2022 Transfer Portal

[Huskerpapa]

1 hour ago, Fullbacksympathy said:

 

Last year was the worst defensive team I have ever seen play basketball at Nebraska.

 

This upcoming season, it sure looks like we have a chance to play some real defense.  If so, that alone will make us a much better team, because our offense sucked almost as much last year, and cannot possibly get worse.  

Yup...a defense is only as good as your worst defender.  We had a couple players that were adept at taking plays off on defense.  That created a defensive horror story.

By the way...one of those players is definitely back...the good news, he seemed to show improvement at years end.

[Fullbacksympathy]

3 hours ago, Huskerpapa said:

Yup...a defense is only as good as your worst defender.  We had a couple players that were adept at taking plays off on defense.  That created a defensive horror story.

By the way...one of those players is definitely back...the good news, he seemed to show improvement at years end.

Agree.  CJ improved tremendously on both ends.  Glad he’ll be contributing again.  It’ll be interesting to see how they use him.  

[OmahaHusker]

6 hours ago, Fullbacksympathy said:

 

Last year was the worst defensive team I have ever seen play basketball at Nebraska.

 

This upcoming season, it sure looks like we have a chance to play some real defense.  If so, that alone will make us a much better team, because our offense sucked almost as much last year, and cannot possibly get worse.  

I think our offense will actually be the same if not worse. There’s always hope in the offseason but I just don’t see anyone scoring on this roster consistently. But I think the defense will be much improved. So it definitely gives you a chance every game in that regard. 

[huskerbill85]

15 hours ago, royalfan said:

 

Fred biggest strength is finding a way to get he ball in the hoop, especially with unselfish players.  So in some ways, I would suggest that he is the answer.  

I hope so offense seems kind of anemic on paper. Regardless it will be nice not watching a team half ass it during games. That alone should get us a handful more wins.

[royalfan]

Since this thread is already not about the transfer portal since we are done with it, I do think that Albers meeting with Hoiberg had some things involving playing a brand of basketball that relatively blue collar Nebraskans can appreciate.  We immediately started playing harder after that meeting.  We sort of reinvented the wheel on the fly and got immediate results.  You don't just waltz in to Ohio St and a top 5 rated Wisconsin senior day and win without great effort.  Granted Verge dominated under the new found structure that got players in spots to succeed, rather than just playing hero ball.  It is clear to me that Hoiberg was way too confident in his group to just play for most of the season.  At Nebraska we are going to have to be an elite defensive team to have success. It might not be what some want to watch, but it is simply the truth.  We tried the other way.  It was awful to watch.  I hope Hoiberg is finally placing the emphasis on defense first.  You can still run off defensive rebounds.  We don't have to play slow, but we have to play great defense.  

[49r]

8 hours ago, royalfan said:

Since this thread is already not about the transfer portal since we are done with it, I do think that Albers meeting with Hoiberg had some things involving playing a brand of basketball that relatively blue collar Nebraskans can appreciate.  We immediately started playing harder after that meeting.  We sort of reinvented the wheel on the fly and got immediate results.  You don't just waltz in to Ohio St and a top 5 rated Wisconsin senior day and win without great effort.  Granted Verge dominated under the new found structure that got players in spots to succeed, rather than just playing hero ball.  It is clear to me that Hoiberg was way too confident in his group to just play for most of the season.  At Nebraska we are going to have to be an elite defensive team to have success. It might not be what some want to watch, but it is simply the truth.  We tried the other way.  It was awful to watch.  I hope Hoiberg is finally placing the emphasis on defense first.  You can still run off defensive rebounds.  We don't have to play slow, but we have to play great defense.  

 

 

This is a nice sentiment in theory, but it is pretty alarming to think that it would take a meeting with the AD for Hoiberg to recognize that what he was doing all season wasn't working and that he could just flip some magical switch to get the players to just play harder/better all of a sudden.

 

It's much more likely that we just got stupidly lucky in those last three games of the season and stumbled into those wins.

[royalfan]

13 minutes ago, 49r said:

 

 

This is a nice sentiment in theory, but it is pretty alarming to think that it would take a meeting with the AD for Hoiberg to recognize that what he was doing all season wasn't working and that he could just flip some magical switch to get the players to just play harder/better all of a sudden.

 

It's much more likely that we just got stupidly lucky in those last three games of the season and stumbled into those wins.

