Tim Miles and this program

[ajb5856]

Ok here we go. I've heard and read several people mention how this game tonight may be the tipping point in Miles' tenure here at Nebraska or something of that nature.

Recruiting has certainly trended up in a big way since Miles arrived here but now it's time to take this talent, mold it, and build a program. Can Miles do that? I think we've seen enough to question that at the very least.

Can someone begin to explain to me what we saw just 2 years ago in the 13-14 season? Was it just lightning in a bottle? Miles has admitted on several occasions that we just got hot down the conference stretch, which is probably true, but we lost just one game at home that season. The offense seemed to move. We got cuts, back door cuts and layups. We went on runs. We really went after the ball on defense and forced turnovers.

What has happened since? Coach Mo came on. We seemed to go away from the GATA defense, and our offense has really lacked an identity. It's lacked movement. It's lacked confidence. We play timid and on our heels without attacking most of the time.

Have other teams just figured out what Miles does? Is this all there is to Miles? Good coaches always have something else in their arsenal when a team figures them out. Does Miles? We haven't seen it.

[FredsSlacks]

be patient. he's gotten us to the tournament, and he's recruiting top 150 talent.

[colhusker]

Ok here we go. I've heard and read several people mention how this game tonight may be the tipping point in Miles' tenure here at Nebraska or something of that nature.

Recruiting has certainly trended up in a big way since Miles arrived here but now it's time to take this talent, mold it, and build a program. Can Miles do that? I think we've seen enough to question that at the very least.

Can someone begin to explain to me what we saw just 2 years ago in the 13-14 season? Was it just lightning in a bottle? Miles has admitted on several occasions that we just got hot down the conference stretch, which is probably true, but we lost just one game at home that season. The offense seemed to move. We got cuts, back door cuts and layups. We went on runs. We really went after the ball on defense and forced turnovers.

What has happened since? Coach Mo came on. We seemed to go away from the GATA defense, and our offense has really lacked an identity. It's lacked movement. It's lacked confidence. We play timid and on our heels without attacking most of the time.

Have other teams just figured out what Miles does? Is this all there is to Miles? Good coaches always have something else in their arsenal when a team figures them out. Does Miles? We haven't seen it.

I have to say while I am not calling for his head, I am beginning to wonder seriously if Craig Smith was the brains behind the operations as far as X's and O's.  Once again last night the offense appeared on more than one occasion to be nothing more than one guy dribbling and 4 guys standing and watching, there was zero movement.  Defense has been suspect at best against teams with a pulse.  Last night's game was very frustrating to watch.

[huskerbaseball13]

be patient. he's gotten us to the tournament, and he's recruiting top 150 talent.

 

I think no question Miles is upgrading the talent level within the program.  But, just about every program in the Big Ten also recruits top 150 talent.  Some recruit top 50 talent.  I know you are not saying this, but that alone is not going to win us very many games in the Big 10.  For whatever reason the past year and a half we have for the most part played un-inspired basketball and alot of times, don't look prepared.  

[HuskerFever]

It's very easy for people to forget or neglect where we were at before Miles came on board. He's certainly done a lot for engaging the fans, upgrading talent, and giving us a shot at some national exposure from time to time. At this point in time, Miles is what's best for the longevity of this program. I don't think you're going to find another coach out there that is as talented and would be willing to stick around in Nebraska for the long-term.

[huskerbaseball13]

It's very easy for people to forget or neglect where we were at before Miles came on board. He's certainly done a lot for engaging the fans, upgrading talent, and giving us a shot at some national exposure from time to time. At this point in time, Miles is what's best for the longevity of this program. I don't think you're going to find another coach out there that is as talented and would be willing to stick around in Nebraska for the long-term.

 

To play devils advocate...this is unchartered territory for Nebrasketball.  We now have the facilities to compete with just about anyone....and, we have put our money where our mouth is.  We spend on Nebrasketball and we pay our HC 1.5 million and he will be over 2 million in a few years.  With that comes upgraded expectations IMO.  If we are forced or decide to go in a different direction after the next few years thats going to be attractive to many coaches.  I'm not saying Miles is not what's best for the program...I'm just saying if he can't figure it out in the next two years I think this job is alot more attractive than it was 5 years ago.      

