Then & Now: Tom Best

Then & Now: Tom Best

Compiled By Dave Brandon

Tom Best

played for Nebraska from 1993-1994 and in the NCAA

Tournament both years he played in Lincoln.

Best, a

6'9" forward from South Holland, Illinois, came to the

Huskers following two seasons at Toledo, and was a key

reserve during his times at Nebraska, especially because

of his ability to play on both the inside and perimeter.

Best is

our latest guest in this Sunday's version of "Then &

Now".

HHC: Welcome

aboard. You went to Thornwood High School (Illinois),

where you averaged 20.5 PPG and 10.0 RPG as a senior

while being named fourth-team All-State. You ultimately

chose to attend Toledo, but who else recruited you out

of high school?

TB: Just about all the Illinois schools,

and Purdue actually, when Bruce Weber was there, but

they ended up taking a guard. So, I was at a crossroads

with what to do since it was late in the signing period,

and I ended up going to Toledo.

But, I

think if Purdue would have taken me, I probably would

have gone there.

HHC: You ended

up playing two seasons at Toledo and your second was the

best, as you led the Mid-American Conference in

rebounding (8.9 RPG) while averaging 13.3 PPG on a team

that went 17-16. What made you decide to leave Toledo

and come to Nebraska?

TB: Well, we had played Nebraska in

1990-1991, and that’s when they were 26-8. They had a

great team and we went out to Lincoln and got spanked,

and I had a little idea of what Nebraska was like.

But the

reason I really left Toledo was because the whole

coaching staff got fired and let go of. Head coach and

all the way down, too. And I had a pretty decent year,

so I thought I could move up into the Big 8.

So yeah,

we had gone out there and played them, and after the

season, Danny Nee was in contact, and the rest is

history, I guess. 

HHC: Speaking

of Nee, talk about your relationship with him, both at

the beginning and end?

TB: (Laughs)

Oh geez... Well, my relationship with Coach Nee, we’ll

just say it was some good, some bad. I think he’s a good

recruiter and a good motivator. Some of his tactics are

to be desired for, I think, but everyone is different.

And that’s about it; I really don’t want to get into

anything else.

HHC: Fair

enough.

TB: I will say

that we had an up and down relationship, lets put it

that way, but I know he had a tough job, and hey,

whatever, its water on the bridge now, know what I mean

Dave?

HHC: Most

definitely. Talk about your first year on campus in

Lincoln, which was 1991-1992, and your redshirt year.

You had back surgery following that year in March of

1992. What was that season like?

TB: It was tough. You practice the whole

year and I knew something wasn’t right in my back the

whole time, but I just did it anyway. And one day, I got

up to brush my teeth of all things, and that’s when my

back went out.

So I had

the surgery, sat out the whole summer, and came into my

junior year behind everyone else already. I would never

use the back as a crutch, but I never was the same

player. I always struggled the last two years with it,

and just got through it.

HHC: 1992-1993 was the first you played at

Nebraska, and you appeared in 28 games while averaging

4.7 PPG and 4.8 RPG off the bench. As a team, you guys

went 20-11 and made the NCAA Tournament before losing to

New Mexico State. What sticks out about that year?

TB: I think I

was disappointed with the way I played, but was real

happy for the team and it was real neat going to the

NCAA Tournament; I don’t think I would have had that

chance at Toledo.

But

yeah, it was a good team and we knew we had a lot of

great players coming back the next year, and other than

my personal performance, I think we had a pretty solid

group of guys on that team.

HHC: 1993-1994 saw you guys go 20-10 and

win the Big 8 Tournament before losing to Pennsylvania

in the NCAA Tournament. Before we talk about the NCAA

Tournament, tell us what you remember about the Big 8

Tournament run?

TB: I remember Eric Piatkowski going for

42, I remember that. And that of all things is what

sticks out in my head most. He was stepping over half

court and putting it up. And Eric never saw a shot he

didn’t like, which I loved, but he was unbelievably hot.

It was fun to see that.

And we

had a fun run coming into the Big 8 as well. I know we

went down to Missouri later in the season, and there

were a couple of questionable calls and we ended up

losing, but we were pretty hot going into the tournament

and thought we could win it.

Each

game was great; we played Oklahoma, Missouri, and

Oklahoma State, and those were all teams that we played

pretty well against throughout the year and thought we

could beat them, and we did. It was fun.

I’ll

tell you what, here’s another thing that sticks out.

It’s kind of funny how Nebraska was such a big football

school, and then there were people all around the bus on

the way from Nebraska City back to Lincoln. We had to

get a police escort back and there were people all along

Highway 2 once we hit the Nebraska state line waving and

saying “thanks.” And I realized then that they hadn’t

had any basketball things to get excited about, so that

was really neat. 

HHC: How

disappointing was it to end your career in the NCAA

Tournament like that?

