Nebrasketballer

Meanwhile:

Another coach still at the top of my list: Dana Altman - Oregon (Head Coach) Dana Altman is one of only six active coaches in NCAA Division I with 19 consecutive winning seasons. He is part of an exclusive fraternity that includes Mike Krzyzewski, Tom Izzo, Roy Williams, Bill Self and Jim Boeheim. The 2013 National Coach of the Year and three-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year has won more games in his first six seasons than any coach in Oregon history. Altman is 154-64 in Eugene, and 564-307 in 27 seasons as a head coach at the NCAA Division I level in stints at Oregon, Creighton, Kansas State and Marshall. Altman, the 19th head coach in the history of the University of Oregon men’s basketball program, has led the Ducks to six consecutive 20-win seasons and six postseason appearances, including four straight NCAA Tournaments for the first time in school history, winning at least one game in each of those years. Included in those NCAA appearances are an Elite Eight (2016) and a pair of Sweet 16s (2013, 2016). Altman now has 18 seasons of 20-plus wins to his credit (11 at Creighton, six at Oregon, one at Kansas State). The 2015-16 season saw Altman reach new heights as a coach and achieve honors matched only by some of the very best mentors in the history of the Pac-12 Conference. The Ducks’ 31 wins were not only a school record, but also the most for Altman at the Division I level as he guided Oregon to the Pac-12’s regular season and conference title in the same year for the first time in school history. He also reached the NCAA’s Elite Eight for the first time and was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the third time in four seasons, a feat matched only by Hall of Famer Lute Olson of Arizona. The individual honors won by players under his guidance included all-American Dillon Brooks, Pac-12 Tournament MOP Elgin Cook, Pac-12 all-defensive selection Chris Boucher and Pac-12 all-freshman pick Tyler Dorsey. In 2014-15, in one of the finest coaching performances of his career, Altman guided a team that had only three returning scholarship players to 26-10 record, a runner-up finish in the Pac-12 (13-5) and the third round of the NCAA Tournament. He was the runaway choice for Pac-12 Coach of the Year, while Joseph Young ied the school single-season scoring record in being named Pac-12 Player of the Year. Cook was an all-Pac-12 second-team selection, while Jordan Bell and Brooks made the Pac-12’s all-freshman team. The 2013-14 season saw Altman win his 500th game as a Division I head coach when Oregon defeated Washington on Feb. 19. He also joined Basketball Hall of Famer Howard Hobson as the only men to lead Oregon to four consecutive 20-win seasons. He guided Oregon to a 24-10 overall record and an NCAA Tournament win. Young was an all-conference second team selection and an all-Pac-12 tournament pick, while Mike Moser was an honorable mention selection by the conference. Altman’s 2012-13 Oregon Ducks became the first UO team since 2008 to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks finished the season 28-9 and won the Pac-12 Tournament. Altman was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year before going on to earn Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year honors. Senior E.J. Singler was an all-league first team selection, while Johnathan Loyd was named Most Outstanding Player of the Pac-12 Tournament as the honors were spread around nearly the entire team. Senior Arsalan Kazemi was a Pac-12 all-defensive pick before going on to become a second round draft choice of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. During the 2011-12 season, Altman led the Ducks to a 24-10 overall record and a 13-5 Pac-12 Conference mark which was good for a share of second place in the final league standings. The Ducks earned a bid to the National Invitation Tournament and recorded victories over LSU and Iowa before falling at top-seed Washington in the tournament quarterfinals. Under Altman’s tutelage, four UO players were recognized as part of the 2012 Pac-12 All-Conference teams. Devoe Joseph became the first Duck since the 2006-07 season to be named first team all-conference. Singler was named to the all-conference second team and NABC All-District 20 second team, while Garrett Sim earned honorable mention all-league recognition and Tony Woods was named honorable mention all-defensive team. In his first season at Oregon, Altman led the Ducks to just the 12th season of 20+ victories in the history of the program. He became just the third UO head coach to tally 20+ wins in his first season on the job. Oregon went 21-18 overall and 7-11 in Pac-12 play which earned them a seventh-place finish in the final league standings. Altman posted the second-highest