Not to my eyes.  We played way harder on defense than we were all year IMO.  We might have been fortunate to actually win, but the effort was significantly different.  

[kldm64]

1 hour ago, royalfan said:

Not to my eyes.  We played way harder on defense than we were all year IMO.  We might have been fortunate to actually win, but the effort was significantly different.  

 

You may be correct but pretty sad if this is what it actually took for him to open his eyes to what was actually happening

[busticket]

55 minutes ago, kldm64 said:

 

You may be correct but pretty sad if this is what it actually took for him to open his eyes to what was actually happening

To me it seemed like when everything in Fred’s grand plan blew up in his face he didn’t know what to do….he couldn’t step back, hit the mental reset button and make an evaluation of where we were as a program.  He looked lost to me.

 

I think Alberts sitting him down probably helped him mentally regroup and figure out what needed to happen to make something positive happen.  Sometimes when things are going really bad you get lost in your own head.  An outside voice can help get you back on track.  After watching three years of horrible basketball (which he is in charge of) I could see where it wore Fred out mentally.  Hell, I am sure many of us are worn out by it.  He’s only human, and that is a long time to endure epic futility unfolding before your eyes.

 

I personally think the current roster could be very gritty and a team we could enjoy watching.  We shall see.

[Red Don]

23 minutes ago, busticket said:

To me it seemed like when everything in Fred’s grand plan blew up in his face he didn’t know what to do….he couldn’t step back, hit the mental reset button and make an evaluation of where we were as a program.  He looked lost to me.

 

I think Alberts sitting him down probably helped him mentally regroup and figure out what needed to happen to make something positive happen................. 

 

One might be able to say the same thing about the football program;  albeit belatedly - this is the first season that Trev had to work with Scott.

[Huskerpapa]

3 hours ago, royalfan said:

Not to my eyes.  We played way harder on defense than we were all year IMO.  We might have been fortunate to actually win, but the effort was significantly different.  

I will simply blurt this out; we started to play better defense the last two or three weeks (at least in part) due to Trey returning to full health.  His tenacity, at a minimum, motivated others to step it up.

[NUdiehard]

24 minutes ago, Huskerpapa said:

I will simply blurt this out; we started to play better defense the last two or three weeks (at least in part) due to Trey returning to full health.  His tenacity, at a minimum, motivated others to step it up.

 

This.  The improvement coincided with Trey not only returning but getting his legs back.  And then Trey's energy and grit rubbed off on his teammates.

[Fullbacksympathy]

The improvement was also hand in hand with trusting his competent assistants (not MA) to do their job.  Fred was surprised he was given another year and it put a pep in his step.  This is something I really, really like about Alberts—he likes to work with what he has and make it successful instead of coming in, threatening the coaches, and ultimately firing them.  He’s the real deal.    My affinity for Hoiberg’s ceiling has obviously lessened, but I still think there’s a brilliant basketball mind in there if he has kids like him on the roster (smart, unselfish, and arrive motivated).  He may very well have those players for the first time he’s been here.  

The recruiting haul they’ve made over the summer is also a testament to working together as a staff in the recruiting realm.  After the SMU transfer, I’m cautiously optimistic.  

[Navin R. Johnson]

 

[Chuck Taylor]

5 hours ago, Navin R. Johnson said:

 

Oh, that's just &*%^^ing great.

[Navin R. Johnson]

 

[Chuck Taylor]

NCAA wants "windows" for entering portal, rather than just a May 1 deadline:

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/34103087/ncaa-recommends-transfer-portal-windows-changes-infractions-process

 

Interesting that half of portal players go unsigned. It's often portrayed as "looking for greener pastures" but these kids are far more likely to be the ones who were "encouraged" to look elsewhere. If you're somebody like Serge, you can always transfer down from a power league to a mid or low major, but the low major kids have few options. I think UNO had 4 scholarship players leave and all are still unsigned.

 

 

[Huskerpapa]

Oftentimes there is the "other story" behind the published story.  

It would seem the NCAA is hopelessly behind the 8-ball in handling the recruiting/transfer/NIL environment.   If what is now occurring is meant to help the student athlete, it sure seems to be a swing and miss.  Me thinks the NCAA as we know it, is a dinosaur that must be reinvisioned and rebuilt.

[jimmykc]

But who will be the comet?

[Huskerpapa]

3 hours ago, jimmykc said:

But who will be the comet?

Likely that Power 5 star.