tbowman

Heck yea. Great news. Let's GO!

Nope. Nearly all of those guys were on the team.

Farmer, Piatkowski, and Reid were all on the team during year 4. I was accurate in stating it was mostly that same team that turned everything around the following year. Give Fred 2 more seasons to recruit and develop his guys. There are a few players on this current team who could be really, really good in a year or two. Not to mention new players coming in.

That's an impossible question. I don't know. In general, I would not want to mandate any significant changes on Fred after only 2 seasons (year 1 is a lost season that was out of his control). I would want to talk with Fred at the end of the season. If he's good at his job (as I believe he is), he will be able to articulate both the problems faced this season and a plan going forward. If recruiting also remains strong, I would give him another year or two. I'm not a fan of everything I see on the court. I am not a Doc fan. I dislike that NU gives up a zillion wide-open 3 pointers every game. But if I'm honest with myself, it's easy to see in almost every game they don't quite have the athletes to compete yet. They kind of have to pack the paint because they can't defend the paint 1-on-1. Without knowing details, I am consistent in my belief Fred should get two more seasons to implement his system, recruit players to that system and coach the players within that system. Is there room within that statement for some modest changes? Probably. If it's true only 1 assistant coach is recruiting, maybe that should change. Maybe they should all recruit? I don't know. I don't know what is commonly done in most programs these days.

I'm not concerned about losing recruits. Based on Fred's body of work prior to Nebraska, I'm worried about losing someone who could become the most successful coach Nebraska has ever hired before even giving him a chance to succeed.

I continue to maintain Year 1 was not on Fred. He did not have time or opportunity to field a solid recruiting class. I do not believe it's possible to reach any kind of certain conclusions based on 2 years of recruiting and on-court product.

Fair point. But I remember those seasons. Danny finished Year 4 at 10-18 and the fan base wanted his head. Then in Year 5, with many of the same players that lost 18 games, Nebraska won 26 games and fielded the best team in my lifetime. Danny's teams ran up and down the floor. It was often undisciplined and ugly. For the first few years it didn't work real well. And then it did. I believe Fred is on the same path. He should receive minimum 5 years to implement his system and recruit to his system.

And this is exactly why this is such an easy decision for me. I have absolutely no interest whatsoever in ever watching one more game of plodding, grind down the shot clock, boring basketball. The Barry Collier and Doc Sadler eras are periods of time I don't ever want to return to. In addition, the best players don't want to play like that. If talent is needed to compete in the Big 10 then Nebraska should play a brand of basketball the best recruits want to play. Arguably the most successful coach in Nebraska history, Danny Nee, has four pretty atrocious seasons until he turned it around dramatically in year 5. A majority of the fan base was calling for his head after year 4. Year 1 of Fred was, for me, a throw-away year. He had little time to recruit and none of those players were able to stick. So, basically, Fred has had 2 seasons. I'm sorry, but that's just not enough. I saw a significant jump in talent last season and another modest bump in talent this season. Yes, it hasn't yet shown up in wins and losses, but the talent is improving. And looking at this recruiting class, I am seeing another bump in talent. Fred easily gets 5 years for me. And more likely 6-7 years. And I'm pretty confident he will get Nebraska where we want to go if given the freedom to get them there. The last thing he needs is to be micromanaged.

Can he defend the post? Can he defensively rebound from the post? If he can't his 3-ball or motor are kind of irrelevant to me. It pushes him to the 4 and it doesn't really sound like he's a 4.

So only sunshine pumping allowed huh? Nope. You can rail against the program all you want I suppose. I'm just not sure where you're going with all this. Nor am I sure there's any real value in it. This board is starting to become unbearable. I get that the vast majority on this board like to talk about how great things are always and all the time. That's fine. What has become unbearable is the mocking tone and criticism of anyone who dares question the coaching or the current health of the Nebraska basketball program. Six comments from four different posters in this thread alone which serve no purpose whatsoever except to mock nudiehard. I get that no one like trolls, but there are legitimate concerns being raised on this board by individuals who have a long history here and are certainly not trolls. Yet these critiques, often reasoned and thoughtful, are met with repeated snide and snarky comments from long time posters here. It's ridiculous. Honestly 49r, what is the purpose of anything you've posted in this thread? What value is there in it? I don't see any. You've posted three comments in this thread and contributed nothing to the discussion other than you don't approve. If you don't like or see value in the posts of those who take a critical eye then don't read it and don't respond to it. Nudiehard, in particular, has a long history of posting unique and thoughtful takes on this board. I far prefer his insights to the non-stop banter about how absolutely nothing that happened this past season and now off season is in any way negatively connected to Miles or the coaching staff. I don't happen to agree with that sunshine pumping assessment, but I don't troll every single thread of those who do and mock them.