TB: Yeah, that

was tough to swallow, definitely. We were on a good roll

going in there and we just ran into, of all teams, Penn,

and they could pass and pick and really just dissected

us to death. They had a couple of good guards, and we

just couldn’t get it going. Everybody wanted to get us

back into the game and everyone was pressing, and

nothing worked. And it was VERY disappointing because I

think we would have had a big run.

I know

back home in Chicago all my boys had us going quite a

ways in their pools, and I know people in Lincoln did

too, but unfortunately, we got another watch, and that’s

about it.

HHC: A lot of people say that you guys

were unprepared and a little complacent in the NCAA

Tournament those years. Do you agree with that, or were

you guys just beaten on those nights?

TB: I don’t

think it was anything of a choke, but I just think we

caught teams on their best days and our not so good

days. That was the case with Penn; that was a team that

executed and did the things they needed to win, and hit

their shots, and it wasn’t from a lack of effort or

choking, we just pressed too hard.

HHC: What are your favorite memories of

Nebraska, both on and off the court?

TB: I enjoyed going to school there. I had

a good time, and had never been out there before except

for when we played there with Toledo. I liked the small

town feel but yet it’s still a city. Most people say “hi

and bye” to you instead of telling you to go somewhere,

like in Chicago.

As far

as basketball goes, I had a great time, and it was neat

going to the NCAA Tournament and winning the Big 8. But

to this day, I’m still a little disappointed in how I

performed my junior and senior years. I let my own

expectations down, which is tough to swallow, but hey,

you move on and try to achieve in other things, you

know?

HHC: For sure.

Do you still keep in touch with anyone from Nebraska?

TB: The only guy I have really have seen

is Eric Piatkowski. You know, he obviously played with

the Bulls the last two years, and I see him in the

summer. I’ll see Beau Reid and a couple of guys every

once in awhile at a football game or something, and I

talk to Chris Cresswell occasionally, too, on the phone.

I saw him a few years ago, but mostly just Eric; we’re

still real good friends and we were roommates in

college. We’ve always had a good time outside of

basketball.

HHC: Can you

give us a funny and colorful Danny Nee story or two to

add to our ongoing collection?

TB: I guess you could put this in here,

it’s not too bad, and we’re all adults now (Laughs). Our

senior year we had a Christmas party, and Eric and I

lived together, and we had all the guys come over. We

told the team to dress up and you had to wear some type

of sports coat and a tie, so all the guys, as you can

imagine, had to scramble a little.

HHC: (Laughs)

Right.

TB: Yeah… But

it was getting out of hand and we were having a good

time, and then all of a sudden the door knocks, and

we’re like, “Who’s this?” And next thing you know its

Danny Nee and another assistant we won’t name holding a

case of Michelob Light and ready to join us.

So we’re

hanging out, having fun, and the next knock we get is

from the Lincoln Police Department. So me and Eric go

down and Coach Nee obviously wants to be a part of it

and he comes down, and I think the officer looked at us

and Coach Nee and said, “Hey Coach, can you keep it

down?”

And that

was the end of that, but it was pretty funny. Those are

good memories of Nee there.

HHC: (Laughs)

It’s amazing how each guy we talk to has a different Nee

story. Do you still follow the basketball program at

Nebraska?

TB: I haven’t

that much, I’ll be honest with you. I’ll watch them when

they are on ESPN, and I’ll look at the standings once in

awhile. I live in the Chicago and Chicago Land area and

it’s such a Big 10 sports area, but I’ll look in the

paper and follow them and try to keep up as much as I

can.

I don’t

know stats or Barry Collier or anyone else, but

hopefully they’ll get things turned around and get back

on the right track for Nebraska Basketball and where it

should be.

They

need to get back to the NCAA Tournament; that was always

the benchmark of a good season, and I think along with

getting there, it would help recruiting and the exposure

of the program, too, obviously.

HHC: Agreed.

And last but not least, what has Tom Best been up to

since 1994, and what is he doing today?

TB: Just

working, like the rest of us. I’m married these days

with a 3 year old daughter, and we found out we have a

little boy on the way come October, so I’m fired up

about that. I’m actually of all things selling medical

devices for spinal surgeries, and I’ve been doing that

the last 6 years. And, I’ve gotten to go into the OR

(Operating Room) and watch the procedures and stuff, so

that’s kind of neat. I’m selling devices for back

surgery which is kind of both neat and ironic after

having back surgery myself.

HHC: If we set you up an e-mail account at

[email protected] , would you be

willing to take some e-mails from our readers?

TB: Sure, that’d be great.

HHC: Awesome. Thanks for your time, and

anything else you'd like to add?

TB: I think what you guys are doing is

awesome exposure of Nebraska Basketball. It’s a lot of

hard work, and you and I have done a lot of phone tag

leading up to this interview, but it’s appreciative to

go onto Husker Hoops Central and see what a lot of other

guys are doing.

Even

though I can’t keep in touch with all of them, it’s nice

to see that everyone is doing well.<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">