Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Fred Hoiberg has been through the wringer as a basketball coach, from getting fired by the Chicago Bulls to enduring tough seasons leading the Cornhuskers. Yet, Hoiberg is going through quite an arc of a redemption story right now. And, well, his Cornhuskers are pulling their weight in a really good way.
Fred Hoiberg Has Nebraska Cooking Right Now
Before looking at the good side of Hoiberg’s story, let’s look at his low point. Nebraska, in the 2021-22 season, finished 10-22, and it looked like Hoiberg was headed to the unemployment line once again.
It looked like Hoiberg couldn’t cut it in Chicago in the NBA, and couldn’t even cut it in Lincoln, Neb., either. Also, the team was picked 14th in the Big Ten preseason conversations.
In his first four seasons, Nebraska went 40-83 overall and never finished above .500 in the Big Ten. What about now? The Cornhuskers are 20-0, have a No. 7 national ranking, and are a projected No. 1 seed for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
It was all adding up: The Big Ten was too physical, the recruiting was too hard, and the hole was just too deep.
But he started adding some essential pieces that would play big roles in Nebraska’s comeback. So, Hoiberg added Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort, who is now shooting 41.7% from three; got Rienk Mast back healthy after his injury; and developed Sam Hoiberg into the Big Ten’s steals leader.
What Hoiberg has developed doesn’t revolve around one player. It revolves within a system, and Hoiberg’s system is working just fine.
On Tuesday night, the Cornhuskers will hit the road for a showdown against the third-ranked Michigan Wolverines. Here is how things are set up, if they fall into place, to have a fundamental role in changing Hoiberg’s legacy.
Should the Cornhuskers win on the road at Michigan, then come home and beat the Illinois Fighting Illini, then the narrative around Hoiberg just being a “failed NBA coach” can die forever. Hoiberg would have built something from nothing in one of college basketball’s most challenging jobs.
Sandfort leads the Cornhuskers in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game. Sam Hoiberg averages 4.2 assists per game and, of course, Sandfort tops Nebraska in field goal percentage.
Nebraska has not been one of those college basketball programs to get people’s attention for a long, long time. Hoiberg knew when he came to Lincoln that the job ahead of him would not be easy. Also, he’s seen those losses mount up, too.
Those losses probably made fans in Lincoln edgy and wondering whether Hoiberg was really the right man, at the right time, for the school. But he’s been working some magic with the Cornhuskers, and the fans are probably taking notice, too.
For Hoiberg, the redemption story is almost complete. Almost.