[UnicamMan]

Yesterday's game was very disappointing and probably dashes any hopes we had this year.  However, I still have faith in Miles and think he can be the coach that gets it done.  I would easily give him 3 more years until any thought of going another direction if we can't make the tournament in that time.  Our team is so much better than the teams under Collier or Sadler.  

[lanigan123]

Very dissappointed, and it puts Miles squarely on the hot seat next year IMHO, it is NCAA tourney next year or bug bye for me.

[HuskerFever]

 

It's very easy for people to forget or neglect where we were at before Miles came on board. He's certainly done a lot for engaging the fans, upgrading talent, and giving us a shot at some national exposure from time to time. At this point in time, Miles is what's best for the longevity of this program. I don't think you're going to find another coach out there that is as talented and would be willing to stick around in Nebraska for the long-term.

 

To play devils advocate...this is unchartered territory for Nebrasketball.  We now have the facilities to compete with just about anyone....and, we have put our money where our mouth is.  We spend on Nebrasketball and we pay our HC 1.5 million and he will be over 2 million in a few years.  With that comes upgraded expectations IMO.  If we are forced or decide to go in a different direction after the next few years thats going to be attractive to many coaches.  I'm not saying Miles is not what's best for the program...I'm just saying if he can't figure it out in the next two years I think this job is alot more attractive than it was 5 years ago.      

 

 

Definitely valid points. I think the last part is the most important... the university needs to continue supporting this program and continuing to make it look attractive in the future. Without that, we're back to where we have been for many dark years.

[TheKamdyMan]

Very dissappointed, and it puts Miles squarely on the hot seat next year IMHO, it is NCAA tourney next year or bug bye for me.

 

I am now in this boat as well.  The issues were you didnt have the talent.  Well you've gotten the talent in there now you need the results.  Everything you could ask for outside of having amazing local talent has been provided with pay, facilities, etc.  Now its all results.  If after 5 years you dont have the results its time to reevaluate the future.

[hhcmatt]

Ok here we go. I've heard and read several people mention how this game tonight may be the tipping point in Miles' tenure here at Nebraska or something of that nature.

 

To me this game was one of those games where everyone took it lightly and we were upset by an opponent hungry enough and capable of beating us.  One macro correction would be to not schedule these types of teams during winter break when you're not playing in a holiday tournament....either get a true cream puff or else play someone good.

 

Let's see how we nut up in the next 3 games.

[HuskerFever]

This might be a good time to bring this video up again... he talks about finding the right schedule for the team, finding players who are proud to wear a Nebraska jersey, and that he has all budgetary matters that he needs to succeed at a place like Nebraska.

 

[HuskerCager]

 

Very dissappointed, and it puts Miles squarely on the hot seat next year IMHO, it is NCAA tourney next year or bug bye for me.

 

I am now in this boat as well.  The issues were you didnt have the talent.  Well you've gotten the talent in there now you need the results.  Everything you could ask for outside of having amazing local talent has been provided with pay, facilities, etc.  Now its all results.  If after 5 years you dont have the results its time to reevaluate the future.

 

Not me.  Last night's game was a true dud.  But level with me here.  How many of you really believe - after Collier, Sadler, even Nee, Iba and Cip - that we're going to draw a guy in here that's going to make us a consistent NCAA tourney participant inside of 5 years?

I still think Miles will get it done here.  I like his energy and enthusiasm.  I like his track record he did with 4 different programs at 4 different levels.  Yes, the Big Ten is different than the MWC and the Summit, which is all the more reason to be patient with him.  If I were the AD, I'd give him 10 years time if he needs it.

 

If that is unacceptable, then I think we have to evaluate what we are able to give up to make the program a consistent winner.  What do I mean by that?  Well, think Baylor.  How is it that this loser of the program all of the sudden is drawing the attention of many top 50 players in the country?  They changed something that they were willing to do and it wasn't just Scott Drew.  Are we willing to do that?  I wonder.

[swmckewon]

Making this season a referendum on Miles is a surefire way to not enjoy any of it. 

 

You have four freshmen and a center who might as well be. prepare for inconsistency. 

