Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg speaks to Alonzo Verge and Eduardo Andre during their game against Northwestern.
Here is Fred Hoiberg's press conference after Nebraska basketball's loss to Northwestern.
LINCOLN — Fred Hoiberg may be the Mayor of Ames, but he’s heading for a recall in Lincoln.
I went to Pinnacle Bank Arena on Saturday with the intention of writing about Bryce McGowens. Husker Hoops had a chance to beat Northwestern and McGowens would show why he’s set to be the program’s first one-and-done player in history.
But now there is other history to consider.
Has NU ever had a three-and-done coach?
The last Nebraska men's basketball coach to last only three seasons was Dr. E.J. Stewart, who went 29-23 from 1917-19.
One hundred and three years later, Fred Hoiberg is trending in that direction.
It’s unimaginable, except the evidence is piled up everywhere. It’s unthinkable, except we saw it again on Saturday.
Nebraska was hammered by 24 points at home to Northwestern, which raised its records to 11-10 and 4-8.
The margin went up to 35 points before Chris Collins called off the Cats late in the game.
Getting run off your court by Northwestern? It felt like a big moment in the Go Big Fred Era.
How could this happen? The Huskers, who haven’t won a game since Dec. 22, had every reason to fly out of the locker room and jump all over this one.
Instead they offered a lifeless performance that had them down 22 at halftime.
Collins said, “We knew we were going to face a hungry team.” But the Huskers looked too disinterested to eat.
An amazing crowd of just over an announced 15,000 showed up, perhaps sensing a win. By halftime many were headed out the door.
As one press row wag said, having to watch this basketball is a reason to start selling beer.
This is no joke, ladies and gentlemen. This is the lowest I’ve seen it for Husker Hoops, but I’ve only been watching for 31 years.
In fact, you have to go back to Joe Cipriano’s first year — 1963-64 — for the last time NU won as few as seven games in a season.
That’s the Hoiberg high-water mark 23 games into his third season.
There is a helpless sense around the program and fan base. Apathy is checking in at the scorer’s table.
Here in year three, amazingly, it’s fair to ask: How can Hoiberg survive?
Of course, there are $18.5 million reasons why Hoiberg will be brought back next season.
Yes, Nebraska has money. But the timing might be tough, as athletic director Trev Alberts continues to ask Nebraska’s big cigars to help fund the football facility project.
Barry Collier got a fourth year after three losing seasons, but athletic director Steve Pederson didn’t think he would survive firing another coach after the Frank Solich debacle.
The history of Husker Hoops is patience, but the sport also comes with a lack of urgency in Lincoln.
Alberts is preaching urgency and excellence in all sports, so it will be interesting how all this sits with the A.D.’s perspective.
If Hoiberg returns next season, what might be different?
Fred Hoiberg reacts after a Northwestern basket on Saturday.
His teams always have turnover and that likely will be the case again. Even with talented recruits on deck, the roster isn’t going to look the same.
Then again, what do talented recruits get you in the Big Ten without team culture, fundamentals and coaching?
Could Hoiberg make like Frost and change his staff and ways? Possibly. But in talking to Hoiberg earlier this season, he still believes in his system and approach.
Can’t we get the lawyers together and settle this out of court?
I wonder if there’s an X factor in this conversation.
Does Hoiberg want to keep fighting this fight? Why would he want to come back?
Pride, of course. And coaches are stubborn creatures.
Money? Hoiberg has made enough from his NBA playing days and coaching years ($5 million a year with the Bulls) — and with whatever he ends up making at NU — to not have to work for a long, long time.
The thing is, if you saw Hoiberg as a player, you know he’s wired differently. He was a competitor and would do anything, make any play to win.
He’s also a gym rat, a big kid who loves the game and being around the game.
And he had that game taken away from him, by a heart condition he still must monitor daily.
Hoiberg can still be around the game in the NBA. As an assistant. Or in a front office in charge of player personnel.
A friend and scribe who covered Hoiberg at Iowa State once told me Hoiberg could return to the NBA anytime he wanted. He’s thought of in high regard around the league.
Why wouldn’t he want to go back and do that?
You’ll hear from some, perhaps of the Cyclone persuasion, that Hoiberg never should have left Ames — where he was legendary and called “the Mayor.”
Maybe. But the lure of the NBA is a powerful thing.
It’s true, what Hoiberg did worked in Ames. He hit on a few great players — and was ahead of his time in transfers and offensive scheme.
But the world of college hoops has caught up. And the Big Ten is not a “position-less” basketball league. Roles and leadership and experience all matter. So does fight and effort.
Hoiberg left the NBA because his school, Iowa State, called for help. He came to Lincoln to help a school where his grandfather (Jerry Bush) coached, a school his family cheers for, a school he used to root for as a young kid.
These are great stories. And a lot of us thought it would work, like it did in Ames.
Hoiberg is tremendous at scheme. Big Ten coaches all marvel at it. He’s got a gift for that. But scheme doesn’t win in college basketball or football.
Hoiberg may disagree, but it certainly seems he’s a better fit in the NBA.
And I have to wonder if he’d rather be in the NBA — say Phoenix — pushing the buttons in the front office and around the pro game than trying to push Nebraska up the hill.
If Hoiberg needs this, he didn’t give that vibe after Saturday’s game. He looks worn down, has the look of someone who has had enough.
His team sure didn’t play like they needed it.
Seven wins the first year. Seven the second (a COVID season). Six wins with seven games left in year three. How much can a man take?
There’s an athletic director and some boosters no doubt asking themselves the same thing.
Photos: Nebraska men's basketball hosts Northwestern
Nebraska's Alonzo Verge Jr. (right) battles Northwestern's Elyjah Williams for the ball during their game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
Nebraska's Director of Operations Luca Virgilio reacts to the score during their game against Northwestern at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
Nebraska's Derrick Walker (right) and Trey McGowens (center) try to block Northwestern's Chase Audige during their game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
Nebraska's Alonzo Verge Jr. (right) battles Northwestern's Boo Buie for the ball during their game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
Nebraska's C.J. Wilcher rests during a timeout during their game against Northwestern at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
Nebraska's Head Coach Fred Hoiberg speaks to Alonzo Verge Jr. (left) and Eduardo Andre (right) during their game against Northwestern at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
Nebraska's Kobe Webster (right) tries to guard Northwestern's Boo Buie during their game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
Nebraska's Lat Mayen (right) blocks Northwestern's Elyjah Williams during their game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
Northwestern's Elyjah Williams (left) tries to steal the ball from Nebraska's Alonzo Verge Jr. during their game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
Nebraska's Head Coach Fred Hoiberg reacts after Northwestern scores during their game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
Nebraska's Derrick Walker protects the ball from Northwestern's Ryan Young during their game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
Nebraska's Kobe Webster tries to keep the ball in-bounds during their game against Northwestern at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
Nebraska's Derrick Walker (left) tries to get the ball past Northwestern's Ryan Young during their game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
Northwestern's Ryan Young (right) tries to get past Nebraska's Eduardo Andre during their game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
Nebraska's Alonzo Verge Jr. (left) shoots while being guarded by Northwestern's Ryan Greer during their game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
Northwestern's Robbie Beran (left) battles Nebraska's Keon Edwards for the ball during their game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
Nebraska's Keisei Tominaga tries to score during their game against Northwestern at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
Northwestern's Robbie Beran (left) battles Nebraska's Keon Edwards for a rebound during their game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
Nebraska's Alonzo Verge Jr. puts his head in a towel during their game against Northwestern at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday.
tom.shatel@owh.com, 402-444-1025, twitter.com/tomshatelOWH
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