win total of any first-year UO head coach. Only John Warren (30 wins in 1944-45) posted more in his first year on the sidelines. The 2011 postseason included a pair of wins at the Pac-10 Tournament, highlighted by a 76-59 upset win over No. 2-seed UCLA in the quarterfinals. Oregon participated in the 2011 College Basketball Invitational, defeating Altman’s former team Creighton in the best-of-three championship series. Altman arrived at UO after spending 16 seasons at Creighton where he became the school’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 327-176 (.650). He led the Blue Jays to 13 consecutive postseason appearances, a stretch of 11 straight seasons with 20-plus wins, all while producing 10 or more league victories in each of the last 14 seasons. Those three feats were unmatched in the 103 years of the Missouri Valley Conference. He won four Coach-of-the-Year awards from three different conferences in a span of 13 seasons, including back-to-back MVC coaching honors while he was at the Omaha, Neb., school in 2001 and 2002. Altman was a finalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Award and was named the NABC District 12 and USBWA District VI Coach of the Year following the 2002-03 campaign. Creighton participated in seven NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournaments and five National Invitation Tournaments under Altman, advancing to the second round of the NCAA championships in both the 1998-99 and 2001-02 seasons. He led the school to a MVC regular-season title in 2000-01 - its first in 10 years. The Bluejays posted a school-record 29 wins in 2002-03, finishing the season 15th in the Associated Press poll and 23rd in the coaches’ voting. Altman finished his career at Creighton ranking third all-time on the MVC list of all-time wins (327), trailing only Basketball Hall of Fame coaches Henry Iba (486) and Eddie Hickey (337). In 2007, he was one of 10 coaches named as part of the MVC’s All-Centennial Team. His teams claimed shares of three regular-season Missouri Valley Conference championships (including the 2008-09 crown) and six conference post-season tournament titles. Student-athletes under his direction at CU earned six All-America honors on the court and four Academic All-America laurels in the classroom. Three players he coached at Creighton - Kyle Korver, Rodney Buford and Anthony Tolliver - have played in the NBA. Along the way, Creighton established school records for most victories in a two-year (52), three-year (76) and four-year span (99). From 1998-99 through 2008-09, Creighton was one of just six schools to win 20 or more games each of those seasons, an elite list that also included Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse. Altman compiled a 68-54 record in four seasons (1990-94) at Kansas State. During that time, Altman led the Wildcats to three straight postseason tourneys and was named the Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year after leading KSU to a 19-11 record and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 1993. Altman’s final Kansas State club turned heads nationally with a 68-64 win at No. 1 Kansas on Jan. 17, 1994. K-State eventually advanced to play in the NIT Final Four. Altman’s success at KSU followed him from a brief head coaching stint at Marshall where he was named Southern Conference Coach of the Year in 1990. While head coach at Southeast Junior College in Fairbury, Neb., his first team (1982-83) rolled to a 29-6 record and a third-place finish in the junior college national tournament and Altman was honored as both Region 9 and the Nebraska College Coach of the Year. In 1983, Altman accepted the head coaching position at Moberly (Mo.) Junior College, with a three-year run resulting in a staggering 94-18 record (25-9 in 1983-84; 35-5 with a third-place finish at the national tourney in 1984-85; and a 34-4 mark in 1985-86 with a sixth-place finish at nationals). He was named Region 16 Coach of the Year in both the 1984-85 and 1985-86 seasons, and was also a finalist for 1986 National Junior College Athletic Association Coach of the Year accolades. Altman’s playing career began at Southeast Junior College in 1976, where he captained teams to a 22-10 mark in his freshman year and a 26-5 record in his sophomore season. Altman completed his undergraduate education and playing career at Eastern New Mexico University. After earning his associate degree in business administration from Southeast in 1978, Altman graduated magna cum laude from Eastern New Mexico in 1980 with his bachelor’s degree in the same field. Altman received his master of business administration degree from Western (Colo.) State in 1981. He served as an assistant coach on the Western State staff from 1980-82. http://www.goducks.com/coaches.aspx?rc=1416&path=mbball

