Asst. Coach Ben Johnson to Minnesota

[TheGov21]

Imo this would be a step down for lue. He could be in line for a head nba coaching job soon.

Yeah, I can see that. 

 

But if you get out the check book and pay him what he's worth, then you might have a coach who is qualified to make the step up to head coach if Miles ever decides to leave Nebraska. 

 

As we've seen several times, opening the check book isn't a lock.  Just ask Minnesota and their offer to Shaka.  No amount of money was going to get him there.  And who says that Lue can't be an NBA head coach and then come back to Nebraska IF Miles ever leaves.  He doesn't have to be an assistant to replace him.  That's if he wants it.

[atskooc]

Imo this would be a step down for lue. He could be in line for a head nba coaching job soon.

Yeah, I can see that. 

 

But if you get out the check book and pay him what he's worth, then you might have a coach who is qualified to make the step up to head coach if Miles ever decides to leave Nebraska. 

More than anything, I think it has to do with the fact Lue has said he'd prefer to coach in the league and not in college.  Doubt we'll ever see him on our bench in any coaching capacity.

[NUdiehard]

Losing Johnson hurts, but the assistant Miles simply cannot afford to lose is Harriman.  I have felt for a while that Miles should bump Harriman's salary to $500,000+ and make a commitment to keep him no matter the cost.

 

I am not happy about losing Johnson but will get over it.  I will be very upset if we lose Harriman, especially if Miles and the athletic dept. don't step up and pay him an amount that will make it extremely difficult for him to leave.  Harriman is probably the ceiling as far as the qualify of an assitant coach we can get at NU.  When we get one like him, we need to do whatever is necessary to keep him.  Unfortunately, I haven't seen any indication that Miles as the AD are willing to make that sort of commitment to Harriman and the program.

[Norm Peterson]

So, Benedict Johnson quit the Huskers for a similar position with one of our conference rivals, eh?

 

I'm thinking the Red Zone will be prepared with a warm greeting when he returns ... on THEIR bench.

[Norm Peterson]

If Lue is in line for an NBA head coaching gig (and he seems to think he is, so who am I to doubt it?) he ain't coming here to take an assistant job.  Not happening.

[Swan88]

Hate to break the news, folks, but neither Chris Harriman nor Craig Smith plans to stay in Lincoln long-term. Both have head coaching aspirations and both view their Husker assistant gig as one of the stepping stones toward that goal. The big question on Harriman, like Ben Johnson, is whether he will honor his three-year commitment or not--here's hoping and praying that he will!

Recall that Tim Miles tried to help Craig Smith get the Colorado St. head job. We Nebrasketball fans should be mighty grateful that such efforts did not succeed because the Tim Miles / Craig Smith teamwork longevity is undoubtedly a huge asset for the Huskers.

Tim Miles is a creative survivor. Heck, who else has the ingenuity and chutzpah to hire a Chin Coleman of Chicago AAU fame to the likes of Colorado St.? Tim Miles will get through this assistant coach change (and disappointment) just fine and, if prior history is any indication of future performance, will find a replacement that effectively meets and advances Nebrasketball's needs and goals.

[nebrasketball10]

 

Imo this would be a step down for lue. He could be in line for a head nba coaching job soon.

Yeah, I can see that. 

 

But if you get out the check book and pay him what he's worth, then you might have a coach who is qualified to make the step up to head coach if Miles ever decides to leave Nebraska. 

More than anything, I think it has to do with the fact Lue has said he'd prefer to coach in the league and not in college.  Doubt we'll ever see him on our bench in any coaching capacity.

 

This. He's been very open about this.

[Norm Peterson]

This might actually provide Miles an opportunity to enhance some recruiting opportunities in various places.  Now that he's settled in a bit and sees the lay of the land a little better, and now that he can maybe guage the interest of recruits in various locations, it might actually be a good thing that he has an opportunity to hire another coach. 

 

Not saying Benedict Johnson wasn't a good assistant or that he didn't have valuable contacts.  But at the time he was hired, Miles would have had less of an idea of where he was and where he needed to go. 

 

Here's the thing:  I think Ben Johnson is taking a risk.  A gamble.  When head coaches get fired, whole staffs get let go and the firing tends to taint them all.  Up in Minnesota, they have higher expectations than we have here.  Less stability.  Less security.  They just fired a guy who got to the round of 32 in the NCAA tourney.

 

And Ricky Pitino is an unknown quantity in the head coaching ranks.  He could do great or he could be like Ray Meyer's kid.  Or Bobby Knight's kid.  Or Eddie Sutton's kid.  Having a name like Pitino is no guarantee of success.  And if he sucks out loud, Minnesota will toss the Ben Johnson out with the bathwater.

