hhcdave

Anyone at game with an update on Cam? Is he playing?

So I don't post nearly as much as I used to (duh) but believe me, I watch EVERY game and sometimes, kind of miss the old report cards I used to do from 2004-2015. I also regularly read this awesome website that Matt does a GREAT job with. Anyway, I've been absolutely BLOWN AWAY by how good of a FLOOR COACH (especially situationally) Fred Hoiberg is. Sure, we all know he can recruit... we all know he played in the NBA 10 years... we all know he was in the T-Wolves front office... We all know he built ISU into a winner, regularly put guys into the NBA and coached the Bulls... we also all know he can recruit. But nobody really seems to comment on his floor coaching much. Here are six instances I've noticed that I've been yearning for out of a Nebrasketball coach for YEARS and YEARS and NEVER SEEN. These are little things that will make a HUGE difference when we upgrade the talent and are competing for postseason. They are as important as free throws. 1. TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE RUNNING CLOCK INSIDE 1:00 LEFT AT THE END OF THE FIRST HALF The first time I noticed this was against Southern Utah, and it ALSO manifested itself the very next game. It hasn't presented an opportunity since then, but two straight games, I saw Hoiberg do the following. In the first half, our bench is right in front of us on defense, obviously. The opposing team made a shot with around 36 seconds left and our guys were running out of bounds and about to pass it in with 36 seconds left. He YELLED and told them to WAIT - the clock is running - run it down to at least 32 before you in bound (you get 5 seconds, after all). This completely eliminates one possession (which can be huge) and it's something NO COACHES EVER DO. EVER. He did it twice in a row. I've never seen anyone mention this. How many one possession games are there in conference when you are where you need to be? Why do no other coaches do this? (I promise you, they don't) 2. BRINGING IN PLAYERS WHO DON'T PLAY TO FOUL AT THE END He's done this in one game for sure, but it seems like two. Maybe at Indiana? I don't know how many times I see dumbass coaches leave their starters with 3 and 4 fouls in there to foul at the end. ESPECIALLY OUT OF A TIMEOUT. Drives me insane. I get that you want a steal and keep your best guys in, but when there's a 5% chance of that, it makes more sense to bring in Arop or Charlie or Kavas or whomever to use their fouls and then bring back in your key players with 3 and 4 fouls during the free throws. This might sound ho hum but name me one other college coach who does this. 3. WILLINGNESS/LACK OF STUBBORNNESS TO MIX UP DEFENSES AND EVEN PLAY (GASP) A LOT OF ZONE We haven't had a coach willing to play semi consistent zone since...... well I go back to Danny Nee and I don't remember it (outside of some of Danny's teams). I don't believe Doc ever did much when he was here - ditto on Miles (outside of small stretches). Same with Barry. I can't tell you how many times I yelled at the TV "switch out of the damn man" and my good friend Dustin who also watches every game would say, "He doesn't believe in it. We don't play zone." Hoiberg has shown that he will adapt defenses based on opponent and game situation MUCH MORE than any of our coaches throughout the last 25 years. He has his team prepared for EVERYTHING. 4. CALLED PLAYS/SETS OUT OF TIMEOUTS GETTING EASY SHOTS I'm willing to bet if you went back out of a timeout when we had possession, we run a set or play that gets us a good look 4 out of 5 times. And that's with (no knock on our guys) semi inferior talent. 5. ADJUSTING AT HALFTIME A coach who actually (Gasps) adjusts at halftime??? We've seen this many times this year. 6. LITERALLY NOBODY EXCEPT FRED AND THOR’S FAMILY THOUGHT THOR WAS A BIG TEN PLAYER. I don’t think this gets brought up enough. Fred was literally the only one who spotted Thor’s strength and upside to want to keep him around. None of us saw upside or ability with Thor. Fred did and we see Thor becoming a better player each game. The shooting ability from three point land out of Thor from last year to this year is one of the most remarkable year to year improvements I’ve ever seen at the college level. These are just six of many examples - #1 and #2 and #6 are the ones I REALLY wanted to point out because I haven't seen anyone ever talk about them. These are HUGE THINGS that coaches just don't do and that will win us games down the line. Fred is a freaking winner. He's all class. He's a name. He's a recruiter. He's a "wow" factor. But let's not forget he's a HELL. OF. A. FLOOR. COACH. If he can't get it done here, we literally are screwed.

That’s what she said.

Good to hear from you both!

You didn’t offend me at all!! And just to clarify, in no way shape or form do I “want them to beat our ass.” No idea how you came up with that from that post. We need this W badly.