[tcp]

This sport has changed a ton in the last decade plus. So much more parity between so-called mid-majors and bigger schools now that talent is far more widely distributed than ever before. I was reading something late last season about how upsets in Div 1 basketball have skyrocketed relative to what they were 2 decades ago. It's gotten a lot more like baseball, for those of you who follow that sport. Even the worst team will win against the best team if they play enough. And when you have the chance to win 1 of every 3 or 4 contests, upsets are going to happen most years to all but the very best teams.

 

I don't know how good of a coach Miles actually is. Others who know more about that can make that assessment. I do know that I'm not exactly blown away by player development as a whole over the last several years. Seems even our best players hit a plateau and stay in the proximity for the whole ride.

 

What I do know is that even if Miles really is more than just a used car salesman with high levels of charisma that can recruit, he's still going to lose games like this because almost everyone else does, too. Look at Groce at Illinois. Or McDermott, for that matter, at Iowa State. Good coaches fail on a regular basis at this level. So maybe what needs changing more than anything else is us fans. Mostly for placing way to much importance on sports results in general, but barring that, for reading far too much into the results of one game.

 

In any event, Miles isn't going anywhere for a few years still, which I think is the right decision at NU at this time. On average, it's taking like around 5-7 years to build a program from scratch, and we have to learn to wait a bit longer than we're used to doing. In the meantime,  just let's get past this inane performance and gear up for the next one and keep being good fans. We'll know about Miles before this incoming class is gone. I can be patient until then. .

[FredsSlacks]

barry and doc got 6 years. i'd say miles has earned at least 7 for getting us to the tourney.

 

elite coaches are not lined up to come here, and it's still very tough to recruit here despite having nice facilities.

 

I have almost no faith that eichorst would hire a better coach. the football teams was winning 9 games per year, and the best he could do was hire a .500 coach.

[huskerbaseball13]

Making this season a referendum on Miles is a surefire way to not enjoy any of it. 

 

You have four freshmen and a center who might as well be. prepare for inconsistency. 

 

 

Our record will likely be black eye for Miles this year...but I think some will feel much better about the future if this team shows improvement over the next few months and we see some of the younger guys start to develop.  But, I don't think Miles should get a pass due to the youth and inexperience of this team. 

[TheKamdyMan]

 

 

Very dissappointed, and it puts Miles squarely on the hot seat next year IMHO, it is NCAA tourney next year or bug bye for me.

 

I am now in this boat as well.  The issues were you didnt have the talent.  Well you've gotten the talent in there now you need the results.  Everything you could ask for outside of having amazing local talent has been provided with pay, facilities, etc.  Now its all results.  If after 5 years you dont have the results its time to reevaluate the future.

 

Not me.  Last night's game was a true dud.  But level with me here.  How many of you really believe - after Collier, Sadler, even Nee, Iba and Cip - that we're going to draw a guy in here that's going to make us a consistent NCAA tourney participant inside of 5 years?

I still think Miles will get it done here.  I like his energy and enthusiasm.  I like his track record he did with 4 different programs at 4 different levels.  Yes, the Big Ten is different than the MWC and the Summit, which is all the more reason to be patient with him.  If I were the AD, I'd give him 10 years time if he needs it.

 

If that is unacceptable, then I think we have to evaluate what we are able to give up to make the program a consistent winner.  What do I mean by that?  Well, think Baylor.  How is it that this loser of the program all of the sudden is drawing the attention of many top 50 players in the country?  They changed something that they were willing to do and it wasn't just Scott Drew.  Are we willing to do that?  I wonder.

 

 

The problem is things have changed since Tim Miles was hired.  New arena is built and doing great.  Miles has proven talent can and will come to Nebraska.  The AD is showing they will go above and beyond to compensate the means necessary to win and win now.  If after next year they are not proving they can produce on the court its time to look at where we are at.

 

This program isnt at the same level of the people you named because of the AD and Tim himself have done.  The irony here is Tim could sign his own walking papers without the results because of the talent hes gotten to come in and showing the team can get to the tournament with the talent they have.