[hhcscott]

This might actually provide Miles an opportunity to enhance some recruiting opportunities in various places. Now that he's settled in a bit and sees the lay of the land a little better, and now that he can maybe guage the interest of recruits in various locations, it might actually be a good thing that he has an opportunity to hire another coach.

Not saying Benedict Johnson wasn't a good assistant or that he didn't have valuable contacts. But at the time he was hired, Miles would have had less of an idea of where he was and where he needed to go.

Here's the thing: I think Ben Johnson is taking a risk. A gamble. When head coaches get fired, whole staffs get let go and the firing tends to taint them all. Up in Minnesota, they have higher expectations than we have here. Less stability. Less security. They just fired a guy who got to the round of 32 in the NCAA tourney.

And Ricky Pitino is an unknown quantity in the head coaching ranks. He could do great or he could be like Ray Meyer's kid. Or Bobby Knight's kid. Or Eddie Sutton's kid. Having a name like Pitino is no guarantee of success. And if he sucks out loud, Minnesota will toss the Ben Johnson out with the bathwater.

Whether by his choice or the U 's choice most young assistants are going to move in < 5 years. Most long-term assistants are guys who are older and find their niche as the "capable lieutenant". But young ambitious assistants are always angling for résumé building. Mike Dunlap had four jobs in five years to get to an NBA HC job. I don't think any ambitious assistants are looking at job stability in making their moves.

[Hooper]

This is another frustrating loss for Nebraska basketball. I'm really not that upset at Johnson, since it's his alma mater and he's from Minneapolis, but the program is already struggling to claw its way out of the sewer, and you don't do that by losing good coaches at a clip of two a year.

 

We've invested a lot of time and money in Minneapolis, and Ben Johnson was our point man there. In one day, most of the hard work we put into recruiting there for 2014, 2015 and beyond was destroyed. Yeah, Miles has contact with those kids too, and we'll keep recruiting them, but Johnson was the guy building the relationships with those kids, and now he's gone and coaching for their home-state school. 

 

And, of course, this comes on the heels of losing Chin Coleman, who was supposed to be our point man for Chicago AAU prospects. Another wasted hire.

 

This program desperately needs stability. The very last thing it needs is for coaches to come in, start building solid recruiting relationships for the University, and then bail on us for something they perceive to be better. In fact, that's the opposite of how you build a successful program.

 

Yeah, I'm frustrated. I'm not angry at Miles or anyone in particular, but it would be nice to find some people who actually want to be here -- and I'm not talking about the kind of nepotism hires I'm seeing in this thread, which are remarkably similar to the hiring threads I see on other boards every time a spot on the football staff opens up.

 

We need the best coaches/recruiters we can find who can commit to being here for more than 5 minutes. What we don't need are former Husker heroes with little to no coaching experience, no recruiting experience, no recruiting connections and little to offer except enthusiasm and a love for the program. That's not how you build a winner in my opinion.

 

We desperately need a big-time recruiter on this staff who actually wants to be here for longer than it takes to eat a hamburger. I hope we can find one.

[Daledangdarn]

So who do we go get?

[NUdiehard]

Hate to break the news, folks, but neither Chris Harriman nor Craig Smith plans to stay in Lincoln long-term. Both have head coaching aspirations and both view their Husker assistant gig as one of the stepping stones toward that goal. The big question on Harriman, like Ben Johnson, is whether he will honor his three-year commitment or not--here's hoping and praying that he will!

Recall that Tim Miles tried to help Craig Smith get the Colorado St. head job. We Nebrasketball fans should be mighty grateful that such efforts did not succeed because the Tim Miles / Craig Smith teamwork longevity is undoubtedly a huge asset for the Huskers.

Tim Miles is a creative survivor. Heck, who else has the ingenuity and chutzpah to hire a Chin Coleman of Chicago AAU fame to the likes of Colorado St.? Tim Miles will get through this assistant coach change (and disappointment) just fine and, if prior history is any indication of future performance, will find a replacement that effectively meets and advances Nebrasketball's needs and goals.

Almost all asistant coaches have ambitions to be a HC.  Scott Spinelli had ambitions to be a HC while he was at NU 8 years ago, and he still has ambitions to be a HC, yet he is still and asistant coach.  Harriman may become a HC someday, but highly doubt that day will be anytime in the next 5 years.  So the whole goal is to keep him here at NU for at least those next 5 years.  If Harriman makes a move in the next 5 years, it most likely will be to go to another school as a an assistant coach.  Miles cannot prevent that 100% from happening, but he sure as heck can make the decision more difficult for him.  I guarantee you Harriman would stop and give a looooong pause before taking the job at a school like Maryland or NC St if it would rerquire him not only to move his family again, but also take a paycut from $600,000 to $300,000, while at the same time moving to a city with a higher cost-of-living than Lincoln.

