Basketball tidbits from Husker Extra........

[Comish]

8 visits the past 2 days...? This guy has some major energy. Love it.

 

http://my.journalsta...edule_news.html

[Minnesota_husker]

NU hoops: This, that, and some schedule news

Posted by: Brian Rosenthal on June 5, 2012 at 4:53PM CST

[/left]

Maybe it’s his high energy.

Or maybe it’s the high standards he sets for his student athletes.

Whatever the case, after a few sit downs I've had with NU hoops coach Tim Miles over the past several weeks, one person comes to mind when I’m thinking of making a comparison to another coach.

Connie Yori.

I’m sincere when I say that, and when you look at what Yori’s done with the NU women’s team, you know I mean this as a compliment.

I covered Yori’s teams her first five years at Nebraska, and I specifically remember her early struggles and the mess she inherited. (She went 8-20 her first season; she’s since won a conference title and earned an NCAA No. 1 seed).

I also remember she had a plan and a detailed approach. It started with recruiting high character players who respect their coaches, teammates, school and community. (Yori often likes to refer to the phrase “Character is what you do when you think no one is watching.”)

As corny and cliché as that sounds, this mindset has been a big reason behind the success of Yori’s program.

Miles has outlined the same approach time and again. He won’t tolerate laziness or lack of attention to detail, especially in the classroom. Like Yori, he wants players he can trust; players who not only will be, but want to be held accountable for their actions.

(Of course, I might also conclude this similarity by sometimes wondering how much coffee and Mountain Dew both Yori and Miles have had when a 15-minute interview zooms from topic to topic.)

 

***

How many energy drinks has Miles consumed in getting all these recruits on campus?

I say “all these” because I’ve lost track of the number of visitors Miles and his staff have hosted. In fact, I’m not sure I ever had track.

I’m told Nebraska has had eight unofficial visits over the past two days. Most are from the 2014 class, although power forward Tory Miller from Kansas City, who was here on Tuesday, is a 2013 recruit.

These visits come on the heels of a weekend visit from Florida transfer Walter Pitchford, who committed on the spot. As I

mentioned earlier as a likely scenario, Pitchford will redshirt the coming season, and not seek an NCAA waiver for immediate eligibility. This was a Miles decision.

We’ll have more from Miles when Pitchford’s paperwork is complete.

 

***

So, Pitchford will redshirt. Incoming freshman center Sergej Vucetic will not.

What about Deverell Biggs?

Last I heard, there’d been no decision. That’s partly because Biggs, an Omaha native and transfer from Seward County Community College, still has a busy road ahead to get everything in line academically. Not an impossible road, but a busy one.

 

***

What else going on with Nebraska basketball?

Well, in addition to recruits, Miles and his staff are also hosting K-through-6 students this week in summer basketball camps.

And newcomers Shavon Shields, Benny Parker and Terran Petteway have arrived on campus for summer classes. Beginning next week, they and returning players will begin workouts with Miles and his staff, per a new NCAA rule we mentioned

earlier this spring.

It allows basketball coaches to work with their players eight hours a week for eight weeks in the summer, although only two of those hours can be spent on skill instruction (i.e., with a basketball).

Time for GATA.

***

I’ll leave you with a bit of schedule news.

I’ve confirmed through a couple of sources the teams Nebraska will face in an exempt tournament this coming season. The Huskers will host Kent State, Valparaiso, Tulane and UNO. Dates and times aren’t official.

Nebraska, which is also playing Creighton, Oregon, USC and Wake Forest, has two spots left to fill on its 2012-13 schedule. Another tournament is possible.

[HuskerFanChuck]

Interesting. Good to see they invited UNO. I know when the move to DI news came last year that Doc had said at the time he had no plans on scheduling UNO. Good to see Miles at least willing to give them a tournie opportunity.