http://www.espn.com/ncb/recap/_/gameId/400915061

Still at the top of my list: Mike Anderson - Arkansas One of just 10 current Division I head coaches with 10-plus years of experience and no losing seasons, Anderson’s 14 years at the helm of a program have resulted in a 302-162 record, nine 20-win campaigns, seven NCAA Tournament appearances, two Sweet Sixteen berths and a run to the 2009 Elite Eight. During his first five seasons at Arkansas, Anderson produced a 102-64 record and was the first head coach in program history to win 18 or more games in each of his first four years. Anderson has also re-established Bud Walton Arena as one of the toughest places to play and brought excitement back to the tradition-rich program. In his first five years, Arkansas has won 80 games (80-12) in Bud Walton Arena, including an arena-record 17 during each of his first three years. The 2012-13 squad posted just the third unbeaten SEC home record (9-0) in program history and the first since 1998. The success on-and-off the court has translated into fan support as Arkansas returned to the top 25 in national attendance the first four years, including No. 11 in 2014-15. Fans caught a glimpse of the glory days in 2014-15, as the Razorbacks returned to both the NCAA Tournament and SEC Tournament championship game for the first time since 2008. Highlighted by a victory over Southern Conference champ Wofford in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and a program record six SEC road wins, Arkansas produced the sixth-most wins in program history with a 27-9 record. Of course, the up-tempo style of play donned the “Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball” reached another level, as the Razorbacks led the SEC in five different statistical categories, including scoring (77.4), assists (16.1) and turnover margin (+3.8). The Arkansas faithful witnessed the benefits of the coach Nolan Richardson-era style of play that Anderson teaches as the Razorbacks led the SEC in scoring (80.1), assists (15.3), steals (8.4) and turnover margin (+5.5), figures that all ranked in the top 30 in the nation. Individual development was also critical to Arkansas’ improvement in 2013-14 as Bobby Portis became the sixth freshman in program history to earn All-SEC honors, snagging a spot on the All-SEC second team, SEC All-Freshman squad and USBWA All-District VII team. Anderson’s ability to change the direction of programs is nothing new. He inherited a program at Missouri that had been sub-.500 for two consecutive years and within three seasons, Anderson rejuvenated the program and had the Tigers dancing toward the Sweet 16. He guided Missouri to an overall record of 111-56 (.665) in five years with 13 wins over ranked opponents, four NCAA Tournament victories and a 75-13 mark at home. Adapting his style of play from his mentor and Hall of Fame coach, Nolan Richardson, Anderson’s teams are known for playing “The Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball.” His up-tempo style and tough defense allowed Missouri to make the biggest turnaround in college basketball during the 2008-09 season, when the Tigers went from 16-16 in Anderson’s second season to 31-7 a year later. The turnaround of the Missouri program was not lost on the national analysts as he was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) National Coach of the Year and the Clair Bee Coach of the Year in 2009 after he led the Tigers to the Big 12 Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. Anderson’s “The Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball” has resulted in his team’s ranking among the nation’s elite in multiple statistical categories, while compiling some staggering numbers that have resulted in opponents fearing the up-tempo style of play. Anderson’s clubs have led the nation in steals four times and have been in the top 10 in steals nine of 15 years, while finishing in the top 30 in scoring eight times. Since 2002-03, Anderson’s teams have accounted for five of the 28 team totals around the country of 350-plus steals in a season, while he has won the turnover battle in 382 of 464 career games. The influence of “The Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball” has been obvious in Anderson’s return to Fayetteville as the Razorbacks finished in the top 10 in turnover margin and top 20 in steals during each of the last three seasons. Last season, Arkansas ranked in the top 25 nationally in assist/turnover ratio (18th), turnover margin (17th) and blocked shots per game (22nd). Anderson led Missouri to the NCAA Tournament during each of his final three years with the program. His 2008-09 squad marched all the way to the Elite Eight, defeating nationally-ranked Marquette and Memphis, before falling to Connecticut. He returned the Tigers to the postseason in 2009-10, leading Mizzou to the second round of the tournament and completed the trifecta with a second round exit in 2010-11. Missouri’s success was due in large part to Anderson and his coaching staff, who searched for the best talent available to fill the needs of “The Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball.” That search led to back-to-back Big 12 Newcomers of the Year, Missouri’s first Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year and multiple All-Big 12 honors. Missouri’s 2010 recruiting class was the best in the Big 12 and ranked in the top 10 in the nation by every recruiting service. http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/coache/mike-anderson/

Hard not to be tentative when you are sitting on the bench, when you should be getting serious minutes...

There is a very real possibility that Northwestern is going to win their first NCAA Tournament game before Nebraska does...

This.

This might be the truest thing ever posted on HHC.

Same old Nebrasketball. Play well for a week to get your hopes up and start believing and then snap back to reality with performances like these last few. Start conference 3-0 for first time in decades, then lose 3 straight... People love to whine about fans that leave a few minutes early...well, this team left at halftime. Instead of coming out and putting the game away at the start of the second half, they checked out and gave this one away.

Wow. Nebrasketball gonna Nebrasketball...

I think Nebraska has a legit 10-11 man rotation next season. I think it could look something like this: Starting Lineup: 1- Watson 2- Palmer 3- Roby 4- Copeland 5- Morrow Bench: 1- Taylor 2- Gill / Akenten 3- Horne / Akenten 4- Jacobson 5- Tshimanga

For this reason, i think you will see him play the 4 spot a lot. Pick and roll/pop. He would provide a scoring threat that will stress the defense in ways that Morrow and/or Jacobson can't from deep. Even though he has the athleticism and shooting ability of a 3, I think you will see him in a stretch-4 role more often than not, with Morrow playing the 5-spot and playing the role of a more traditional banger down low.

Nick Bahe talked about Copeland today. Some of his comments based on having watched him play multiple times at Georgetown: "All league type player" "Exactly what Nebraska needs" "Arguably Georgetown's best player this year."