 

As for Smith, I am not worried about him.  He may leave someday, but I haven't seen anything to indicate he warrants a substantial pay increase.  He appears to be a great guy and an excellent on-the-court coach (scouting, game plans, game day, etc), but I haven't seen anything to indicate he is an elite recruiter.  And that is where the money is at, especially with assitant coaches.  If you get a very good/great recruiter at NU, you need to do whatever it takes to keep him here as long as possible.  As long as Miles at least makes the effort, I would not fault him if Harriman leaves.  But if he doesn't show that he is willing to do everything he can (ie, bump his salary to $500,000+), then it would be on Miles IMO. 

[Norm Peterson]

We need the best coaches/recruiters we can find who can commit to being here for more than 5 minutes. What we don't need are former Husker heroes with little to no coaching experience, no recruiting experience, no recruiting connections and little to offer except enthusiasm and a love for the program. That's not how you build a winner in my opinion.

 

We desperately need a big-time recruiter on this staff who actually wants to be here for longer than it takes to eat a hamburger. I hope we can find one.

That's kinda what I thought.  Mixed emotions about Strickland.  Loved him as a player.  But looking for a job at this level as his first coaching gig is kinda putting the cart before the horse.  If Strickland wants to coach, he could prove himself by taking a job at a lower level and working his way up.  We know plenty about Strickland as a player.  We know very little about what he would do as a coach and we just don't have the luxury of being able to hire someone who has no track record.

[Hooper]

We need the best coaches/recruiters we can find who can commit to being here for more than 5 minutes. What we don't need are former Husker heroes with little to no coaching experience, no recruiting experience, no recruiting connections and little to offer except enthusiasm and a love for the program. That's not how you build a winner in my opinion.

 

We desperately need a big-time recruiter on this staff who actually wants to be here for longer than it takes to eat a hamburger. I hope we can find one.

That's kinda what I thought.  Mixed emotions about Strickland.  Loved him as a player.  But looking for a job at this level as his first coaching gig is kinda putting the cart before the horse.  If Strickland wants to coach, he would prove himself by taking a job at a lower level and working his way up.  We know plenty about Strickland as a player.  We know very little about what he would do as a coach and we just don't have the luxury of being able to hire someone who has no track record.

 

If Strickland were serious about coaching, he'd be coaching, period. You either embrace it as a career or you don't. Strick should have 10 years of coaching experience under his belt by now if he were truly serious about it. He should have been cutting his teeth at lower-level programs and grinding his way up. Then I'd be interested in giving him a serious look. As it stands now, he doesn't even deserve an interview in my view. This isn't a hobby -- it's a profession.

[GATA]

 

We need the best coaches/recruiters we can find who can commit to being here for more than 5 minutes. What we don't need are former Husker heroes with little to no coaching experience, no recruiting experience, no recruiting connections and little to offer except enthusiasm and a love for the program. That's not how you build a winner in my opinion.

 

We desperately need a big-time recruiter on this staff who actually wants to be here for longer than it takes to eat a hamburger. I hope we can find one.

That's kinda what I thought.  Mixed emotions about Strickland.  Loved him as a player.  But looking for a job at this level as his first coaching gig is kinda putting the cart before the horse.  If Strickland wants to coach, he would prove himself by taking a job at a lower level and working his way up.  We know plenty about Strickland as a player.  We know very little about what he would do as a coach and we just don't have the luxury of being able to hire someone who has no track record.

 

If Strickland were serious about coaching, he'd be coaching, period. You either embrace it as a career or you don't. Strick should have 10 years of coaching experience under his belt by now if he were truly serious about it. He should have been cutting his teeth at lower-level programs and grinding his way up. Then I'd be interested in giving him a serious look. As it stands now, he doesn't even deserve an interview in my view. This isn't a hobby -- it's a profession.

 

Sure, but then there is Fred Hoiberg. Never coached in his life and turned around the Iowa State program (with a little help from rule bending, I suppose).

[Red Rum]

This might actually provide Miles an opportunity to enhance some recruiting opportunities in various places.  Now that he's settled in a bit and sees the lay of the land a little better, and now that he can maybe guage the interest of recruits in various locations, it might actually be a good thing that he has an opportunity to hire another coach. 

