NUdiehard

At this point it would be best if the waiver is denied.

I think we can all agree that Fred gets a complete mulligan for at least one or two years as he tries to build this program from the ground up. For Nebraska, Hoiberg was as close to a "home run" hire as we probably can ever get, and frankly, if he can't get it done during his tenure here, then we should all just agree to terminate this moribund program and put us all out of our misery. He needs time. He deserves time. For those of us that have been doing this for decades, it stinks having to sit through another year(s) or inept and losing basketball, but for Fred it is year 0 so in the words of Coach Miles, "we can't put that history on him." With that said, I am completely perflexed by this team he has assembled. Yes, he had to scramble to piece this together in a matte of weeks, and it is a minor miracle we even have 13 scholarship players. But for a coach who is renowned for shooting the basketball and playing a style of "5 out" with 5 shooters on the floor, it is hard to understand this group of players. Not a single one of them (sans Kavas who, although a 5th year senior, looks like a deer in the headlights out there and not athletic enough to guard or get open) that has a nice shot. And I don't think the first 2 games are an aberration. Will they continue to shoot 20% from 3? Probably not. But this will never be a solid 3-point shooting team. To be honest, there isn't a single player on this current roster that I would be majorly disappointed if he transferred out except maybe Mack or Curtis. And speaking of Curtis, why isn't he playing more? I would take him over 13 guys on this roster right now, yet he sits on the bench. He is young, he is talented, he can shoot (looks weird, but goes in). Unless there is a disciplinary issue, I don't get it. If it was just for this year, then it wouldn't be much of a concern. Again, this is year 0--the mulligan. But we only have 2 seniors, so most of these guys will be sticking around for a while. And the two redshirts--Banton and Walker--are even worse shooters than anyone that is currently eligible. I don't understand why he recruited two centers (Walker and Yvan) that are (1) undersized, (2) can't dribble, and (3) can't shoot a lick. They will never allow Fred to play a 5 out system. Cross may eventually become an okay shooter (he is not a good shooter now), but he is not a center--he is 6'6" tall at best. Recruiting has also gotten off to a very slow start. Our most promising 2020 recruit (Davis) backed out of his verbal. Please don't tell me Fred didn't want him--he committed to Louisville! And now Donovan is waiting to sign his LOI in April, which is never a good sign. And why didn't Hoiberg secure additional commitments for 2020. I realize we only have 2 seniors and Miles already had two commits, but come on. We need a serious upgrade in talent. I would have expected Fred to be looking for multiple additional 2020 recruits and let things sort out after the season. And yes, he still can, and I'm sure will, get more 2020 recruits. It is just a little discouraging that he wasn't able to secure a single 2020 commitment for the November signing period. In fact, he hasn't secured a single commitment from any recruit for any class since assembling the current roster last April/May. Have a bit of a concern about Doc being defensive coordinator. His pack-line defense may have been great 15 years ago, but in an age where kids grow up shooting 3s and teams and coaches shoot 3s, putting 5 guys in the paint may not be the best strategy anymore. Remember, Molinari brought a similar packline defense here, and after year after year of getting scorched, Miles had to finally force him to modify the defense to stretch out and contend against those 3 point shots--and it did work much better. The game has changed, coaches must evolve with the game. Hoiberg should know that better than anyone. Strange that he would bring in a defensive coordinator that would be completely ill-suited to stop everything he wants to do on offense. Many people on this board are looking forward to a significant jump in year 2. To those people, based on what we know now, what is it that you see that makes you think this team will be anywhere close to competing for the top half of B1G next year? Unless there is a miraculous infusion of talent in the April signing period, I just don't see it at all. Again, not down on Hoiberg for that, I believe he gets at least 2 years mulligan, I just don't see a quick fix here at all. Again, none of this is to question Hoiberg or say everything is doomed. Most likely, Fred will pull a rabbit out of his hat and land some big time recruits here soon that will assuage all of these concerns. But as things stand now, this is what I see. I will continue to the games this year, but it just seems like none of these players are going to be the players that are going to take us to the next level. I think almost this entire roster is going to have to be turned over before we get there. And that could take many more years, which will still be worth it, but man, we've been doing this for so long already . . .