SUU Thunderbirds. Check out my other long detailed post so I don't feel like I completely waisted 15 minutes typing haha

PS Danny Nee took Eric Piatkowski, Bruce Chubick, Derrick Chandler and others into Cedar City to take on SUU in the early 90's. The T-Birds kept it within 10 points. That was HUGE for them at the time. I miss the days of Home and Homes with SUU, Appalachian State, Wisconsin-Green Bay, etc, etc. Loved how Danny would do that. Nowadays, a Power 5 team would NEVER go to Cedar City for a game.

Saturday will be a special game for me, and let me explain why. But before I do that, six quick thoughts on tonight. 1. Tonight will absolutely be rock bottom. Losing by double figures to a sub .500 Big West team without their best player at home was miserable. Cal Riverside will be lucky to hit 13 wins this year. We had no energy, couldn't hit the broad side of a barn and didn't look anything like a team on offense. It was individual play. We are young and don't have defined roles or defined leaders/letter winners yet. This will come with time. 2. We will get a LOT better as the season goes on. Because: 3. We have the right guy at the helm with a terrific coaching staff. 4. There are 4 guys on this roster who will be a big part of our NCAA Tournamen team in year #3. That's good news for the future but not good news for this year. Because: 5. The rest are mostly place holders and guys who wouldn't see the floor by then. 6. I love this team and program, and I hope negative energy Husker fans from football will stay the hell away. I heard a few boo's after a possession where we missed a few layups late in the second half. I heard mock Bronx cheers on made free throws. I get it, I get it. It's frustrating. It was brutal. But come the hell on. It's season one, game one and this has nothing to do with football. Next, let's talk about Southern Utah. I'm sure I made this same post a decade ago when we last played them, but here's the info. From 1988-1990, I was 8-10 years old. My Dad was the Music Department Chair at Southern Utah University (SUU) in Cedar City, Utah. He directed the pep band and we went to ALL the football and basketball games. This is where I fell in love with basketball as a kid. I became a ball boy for SUU. 1988-1989 was their first Division I season (as an Independent) and they struggled. Our second year there, 1989-1990, they won AT Xavier, who was in the Top 25. I'll never forget being 9 years old and listening on the radio. They also played Stacy King and OU and KSU and lost those by about 45 points each. Even lost to a D2 team at home that year. Go figure. They had pretty good basketball teams for several years after that. Their coach at the time (Neil Roberts) got arrested for stealing a $15 tie during a road game at Idaho State and was fired. He was the coach when I was there. Bill Evans took over (now at Idaho State) for many years and took SUU to the NCAA Tournament in 2000-2001 where they almost beat Boston College as a 14 seed in their one and only NCAA Tourney. Football wise, they've been REAL good in FCS. Several guys have gone into the NFL. Basketball, they've never had an NBA player. They're a Big Sky team. The Thunderbirds. This is a legendary Native American bird that didn't exist but in their tales, were "canyon birds." Pretty sweet mascot and the only Thunderbirds (or T-Birds) in existence. Southern Utah University is in Cedar City and is 45 minutes from Zion National Park, 2.5 hours from Las Vegas. It's BEAUTIFUL and they play in a small arena that the Utah Jazz used for training camp a few times. I have quite the cool connection to this small D1 school. I've always followed them from afar. From their times in the Mid Continent Conference to Summit League, to nowadays, the Big Sky. They are much better than Cal Riverside and are expected to compete in the Big Sky this year. 3rd or 4th pre-season. I believe they'd beat Riverside by 10-12 points head to head.Their head coach is a very nice guy named Todd Simon who for a brief time was interim coach at UNLV. He's a great recruiter with a Big 10 background (he grew up in Michigan as a Big 10 fan). That's way more info than you ever wanted to know about the Thunderbirds of Southern Utah. I'll be driving from KC for this game. Definitely going for the Huskers, but if one school has to beat us and have it help them (which their program could really use a shot in the arm), I'd much rather it be them than Cal Riverside. Go Big Red but if not, let this be our last loss of the season. Hoping the Hoiberg era sees its first win against Southern Utah. 38 year old me, 30 years after my first year of ball boy in Cedar City, thinks it would be quite ironic and quite the small world if that happened.

I don't understand for the life of me why you STILL can't get the t-shirt Hoiberg is wearing above in a variety of colors. I've seen the hat but never the shirt. Unreal. They'd sell like hot cakes.

Nailed this 100000000%. My Boehm hatred in a nutshell.

Guys, two things. 1. Boehm never had the chance to step away. He didn’t do so because he thought things were going to be dirty. Hoiberg was never going to come here without his own guy in that role and with complete control. That is 100% fact, not speculation. Boehm might be telling people that - I don’t know - but it’s not true. Matt (Dimes) knows my source and that he’s good (we will let him remain annonynous). The Boehm narrative that he felt uncomfortable and walked is 10000% false. 2. Why is one single post by a pissed off St Johns fan who added a pissed off fbi hashtag all of a sudden making people come to the conclusion Matt A is dirty? That’s ridiculous. Do you really think Hoiberg would touch him with a ten foot pole if he was dirty or under investigation? Fast talking Jersey guy who schmoozes? Yes. Dirty recruiter? No.

Paging Bobby Lutz... Barry Collier's last year, at Omaha (then Qwest Center), Bobby Lutz, then a hotshot coach at UNC Charlotte, was paged over the intercom.

I believe the biggest factor for Roby will be seeing what happened to Copeland. If same thing were to happen to him next year, it could be a disaster for him. If hes a SURE first rounder, he goes, as he should. If it’s questionable that he will be a first rounder he’s back, as he should. But I don’t think the Copeland injury will be overlooked by him.

Since I give him blame for "flops" in the past, its only fair that he gets big kudos and credit. So my last ever Marc Boehm post (I PROMISE)............. IF... and its still a big if but IF... he helps us land Fred Hoiberg... I will NEVER again say a bad word about him the rest of my life. And this will undue all of my past gripes about him and the program he has overseen. I'm not kidding. I will vote FOR a Marc Boehm statue in front of PBA and I will name my first son Marc. Possibly even dress up as him at my 2019 Halloween Parties. -Marc's New #1 Fan

Yes, of course. What is the second thing he oversees on that list? Ticketing. The NIT ticketing debacle this week ring a bell? Big ball drop, no? Thats also not even close to what I’m genuinely concerned about. His fingerprints were all over the basketball programs under Peterson and TO. Could it be different now? Possibly. But knowing the debacles he was a part of in past, and that he was hired as a basketball guru, I don’t want him having any part of those types of things anymore. All that aside - even if he WAS reassigned under Eichorst or Moos - he’s ALWAYS with men’s basketball, no? He’s consistently on road trips. Year after year. Does that not tell you he still has fingerprints all over basketball and that it’s not still his focus?

Hey, if you think a cushy six figure salary for 20 years with a job description of "OVERSEEING BASKETBALL" (until the last two years when it was magically changed) means lifetime job security, then by all means, keep him. And if you don't think he has any impact on wins, losses, hires, recruits, marketing or apparel, then why is he making six figures and on the payroll in the first place?

I just feel lucky that we have the basketball savant that is Marc Boehm getting to work with and oversee his soon to be 4th basketball coach. He’s done such great work here. Consistent winning. Lots of NCAA Tournament appearances in his 19 years. Continued domination of Creighton. Player after player into the NBA. Marc also helped oversee the magnificent handling of Connie Yori and ensuring our women’s team lost the one great thing it had over the last 25 years. Marketing wise, Marc helped lead this program into all of our hearts. Constantly with the hottest basketball gear for sale. For example, I love that we can find the shirt with Herbie spinning a basketball for sale that literally every Husker fan wants. And I love that we’ve had bobble heads for basketball. Oh wait, never mind. #LifetimeContract #OnlyConsistentPartOfWorstEraOfHuskerHoopsHistory

I hate to even be talking about this because we inevitably know how history has taught us this ends as Nebrasketball junkies. I can remember in 1998-1999 needing just one more win (including a key game at KSU) and not getting that win. Or Rayford Young COAST TO COAST on Cookie and company in the Big 12 tournament. Then 2-3 times during the Collier and Sadler eras, even in this one. HOWEVER with the negativity out of the way... Here's where I see us. At the moment, as a #3 seed in the NIT hosting a game. IF we beat Wisconsin, firmly on the bubble Sunday. Either last four in or first four out. With one win past that, 100% locked in the tournament. SOOOOOOO I ask... can we finally exercise our demons and get that DUB against the Badgers? A DUB will have us on the edge of our seats Sunday night......