 

Not saying Benedict Johnson wasn't a good assistant or that he didn't have valuable contacts.  But at the time he was hired, Miles would have had less of an idea of where he was and where he needed to go. 

 

Here's the thing:  I think Ben Johnson is taking a risk.  A gamble.  When head coaches get fired, whole staffs get let go and the firing tends to taint them all.  Up in Minnesota, they have higher expectations than we have here.  Less stability.  Less security.  They just fired a guy who got to the round of 32 in the NCAA tourney.

 

And Ricky Pitino is an unknown quantity in the head coaching ranks.  He could do great or he could be like Ray Meyer's kid.  Or Bobby Knight's kid.  Or Eddie Sutton's kid.  Having a name like Pitino is no guarantee of success.  And if he sucks out loud, Minnesota will toss the Ben Johnson out with the bathwater.

 

You really latched onto that "sucks out loud" thing didn't you

[kldm64]

Strickland?

This program already has one arm tied behind it's back when it comes to recruiting.  We need someone with solid D1 recruiting experience. 

If I were TM, I would ask myself what area of the country he needs to bolster his recruiting, given his staff (sans Johnson), then go find an assistant from a mid major school who has demonstrated he can recruit that part of the country.

 

Miles already turned down Strickland once so not sure why people would think he would hire him now.  I'd rather go a different direction than Strickland and focus on someone with strong recruiting ties.

[Blackshirt83]

To fill Johnson's spot I'd love to see Miles hire Jayson Gee.

 

Gee is from Ohio, coached at Youngstown State, Ohio U and is currently at Cleveland State and is regarded as one of the better mid-major recruiters in the country.

 

Than if they do decide to fill Chin's spot going after someone with recruiting ties to the Northeast would be smart. With the additions of Maryland and Rutgers (and presumablly a few more eastern teams in the future) we could use someone who can grab kids from that part of the conference. 

 

Someone like Orlando Vandross at Charlotte for example. From Massachusetts, coached in Boston and recruits the entire Northeast Seaboard and seems to know talent.  

[Daledangdarn]

 

 

We need the best coaches/recruiters we can find who can commit to being here for more than 5 minutes. What we don't need are former Husker heroes with little to no coaching experience, no recruiting experience, no recruiting connections and little to offer except enthusiasm and a love for the program. That's not how you build a winner in my opinion.

 

We desperately need a big-time recruiter on this staff who actually wants to be here for longer than it takes to eat a hamburger. I hope we can find one.

That's kinda what I thought.  Mixed emotions about Strickland.  Loved him as a player.  But looking for a job at this level as his first coaching gig is kinda putting the cart before the horse.  If Strickland wants to coach, he would prove himself by taking a job at a lower level and working his way up.  We know plenty about Strickland as a player.  We know very little about what he would do as a coach and we just don't have the luxury of being able to hire someone who has no track record.

 

If Strickland were serious about coaching, he'd be coaching, period. You either embrace it as a career or you don't. Strick should have 10 years of coaching experience under his belt by now if he were truly serious about it. He should have been cutting his teeth at lower-level programs and grinding his way up. Then I'd be interested in giving him a serious look. As it stands now, he doesn't even deserve an interview in my view. This isn't a hobby -- it's a profession.

 

Sure, but then there is Fred Hoiberg. Never coached in his life and turned around the Iowa State program (with a little help from rule bending, I suppose).

 

He did work for the timberwolves previous to that though.

[basketballjones]

I just don't understand why people bring up Strickland's name. I know he is a former player, but he has no experience. I feel like that would be very risky.

Thank you

[GATA]

 

 

 

We need the best coaches/recruiters we can find who can commit to being here for more than 5 minutes. What we don't need are former Husker heroes with little to no coaching experience, no recruiting experience, no recruiting connections and little to offer except enthusiasm and a love for the program. That's not how you build a winner in my opinion.

 

We desperately need a big-time recruiter on this staff who actually wants to be here for longer than it takes to eat a hamburger. I hope we can find one.

That's kinda what I thought.  Mixed emotions about Strickland.  Loved him as a player.  But looking for a job at this level as his first coaching gig is kinda putting the cart before the horse.  If Strickland wants to coach, he would prove himself by taking a job at a lower level and working his way up.  We know plenty about Strickland as a player.  We know very little about what he would do as a coach and we just don't have the luxury of being able to hire someone who has no track record.

 

If Strickland were serious about coaching, he'd be coaching, period. You either embrace it as a career or you don't. Strick should have 10 years of coaching experience under his belt by now if he were truly serious about it. He should have been cutting his teeth at lower-level programs and grinding his way up. Then I'd be interested in giving him a serious look. As it stands now, he doesn't even deserve an interview in my view. This isn't a hobby -- it's a profession.

 

Sure, but then there is Fred Hoiberg. Never coached in his life and turned around the Iowa State program (with a little help from rule bending, I suppose).

 

He did work for the timberwolves previous to that though.

 

He only spent about 5 minutes on the coaching staff before joining the front office. Then made the jump to head coach at a BCS program. That's a pretty big leap, IMO. I'm not advocating hiring Strickland, but I don't think bringing him in off the street to be our No. 3 assistant would be that huge of a stretch.

 

But just to be very clear, I prefer someone who is an up-and-coming recruiter with ties that don't overlap our current staff (Strick's ties are in Texas, and we're good there). As someone mentioned above, it would be great to add someone with Northeastern ties. We also will need someone in Minneapolis or Chicago or Indianapolis ties. 

[basketballjones]

 

We need the best coaches/recruiters we can find who can commit to being here for more than 5 minutes. What we don't need are former Husker heroes with little to no coaching experience, no recruiting experience, no recruiting connections and little to offer except enthusiasm and a love for the program. That's not how you build a winner in my opinion.

 

We desperately need a big-time recruiter on this staff who actually wants to be here for longer than it takes to eat a hamburger. I hope we can find one.

That's kinda what I thought.  Mixed emotions about Strickland.  Loved him as a player.  But looking for a job at this level as his first coaching gig is kinda putting the cart before the horse.  If Strickland wants to coach, he would prove himself by taking a job at a lower level and working his way up.  We know plenty about Strickland as a player.  We know very little about what he would do as a coach and we just don't have the luxury of being able to hire someone who has no track record.

 

If Strickland were serious about coaching, he'd be coaching, period. You either embrace it as a career or you don't. Strick should have 10 years of coaching experience under his belt by now if he were truly serious about it. He should have been cutting his teeth at lower-level programs and grinding his way up. Then I'd be interested in giving him a serious look. As it stands now, he doesn't even deserve an interview in my view. This isn't a hobby -- it's a profession.

This times 4,000,000

[Norm Peterson]

One thing to keep in mind about Fred Hoiberg:  He was born in Lincoln, Nebraska.  So, that kinda makes a difference.  Not fair to compare him to someone who wasn't born in Lincoln. 

[uneblinstu]

 

We need the best coaches/recruiters we can find who can commit to being here for more than 5 minutes. What we don't need are former Husker heroes with little to no coaching experience, no recruiting experience, no recruiting connections and little to offer except enthusiasm and a love for the program. That's not how you build a winner in my opinion.

 

We desperately need a big-time recruiter on this staff who actually wants to be here for longer than it takes to eat a hamburger. I hope we can find one.

That's kinda what I thought.  Mixed emotions about Strickland.  Loved him as a player.  But looking for a job at this level as his first coaching gig is kinda putting the cart before the horse.  If Strickland wants to coach, he would prove himself by taking a job at a lower level and working his way up.  We know plenty about Strickland as a player.  We know very little about what he would do as a coach and we just don't have the luxury of being able to hire someone who has no track record.

 

If Strickland were serious about coaching, he'd be coaching, period. You either embrace it as a career or you don't. Strick should have 10 years of coaching experience under his belt by now if he were truly serious about it. He should have been cutting his teeth at lower-level programs and grinding his way up. Then I'd be interested in giving him a serious look. As it stands now, he doesn't even deserve an interview in my view. This isn't a hobby -- it's a profession.

Well, he was coaching last year.  And people change professions all the time.  He wanted to try his hand at working in the front office, so he did that first.  Nothing wrong with that and really has no bearing on whether or not he'd be passionate or capable at coaching.  He still wants to be involved in the game and teach it.  So he's starting that process you speak of.  Also, it's be impossible for him to have 10 years of experience since his playing days ended 8 years ago.  In theory, he's got a wealth of basketball knowledge with an NBA pedigree that you'd think would be appealing to young players.  

 

Let's calm down with the vitriol about whether or not Strick deserves an interview.  It's an easy jump to make considering his experience and connection to the program and a mention of him is not the same thing as an endorsement.  Also, the basketball program is not in the same position as the football program.  This IS a program that you can take a risk on a guy like Strick.  I don't know whether Miles will or should take another look at him, but the connection is a natural one to make from the outside looking in.

[TourneyBound]

Maybe we should of hied Adam Barnes in place of Ben Johnson. We would have Akoy and would not have invested time in an assistand for 1 year.  Just a thought...