In the grand scheme of the Fred Hoiberg era, I realize this will be a blip on the radar. But I still don't understand why Fred gave Amir Harris his walking papers. If he had brought in a bunch of studs to replace him, I could understand, but I would take Amir Harris over many (most?) guys on this current roster in a heartbeat. Amir couldn't shoot a lick, but neither can anyone one this current team. Amir had length and athleticism, could drive and finish and was a very good defender.

Palmer loves to pad his stats in garbage time

Palmer ALWAYS pads his stats in garbage time

Its one thing to miss shots (and we missed plenty), but I was dumbfounded by Miles "strategy" down the stretch. As we all know, NU managed to take a lead by 3 in the second half and if I recall correctly, it was still a close game with about 6-8 minutes left, and we all knew we absolutely could not let UW stretch out the lead. So I was pleading, even yelling, for Miles to go to Hack-a-Happ. Happ is shooting 37% on FT in conference play. He was 0-3 last night. Miles made 2 massive blunders down the stretch of that game. 1. When Tanner fouled out, he put in Brady. Why? Why not go small? Play Watson, Allen, Thor, JPJ and Roby. Brady was clearly outmatched in that game. The smaller lineup could at least stretch out the defense a bit and give the offense the best chance to score. Then, on defense, if the ball goes inside to Happ, just FOUL HIM. We didn't need a big to guard their big, because our small could just foul every time Happ touched the ball (we had multiple players who had just 1 foul on the floor at the time. This lineup blunder was compounded when Miles, out of a timeout, ran a play that apparently was designed to go to Brady under the hoop! What? The ball was passed in to Brady and Brady then promptly threw it away. Turnover. What is going on? Why is Miles running a play through Brady late in the game when the game is on the line and Roby is on the floor? 2. His second mistake plays off the above. Miles should have gone to Hack-a-Happ with 6 to 8 minutes left in the game. Especially when NU reached 6 fouls putting UW in the single bonus. We could have had 3 straight possessions where we put Happ on the line for a 1-on-1 situation. If he misses the first shot, it is essentially a turnover. But no. Instead, NU allowed UW to run significant clock and either (a) hit a 3 point shot which was an absolute killer in such a low scoring game, or (b) fouled one of UW's guards late in the shot clock!?! What is going on here? In fact, Miles never went to hack-a-Happ the entire game. Even down 10 with 3 minutes to go, he could have fouled Happ every time down just to give NU a chance, but its almost like it never occurred to him or any of his assistants. Really?!? This is mind blowing. It is incredibly frustrating watching the players miss shots. And watching JPJ take his hero shot 3s late in the game was tough. But that is something that can happen to the best of players, let alone our guys. Sometimes the ball just doesn't go in the hoop. But watching a coach, who is payed $2.5M fail to see and implement such basic and obvious strategies and lineups is unacceptable. The coach has to give the players the best chance possible to win the game. NU may still have lost, but Miles should not cripple them with such poor coaching decisions making it that much more difficult. I have supported Miles. Up to this point I have told everyone I talk to I think Miles should get an extension. But with this collapse, and watching these types of massive coaching inadequacies, has me at wits end.

Can someone explain to me how to mute another member. Thanks.

Note Iowa had 3 seconds left in half and made a 3-pointer by just dribbling up floor and taking 3 in comparison to the ridiculous half court alley-opp play run by Nebraska with 3 seconds left in Maryland game that had no chance of being successful in that short span of time.

Go back and watch the replay. By the time the ball gets to Roby there was only 0.3 seconds on game clock. Even if he catches it clean he doesn’t have time to gather and shoot. Would have had to literally tipped it in from a full sprint and jump based on a half court pass. Almost 0% chance all that works in that time frame. Plus the defender was with him all the way and had another defender in paint as well. Maryland not going to allow him to just streak down court all alone. Much rather get a decent look from 3 and live with results.

The Paner hero ball down the stretch had to end and a lot of that is on Miles. Allen is the best shooter on the team but Miles will not or cannot get him open shots. That play out of timeout with 3 seconds on shot clock (not last possession) where pass into Roby and out to James for 3 should have been to Tom. Need to get the right pkayers the right shots at the right time.