Boy oh boy do I have an interesting story to share with my fellow Nebraska basketball diehards - especially ones that follow recruiting and have done so for several years. This morning, I left the worlds largest sportsbook at the Westgate Las Vegas and was Uber'ing it back to the Las Vegas airport for my return trip to KC after 4 days in Vegas. As we drove by the Thomas & Mack Center, I commented to my girlfriend, "Hey, UNLV played there last night against Boise State." I knew that because I had money on UNLV -3 (and they won by 4 in OT). As we drove, for some odd reason, I thought to myself, "I bet Boise State flies commercial and we see them at the airport since its 9 AM and they'll want to get back for classes." I kid you not, we walk into the Southwest terminal and right there in front of us - like LITERALLY in front of us - is the entire Boise State basketball team. If that was the end of this story, it would be cool enough on its own. But it gets WAY more random and small world from this point forward. Two TALL Boise State players are walking in front of my girlfriend and I as we board the escalator to go through security toward Gate B. On the backpack of the player in front of me I see the name, a name I haven't heard in 5 years, and it all flashes back to me. DAVID WACKER WAIT, I thought... How do I know that name? Then I remember reading about him on this very website and how Nebraska hosted him on a recruiting visit before he chose to attend Boise State. I had literally forgotten he played there until that moment. I had to say something, so I say "Hey David". He looks back unexpectedly (because why the hell is this random mid 30's guy talking to him). I say "Didn't you almost go to Nebraska?" He lights up and says "Yes!! I had a great visit there." And then we end up standing in line together for 5 minutes as we head through security. I asked him many nonstop questions and he asked me a couple. Here were interesting things I found out. 1. He LOVED his visit to Nebraska. Commented how cool the football game was and that everyone was so nice. Said the fans were diehards and awesome to him. 2. Craig Smith was the reason he almost committed to Nebraska. He noted "It's a good thing I didn't choose there because he left after like what would have been one year for me." He noted how he's now at Utah State and how cool it was playing against him this year. He said Craig was AWESOME. 3. His parents were really excited about the Nebraska offer and kind of steered him that way. 4. He said he ultimately chose Boise State because he wanted to win a conference championship and that he knew that would be very difficult in the Big 10. He then said, "But don't get me wrong, Nebraska can still get in the tournament every year. That's the great thing about the Big 10. But I really wanted to go to a school where I had a chance to win the conference championship." Found that an interesting mindset. He asked me a few questions about Coach Miles, the current state of the program and seemed surprise by the demise. He asked what I thought the issues were and I told him. He didn't say much but listened intently. He was shocked when I told him Nebraska is the only Power 5 school to never win a tournament game. He said he had no clue. He was an EXTREMELY nice kid and a lot of fun to talk with. I am cheering Boise State on from here on forward as he finishes off his last few college games. I thought I would share this to A. Show how small world it was that I would end up randomly seeing him without even thinking about him all these years later. B. Show you an example of what at least one recruit looks for and thought of his visit. C. Tell you that he has a very positive opinion of Nebraska and enjoyed his visit. Anyone remember him? Hope you found this interesting to read. Dave

There's no doubt Copeland was the best player on this team and the most important. Once he went out, an already free falling team hit the ground. We just didn't know it quite yet. With Copeland, I believe this is a bubble team. That STILL is not acceptable for a seventh year head coach who has made the post season twice, won zero games, never produced an NBA player and defeated Creighton just once. Bubble team with this experienced of a team, these facilities, etc. isn't good enough, even WITH Cope. With all that said, while Cope was the best player on this team, he was still an Honorable Mention caliber All Big 10 player. So for as good as Miles recruiting was on paper - and it WAS good - losing an honorable mention All Big 10 player shouldn't derail your season to this level in your seventh year of coaching. I hope Thomas and Nana are okay and will stay in this program (along with Roby, Thor and Amir) during the coaching change. Otherwise, the new coach will inherit a program in WORSE shape than the one Miles inherited. Which is truly astounding to think about considering facilities, fan interest and support, etc. Sorry to be so down, but I have to type this stuff out sometimes to people who actually care and understand what I'm talking about. It's therepeutic in some crazy way,.

How is it even possible for a team to go 20/20 from the line? Are you kidding me?

Can we just have Palmer pull an NFL prospect and decide to bypass rest of season to focus on the NBA?

Pretty sure Boehm will still be here 4 coaches from now and somehow still alive at age 123.

Keep in mind, I'm someone who is livid with the results during the Miles era and think he is an awful coach (great salesman - good recruiter - but awful coach). With that said, it's pretty dumb that he had to apologize for that comment. If you listen to the podcast, he's clearly joking about the firing thing. Very unfair of Sipple to post that as he did (without context). Pretty clear that was a "hit shot" on the way out the door and Steve knew that 99% of readers would have no idea the context of the quote, or he wouldn't have posted it. Not too mention the rest of the story was H-A-R-S-H. For someone (Sipple) who got cited for a very embarrassing public indecent incident in the early 2000's, I would expect Sipple to have a little more empathy for someone in the public eye and a little more empathetic. Still surprised HE kept his job after that.

I don’t feel like I’m personally attacking anyone. I didn’t say anything bad about Palmer as a person or question his effort or leadership. That would be personally attacking. I simply said he’s overhyped and been hugely detrimental to this team. I hope I didn’t cross the line into personal attack as that wasn’t my intent. I apologize if I did.