2023/24 Outlook

Let's just hope his success there translates to success here when it actually counts for the upcoming season.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I don't follow basketball super duper close, but what are the expectations everyone's feeling?

This has to be the prove it year for Fred, right? Last year felt like a prove it year, and he stepped up to the plate just enough with some momentum and progress, and now he's got his deepest and most experienced team since being here. I feel like we need to be a solid NIT or bubble team to continue with him - am I off base with anything here?

 
Lorewarn said:
I don't follow basketball super duper close, but what are the expectations everyone's feeling?

This has to be the prove it year for Fred, right? Last year felt like a prove it year, and he stepped up to the plate just enough with some momentum and progress, and now he's got his deepest and most experienced team since being here. I feel like we need to be a solid NIT or bubble team to continue with him - am I off base with anything here?
Click to expand...
You're pretty much on point as far as I'm concerned.  They won more games last year than what it looked like they were going to do at the beginning of the season.  The team improved as the year went on.  I feel we need to continue that trend.  We were close to an NIT bid last year.  So, if we start stronger than we did last year and finish with improving through the season again, we should be pretty much there.

I don't think anyone is expecting an NCAA bid with how bad the program has been.  But, if we get to the NIT this year, then we can start to think more about the NCAAs.

I say that while acknowledging there's always caveats to demands like that.  Let's say the team comes out and is playing great.  Everyone is excited and thinking NCAAs this year.  Then, three of the starting 5 get injured and are out for the year and the team loses enough that they don't make the NIT?  Nobody should expect Nebraska to be deep enough yet to overcome that.  So...do you fire Fred after a season like that?  I think not.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Lorewarn said:
I don't follow basketball super duper close, but what are the expectations everyone's feeling?

This has to be the prove it year for Fred, right? Last year felt like a prove it year, and he stepped up to the plate just enough with some momentum and progress, and now he's got his deepest and most experienced team since being here. I feel like we need to be a solid NIT or bubble team to continue with him - am I off base with anything here?
Click to expand...


I would say it's definitely a prove it year.  But who knows what he actually has to do to prove it.

I guess I'm not that hopeful.  I think we got some nice breaks last year - caught Creighton during a bad stretch, B1G was down overall - and were still pretty non-impressive with how the season went.  And we lost probably our two best players - though KT took a run at that group down the stretch - and I don't think we replaced them with even equal talent.  It also doesn't help my confidence that KT didn't really even get significant minutes until Hoiberg was basically forced to play him because he didn't have other options.

The style Fred changed to last year got OK results.  But it's nowhere near what he was planning to do when he got here.  People can change but that drastic of changes don't usually bode well for future success. 

He has pretty much failed to build a program.  All he's doing is putting Band Aids on every year with guys who are (mostly) just here for one year.  Walker is the only player he's had be one of our top four scorers two years in a row.

 
Mavric said:
It also doesn't help my confidence that KT didn't really even get significant minutes until Hoiberg was basically forced to play him because he didn't have other options.
Click to expand...
This is a very frustrating thing.  He would be put in for a few minutes, miss a shot and get pulled.  Fred should know that shooters need to be allowed to get in a rhythm and shoot freely.  Finally, when Fred was forced to play him, KT accomplished that.

Mavric said:
The style Fred changed to last year got OK results.  But it's nowhere near what he was planning to do when he got here.  People can change but that drastic of changes don't usually bode well for future success. 
Click to expand...
Coaches can learn and change.  Back in the hay day, we saw this with some of our football coaches.   Heck, TO even totally changed his offense at one point.

Mavric said:
He has pretty much failed to build a program.  All he's doing is putting Band Aids on every year with guys who are (mostly) just here for one year.  Walker is the only player he's had be one of our top four scorers two years in a row.
Click to expand...
And that's very frustrating.  The program seems like it just can't get good HS players in for several years and build experienced depth.

 
BigRedBuster said:
And that's very frustrating.  The program seems like it just can't get good HS players in for several years and build experienced depth.
Click to expand...
Very few teams seem to be able to keep HS players. They all think they should start from day one and if they don't they are looking for somewhere else that promises more PT, even if it is just lip service. 

 
Mavric said:
It also doesn't help my confidence that KT didn't really even get significant minutes until Hoiberg was basically forced to play him because he didn't have other options.
Click to expand...
I think it’s funny I’m defending Fred, but here goes.

KT was a sideshow when he got playing time.  A bad three, a turnover or dribbling into the trees to get rejected.  I felt like he brought nothing to the table.  He hustled but he looked like one of the stooges that plays against the Harlem globetrotters

I 100% agree Fred had to play him, but I think his emergence was probably a shock to everyone except him and his parents.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top