Totally disagree. The pass was off because it is almost an impossible pass—an alley-oop pass from half court with hands in your face. Terrible play. Just get a good look from 3

The was a crap play. Just get a good look from 3 and go for the win. The odds of that half court alley oopbworking was about .01%.

Terrible shot. Hero ball in effect

2 for 1 Please!!!!

ESPN just updated their top 100 draft prospects and Roby came in at #39, which would be a high 2nd round pick. Palmer comes in at #80 and Copeland is not listed on the top 100

Put Roby on Coffey

Palmer taking bad shots on offensive end and getting destroyed on defensive end

Dean Smith have to eat some crow

I don’t even like the 3 big men concept for this team. In the last game Miles experimented for awhile with a Roby, Copeland Tanner lineup and it was a disaster IMO. I would much rather continue to go with the small ball lineup and force opponents to adjust to us rather the us adjusting to them.

ESPN top 100 Draft rankings came out yesterday. Roby at #33. Palmer #68. Copeland did not make top 100. ESPN Top 100 Sam Vecenie of the Athletic came out with his 2019 NBA Draft Big Board and Roby listed at #47 and Palmer at #55. Copeland did not make top 100.

Consider me concerned. Plantar is not something that goes away quickly or easily. Anyone remember Marcus Perry? He battled plantar his entire senior year at NU and if I recall he almost never practiced that whole year and simply played in games when he could. Roby has had numerous nagging injuries since the day he stepped foot on campus and such injuries may just be his kryptonite. Hopefully he can shake it and be at full health the rest of the season but not off to a good start.

Norm, all of your points are fair. I actually agree that Roby's efficiency most like would have gone down with a higher usage rate. But I still think his efficiency would have been tops on the team even with a much higher usage rate, and I feel if he is healthy and on his game this year, the same will hold true. One thing in talking about Roby's low usage rate is not only his lack of shooting per minutes on the floor, but for me, a huge frustration last year was him limited minutes actually playing for so much of the season. Roby ended the season averaging only 24 minutes per game. For the first half of the season (until Jordy quit and came back), Roby was averaging about 19 minutes per game. I said it then and I will say it again now, that is absurd! For those who know me on this board, you will know that I was making this same argument in real time early in the season last year (and to be fair there were many others on this board or felt strongly that Roby should be starting over Jordy). Imagine if Jordy had never quit, would Roby have ever been inserted into the starting lineup? Something so painfully obvious and beneficial to the team should not take so long to be discovered by its head coach. I can't find the game by game statistics off-hand, but I am quite certain that in the 2nd half of the year, as Roby's minutes went up he continued to be the most efficient player on the floor on average. As to basing his usage last year on his freshman year, all I can see is it was apparent to my naked eye from the first game that Roby was a much stronger, much more polished player right from the start of his sophomore year. I would have to imagine this would be visible to Miles as well since he sees him everyday in practice and in games. Plus, efficiency is much more than just 3 point percentage. Roby's unique profile allows him to get off midrange shots and drives to the basket that few players can and he was extremely efficient in those areas all year last year. I have to believe this was pretty evident in practice as well. The speech Miles gave Roby this summer frustrates me. Not because it is wrong, but because it is a year too late. That same speech should have been given to Roby last summer before his sophomore year. Yes, Roby was (and always has been) reluctant to shoot the ball. But we have all watched the games and seen how Roby was handled, right? Again, if one were to go back to Roby's freshman year, I was expressing my frustration with Miles constantly yelling at Roby and pulling him out of the game for every little mistake while other players seemed to be allowed to get away with much more sloppy play. Miles continued to do this early in the season last year. In one game, Miles went ballistic and yanked Roby for getting called for an illegal screen when replays clearly showed he didn't touch anybody and that two Minnesota players ran into each other. l Is there any wonder Roby was reluctant to be aggressive and take chances? Roby by nature is reluctant. Yelling and having a fit every time he makes a mistake is not the way to boost his confidence and encourage him to take chances and be aggressive. Roby was probably worried if he missed a shot he would be yanked--and he was probably right! I went to every single game. I rarely rarely saw sets which were designed around Roby (at least not until the very end of the season). Roby should have been made the focal point much earlier and much more often. I hope to see that this year. For what its worth, my goal is not to be hyper-critical of Miles. I have never advocated for Miles to be fired and I was fully supportive of him coming back this year. In fact, I think Moose should have given him a longer contract and am not thrilled with how he is being handled. But that doesn't mean I won't call it the way I see it on particular players or issues. And I am sure others will disagree (I imagine Dean has a response waiting for me As a long-suffering Husker Hoops fans, each year we just hope to see something special. Something to make it all worth it. That can be in the form of a successful record, but also being able to watch a special player. Since first signing Roby I felt he had that something special. I watched a video of him dunking from the free throw line in a HS dunk contest. There are only 10 or so players in the entire NBA who can do that! Guys like Roby come around about once every 20 years at NU, and here MIles was benching him and constantly taking him out of games and yelling at him. I just didn't get it and still don't get it. I am hopeful that will change this year, but Miles is going to have to make it clear to guys like Palmer that he doesn't need to shoot 15-20 times each game.

