Heady: Reflections of two years of Nebrasketball!

[Red Don]

Chris Head's Excellent 'Good-by' article on Nebraska Basketball!!

Heady: Reflections of two years and much change covering the Nebraska basketball team

It’s worth taking a moment to take stock of where, frozen in this moment, the Nebraska basketball program stands. It’s changed before Chris Heady's eyes in two years, and it

omaha.com

This is my final dispatch on this beat before moving back to Kansas. Though in the grand arc of history that news is rather small, it’s worth taking a moment to take stock of where, frozen in this moment, the basketball program stands.

It’s changed before my eyes in two years, and it could change even more in the next two.

The differences go beyond the coach but we’ll start there, because with the transition from Tim Miles to Fred Hoiberg, there’s been a drastic shift in resources, expectations and internal operations.

In talking with sources, Miles and his staff asked for upgrades during those five years and were told no often. That went for hiring assistants, signing recruits and even, once, an Adidas display of throwback jerseys to put outside the basketball offices.

Hoiberg’s $25 million contract pays him $3.57 million a year, which, according to the most recent available numbers, makes Hoiberg the 11th-highest-paid college basketball coach and third-highest in the Big Ten. Nebraska’s assistant coaching salary pool was doubled for Hoiberg’s staff, with Matt Abdelmassih as the second-highest-paid assistant in the Big Ten.

Hoiberg can get into PBA to practice whenever he needs, a luxury not always open to Miles. The new administrative liaison, John Johnson, is hands off, which is what Hoiberg prefers, rather than having Marc Boehm sitting in on practice or in the locker room after games.

Nebraska lets Hoiberg — who has been there and done it twice — do what he needs to do.

 

[EngineeRED]

That was an excellent read. I did not realize Chris was moving to KC and will no longer be part of the OWH team.

 

[HuSkaBob]

Ah Nebrasketball... hope blooms eternal, then kicks you right in the gut.

 

[Sandhills Husker]

That was an excellent read. I did not realize Chris was moving to KC and will no longer be part of the OWH team.

Going back to school to become a journalism teacher. Print media is a tough place to be right now.

 

[Red Don]

Some Sipple-Takes from LJS (mostly football; here's MBB related)

Steven M. Sipple: A prediction on Spielman; Fred's new players to watch; and hot take on Adrian

If college football goes forward in 2020, JD Spielman will be in a situation at TCU where he can put up excellent numbers.

journalstar.com

Keep an eye on Lat Mayen.
That's the buzz I'm hearing as the Nebraska men's basketball team pushes through the early stages of its return to workouts. The 6-foot-9, 205-pound Mayen, a transfer from Chipola (Florida) College (by way of TCU), apparently has an effective jump shot and enough of an all-around game to crack Fred Hoiberg's starting lineup, if not become the team's best player this coming season. He'll have two seasons of eligibility at NU.

I'm also intrigued by what I'm hearing about Kobe Webster, a 6-foot transfer from Western Illinois, and Teddy Allen, a 6-5 transfer from Western Nebraska Community College. Webster shows up on WIU film as a tough competitor and he's evidently shooting the ball well here. Meanwhile, Allen's game isn't all that pretty, but he's living up to his reputation as an effective scorer.

 

[Red Don]

RE Lat Mayen: