 percent agree with this.  I think from Day 1 it was work hard, play good D and never give up.  

 

We were not going to be world beaters, but we can beat anyone doing those three things well.

[Handy Johnson]

Every season and team is different. I think it's about attitude and expectations. Miles has spoken before about the "Little Engine that Could" mentality and all of that BS.He more than anyone is done with that. He is establishing something here, a mindset, that when you come to Nebraska you don't hope to compete, or make a good showing, you EXPECT to win. I think slowly but surely this is happening.

 

P.S. Doc's team with Talley and JBD should have made the Tourney. Still saddens me they didn't.

 

 

 

 

 

[Jugular]

8 hours ago, khoock said:

Not taking anything away from the players toughness but I think Miles and Co. get some credit for the guys not giving up too. He's a great motivator and usually finds a way to push the right buttons.

 

Not only did Doc's team fold, but he was also unable to prevent them from doing so. They kinda go hand in hand imo.

 

Completely agree with this--look at the effort in the conference tournament last year. They easily could've folded but they played their asses off

[Buglem]

On 1/30/2017 at 3:00 PM, hhcdimes said:

 

 

To me a team that works hard, plays solid defense, and never gives up has been the consistent message for day 1.  

Is there a perception that it's been something different?  

Is finding an identity a process every single year?

Great points/questions Dimes.  I think it's been the consistent message from Miles from day 1 but it takes time and consistency to make it come to fruition and truly become part of the culture of the program.  They were interviewing Chris Collins the other day and he said the same of their program - it's just now getting ingrained and part of the fabric.  I think the way Miles built the first few teams using transfers made it harder to get the culture where he wants it.  Now that he's got guys he's recruited from high school coming up through the program I think we are starting to see it take hold.  If that's the case it should be less variable from year to year.  There's always going to be a difference in identity every year based on the skills and talents of the players but the culture shouldn't change much if you continue to stress the same things and recruit players that fit what you're building toward.

[hhcmatt]

On 1/30/2017 at 3:00 PM, hhcdimes said:

Is finding an identity a process every single year?

 

Izzo's answer to this was yes from his presser yesterday as he didn't think this team had found their identity yet.