When I try to think of a player comp for Roby, I keep coming back to Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi is 6'7", 230lbs with a 7'3" wingspan. Roby is 6'8", 230 lbs with a 7'3" wingspan. Kawhi also registered a 32.5" verticle (surprisingly low to me) while I think Roby's is much higher than that. On the flip side, Kawhi has freakishly huge hands and while Roby appears to have very large hands, I am not sure is in full freak mode like Kawhi. What makes Kawhi so special is his athleticism combined with his wingspan and great anticipation and quick hands. I see so much of these same attributes in Roby. Roby is excellent at getting deflections and being disruptive on defense. Obviously Kawhi has elite athleticism, but when I watch Roby and the way he is able to move his feet at his size and to move laterally as well as straight away when defending. He can cover so much ground so quickly can really wreak havoc on the defensive end. As for his shooting, Roby's efficiency numbers were off the charts last year, but they were on a very low volume and most likely unsustainable. Nonetheless, it is clear that Roby should be much, much more of a focal point in the offensive scheme this year. Roby's efficiency is so much better than Palmer's its not even comparable and I feel Roby is just beginning to tap his potential on that end. Royalfan, I hear what you are saying about Roby needing to prove his efficiency on the offensive end with higher volume to be a lottery pick, but take a look at Kawhi's numbers out of college (San Diego State) where he shot an abysmal 32% on catch and shoot jumpers and 28% on pull-up jumpers. Kawhi did average more points per game, but on much higher usage rates. Roby is a far better shooter in college than Kawhi ever was and i think he has good shooting form right now. Kawhi relentlessly worked on his shooting form after college and remarkably has turned himself into one of the better jump shooters and 3 point shooters in the league and it is impossible to speculate if Roby can do that. But if we are comparing where they both were at the same point in their college careers there is little doubt Roby had the better stroke in his sophmore year than Kawhi (Kawhi only played 2 years at San Diego St.). Roby needs to tighten his handle in traffic, but he has shown promise with his dribbling and passing, especially for a 6'8" player. When healthy, Kawhi is a top 5 player in the league (and maybe higher), so I am not saying that Roby is that or will ever be that. But Roby's profile is similar enough that it does make one wonder if he might just be the steal of the draft if he does fall out of the lottery as most project that he will. It is also why I feel (and have felt and been vocal about) that Roby has been vastly underutilized during his 2 years here and I am hoping that changes significantly this year. Palmer is good, but he shot under 31% on 3s last year. Roby can be a 3-level scorer, was by far the most efficient scorer last year, and should be put in position and given every opportunity to score this year.

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that whenever HuskerHoops has these short video clips of practice that Roby is never participating in the actual basketball activity (and I don't see him in this picture of the entire team sprinting either). I could be wrong about this, I just know that everytime I see one I look for him and cannot ever seem to find him as part of the drill or workout. Does anyone know anything about his status? Is he 100%? Do they hold him out of some drills and sprints as a precaution?