[jimmykc]

I do not believe for one moment that there will be a dearth of good coaches who would like a shot at a 1.5 million gig. Heck, sign me up. The question is, how long is long enough. Each good win says we are about there and each bad loss says it's time for someone else. Such is the nature of message boards. It is a good thing we do not make the decision.

[kldm64]

I think the impact of Craig Smith leaving cannot be ignored.  Miles seems to have struggled a lot since he left the staff. 

[lanigan123]

Disagree with Sam. Andrew White, Shavon, Benny, etc should prevent things like last night th from happening. When now in 4 years we see the same issues, struggle against the press, struggle to play offense in the half court, I predicted 16 wins this year, but you can't lose to Samford and Incarnate word. That talent argument applies to basketball on an even bigger level IMO.

That's before we talk about rotations, etc.

[Donkey]

Not me.  Last night's game was a true dud.  But level with me here.  How many of you really believe - after Collier, Sadler, even Nee, Iba and Cip - that we're going to draw a guy in here that's going to make us a consistent NCAA tourney participant inside of 5 years?

I still think Miles will get it done here.  I like his energy and enthusiasm.  I like his track record he did with 4 different programs at 4 different levels.  Yes, the Big Ten is different than the MWC and the Summit, which is all the more reason to be patient with him.  If I were the AD, I'd give him 10 years time if he needs it.

 

If that is unacceptable, then I think we have to evaluate what we are able to give up to make the program a consistent winner.  What do I mean by that?  Well, think Baylor.  How is it that this loser of the program all of the sudden is drawing the attention of many top 50 players in the country?  They changed something that they were willing to do and it wasn't just Scott Drew.  Are we willing to do that?  I wonder.

 

 

I agree with you on a number of items.  The Nebraska program before Miles was, at best, unremarkable.  Yes sometimes Nebraska would upset a top 10 team.  But they had not made the tournament since 1998 and still have never won a tournament game.  Of all P5 schools, only Northwestern shares that honor.  Worse yet, Nebraska was rarely on the bubble to get into the tournament during that time.  Miles has brought life to a moribund program.

 

However, something changed after beating Wisconsin in March 2014.  Of all games, that should have been a spring board for the next two seasons.  It just has not happened, and I cannot put my finger on it.  The coaching Miles did in 2012-2013 was incredible.  Miles had 6.5 players and coached great games.  The blowouts were usually a result of other teams running Nebraska off the court and/or foul trouble issues.   

[Dean Smith]

Can someone begin to explain to me what we saw just 2 years ago in the 13-14 season? Was it just lightning in a bottle? Miles has admitted on several occasions that we just got hot down the conference stretch, which is probably true, but we lost just one game at home that season. The offense seemed to move. We got cuts, back door cuts and layups. We went on runs. We really went after the ball on defense and forced turnovers.

I remember a different team in 13-14 than you do. There was the same angst going on that year at this time for their early season failures. I thought the offense was just as ugly then as it was in 14-15 but then in conference play Petteway made a higher percentage of his tough shots, Pitchford got hot down the stretch and the ball going in the hoop covers a lot of ugly. I thought at times this year have been the best the offense has looked in his tenure, but certainly not consistently. 

[Donkey]

 

Can someone begin to explain to me what we saw just 2 years ago in the 13-14 season? Was it just lightning in a bottle? Miles has admitted on several occasions that we just got hot down the conference stretch, which is probably true, but we lost just one game at home that season. The offense seemed to move. We got cuts, back door cuts and layups. We went on runs. We really went after the ball on defense and forced turnovers.

I remember a different team in 13-14 than you do. There was the same angst going on that year at this time for their early season failures. I thought the offense was just as ugly then as it was in 14-15 but then in conference play Petteway made a higher percentage of his tough shots, Pitchford got hot down the stretch and the ball going in the hoop covers a lot of ugly. I thought at times this year have been the best the offense has looked in his tenure, but certainly not consistently. 

 

 

I remember your posts two years ago discussing those issues and appreciate your perspective.  What do you think needs to be done to make this team better?  Sorry if I am asking you to re-post your thoughts.  I do not always have time to read all threads.

[nustudent]

Next year for me will tell me what I want to know.  No more excuses as that team is all on Miles.

 

Granted...I don't think Miles does himself any favors with his lineups this year.