Hello? What about props for the individual who created/started this thread?

Props I suppose to a loyal fan base which seems to view this season and its aftermath through a Husker red filter. But the blind optimism is not necessarily rooted in reality. When a team falls apart so spectacularly (both during the season and now following the season) I look squarely at the coaching staff. Considering the resources at their disposal it is deeply concerning to be entering year four of this staff's tenure with so much uncertainty and instability.

Although I never comment this is a favorite thread every year. Keep it up!

For a team that has massively underachieved and is currently on a trajectory for the NIT or no post-season tournament at all, I have an extremely difficult time praising any of the coaches.

I agree with this sentiment 100%. There are numerous issues with this team. But one significant issue is the almost complete lack of production from Tai, Benny, and Tarin. They have to become more productive for this team to go anywhere. They either need to become more effective in finishing at the rim or they need to let the 3-pointer fly if they get an open look.

I do think it is reasonable to wonder just how valuable a role Craig Smith played in the success Miles has had over the years.

I love the people who keep saying it's the exact same team as we had last year. Tbow has done it twice today in different threads. As if Leslie Smith and Ray Gallegos didn't even exist. As if taking a 30-35 minute guy out of the lineup doesn't matter. Gallegos and Smith were both role players. Smith barely played and didn't play all that well during the run at the end of the season. Huskers returned 90% of their production from last year. Absolutely no reason this team should be struggling the way it is.

I could be open to this line of reasoning except for the fact that this year's team is not even close to an NIT team, despite having the same players. Right now, this team is worse even than the Dylan Talley / Brandon Ubel led team from two years ago. This team is so much more talented than that team. There is just no logically explanation for why they are playing so poorly.

I agree they have hit rock bottom. I do not agree with your optimistic take. The coaches are losing this team and this season. And a lost season could dramatically negatively affect recruiting. NU basketball fans have been down this road before. Collier had a couple nice seasons where the players overachieved before the bottom fell out. Same with Sadler. I know how this story typically ends.

This board has historically tied itself in knots defend abysmal coaching. For years I heard about how Doc Sadler was wise to yank kids and park them on the bench for a single mistake.

I do not agree whatsoever that Petteway or any of the players are the problem right now. The players look absolutely lost on offense. Defensively they seem to understand what they are doing, but it isn't working. The problems are on the coaching staff and it is on them to right the ship.

Are any of the coaches doing any teaching whatsoever? That was some of the worst basketball I've seen in years - competing with even some of the worst Princeton offense Collier years. After building a small lead they lose the ball 3-4 consecutive times at mid-court? And this was indicative of the entire game - offensively and defensively. What is going on? I am livid - but not at the players. This is pretty much the exact same team that went to the NCAA tournament last year, beat Wisconsin at home, and beat Michigan State on the road. These kids can play. It seems clear to me that Craig Smith was the glue that held everything together. This year's team looks like the coaches are just rolling the ball out and saying "go play".

Tbow, just curious: Why do you leave once it's clear the game is decided? No secret - I don't want to spend one extra second in traffic beyond what is necessary.

For the record, I have routinely observed a Husker Hoops legend (former player) leaving early and walking around the floor to the SW corner exit.

People are going to leave early. I am going to leave early once it is clear the game is decided. I guess you can beef about it. It just isn't going to change anything. It's not my fault PBA only allows one exit on the floor to be used at the end of games. If they opened up all four exits I would use the one closest to me. But I have no intention of walking up to the second level and then around and back down to get out. Boo me all you want. But your real beef is with the PBA. And the idea that they would block all four floor exits seems impossible. A hefty percentage of the crowd sits in the lower bowl as compared to the Devaney. I would love to see someone try to make all that mass of people head up to the second bowl to get out. I can't see it, but you could try. Really, they just need to open up all four floor exits. But for some reason they won't. I have tried multiple times to use the floor exit closest to where we sit and they won't allow it.