Nebraska Huskers Basketball

Fred Hoiberg's third season as the head coach of Nebraska's men's basketball team has gone poorly, just like the first two did. However, he will be back for a fourth in 2022-23 despite a 6-49 overall record in Big Ten play.

Athletic director Trev Alberts and Hoiberg released statements announcing the news and noting the coach's contract will be restructured:

"Fred has presented a plan to me that I believe is in the best long-term interest of the Nebraska athletic department and our men's basketball program," Alberts said. "Additionally, Fred has agreed to restructure his contract to help us make the changes that are necessary to reorient our program."

According to Jeff Borzello of ESPN, Hoiberg's original buyout had he been let go following the 2021-22 campaign was expected to be approximately $18.5 million. The restructuring means it is now $11 million.

To say Hoiberg's time at the program has not gone as planned would be an understatement.

After all, he had connections to Nebraska—he was born in the state and his grandfather was the head coach from 1955 through 1963. He also had an impressive resume that included time as an NBA player from 1995 to 2005 and coaching stops with Iowa State and the Chicago Bulls.

He finished his tenure with the Bulls with a 115-155 record and made the playoffs once after lots of success with the Cyclones at the collegiate level.

Hoiberg's Iowa State teams went a combined 115-56 with two Big 12 titles and four NCAA tournament appearances in five seasons from 2010-15. He seemed like a natural fit at Nebraska given his time in the midwest as a college coach, but the Cornhuskers have struggled.

They went 7-25 in his first season and 7-20 in his second. They are 7-20 overall and an ugly 1-15 in Big Ten play this season.

Nebraska's lone conference win came over Minnesota on Feb. 9, and 10 of its Big Ten losses have come by double digits. The only chance the Huskers have to reach the NCAA tournament is by shocking the league and winning the conference tournament in Indianapolis.

Yet Hoiberg said he has a plan and will be given the chance to execute it next season.            

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is making a change to its cartoon mascot, Herbie Husker, to eliminate confusion about the meaning of a hand gesture he does that has been connected to white supremacy, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).

Originally, the mascot made an "OK" sign with his left hand. The mascot's index finger and thumb formed a closed circle, which some hate groups have used as a sign for white power in recent years. 

The mascot now makes a "We're No. 1" gesture with his index finger raised, per the Associated Press. 

"The concern about the hand gesture was brought to our attention by our apparel provider and others, and we decided to move forward with a revised Herbie Husker logo," Nebraska Athletics said in a statement to The Associated Press. "The process of changing the logo began in 2020, and we updated our brand guidelines in July of 2021. The revised logo is now the only Herbie Husker mark available to licensees."

According to Jordan Pascale of the Lincoln Journal-Star, the original gesture's meaning was brought to the attention of the Lonna Henrichs, the athletic department’s licensing and branding director, weeks after George Floyd was murdered by then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. 

Floyd's murder and several other similar cases prompted protests around the United States, including some where white supremacy groups flashed the "OK" hand gesture, Pascale noted. 

Henrichs said, per Pascale:

That hand gesture could, in some circles, represent something that does not represent what Nebraska athletics is about. We just didn't even want to be associated with portraying anything that somebody might think, you know, that it means white power. 

We made that change as quick as we could.

 The Anti-Defamation League added the "OK" hand gesture to its Hate Symbols Database two years ago, noting “particular caution must be used when evaluating this symbol.”

Nebraska is one of several schools to make changes to its mascot for such reasons. One such example saw the University of Illinois drop the Chief Illiniwek logo in 2007, though they are still called the Illini, because it was considered offensive to Native Americans.

Several professional sports teams have also undergone name changes for sensitivity reasons, such as the Washington Football Team and Cleveland Guardians. 

Nebraska head men's basketball coach Fred Hoiberg said Tuesday that testing positive for COVID-19 last month concerned him because of a heart condition he has dealt with since birth. 

Hoiberg, who was born with an abnormal aortic valve and underwent open-heart surgery in both 2005 and 2015, said the following about his COVID-19 diagnosis, per Eric Olson of the Associated Press: "I got a little scared, to be honest with you, just with everything I've had in my past with two open-heart surgeries and being fully dependent on a pacemaker. It concerned me. And I did have chest pains. That was the scary thing."

The 48-year-old coach noted that there were times after testing positive for COVID-19 that he experienced chest pains, which increased his worry.

Ultimately, Hoiberg said he didn't have to be hospitalized since his oxygen level remained within normal ranges and his fever never exceeded 101 degrees.

While Hoiberg has largely recovered since testing positive on Jan. 15, he noted that he lost 10 lbs. and has yet to regain his sense of smell.

The Cornhuskers experienced a COVID-19 outbreak within their program with nine players, a student manager, two assistant coaches, a graduate assistant and Hoiberg all testing positive.

As a result, each of Nebraska's past four games have been postponed, and the Huskers have not played a game since their 84-76 loss to Indiana on Jan. 10.

If Nebraska returns to action as scheduled against Michigan State on Saturday, it will mark the Huskers' first game in nearly a month.

Nebraska is 4-8 on the season with an 0-5 mark in Big Ten play during Hoiberg's second season as head coach.

Hoiberg, who was previously the head coach at Iowa State and for the NBA's Chicago Bulls, is looking to help the Huskers end a six-year NCAA tournament drought.

Nebraska men's basketball coach Fred Hoiberg announced Sunday he has tested positive for COVID-19:

Hoiberg said he has been self-isolating since learning of his diagnosis. The 48-year-old noted he is experiencing symptoms, but his condition has improved.

The Cornhuskers had previously paused activities due to positive tests within the program and announced Sunday they will postpone games through at least Jan. 24. A total of 12 individuals, including seven players, are currently quarantining or in isolation due to safety protocols.

The Cornhuskers had already postponed games against Illinois and Maryland last week and will now miss games against Minnesota and Iowa. A Jan. 5 matchup against Purdue was also postponed, but the team returned to face Indiana on Jan. 10.

The next scheduled game is on Jan. 30 at home against Penn State.

Nebraska is currently 4-8 on the season and 0-5 in the Big Ten.

Hoiberg is in his second year with the program, going 7-25 during the 2019-20 season. He led Iowa State to the NCAA tournament four times in his five years with the program from 2010-15, twice winning the Big 12 Tournament. He left for the Chicago Bulls in 2015 and lasted parts of four seasons before being fired early in the 2018-19 campaign.

One of the most dynamic recruits in the country has made his college decision, as Bryce McGowens will attend Nebraska starting with the 2021-22 season. 

According to ESPN's Jeff Borzello, McGowens is the highest-ranked recruit in the history of the program, and he said that playing alongside his brother, Trey McGowens, played a role in his decision.

"Having an opportunity to play with my older brother is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," the younger McGowens brother said.

McGowens previously committed to Florida State in February. 

"It's the right place for me to grow and develop as a player," he told Kennington Lloyd Smith III of the Anderson Independent Mail at the time. "(Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton) was definitely happy."

In October, though, Borzello reported McGowens decommitted from the Seminoles and was opening up his recruitment. 

Per 247Sports' composite rankings, he is a 5-star prospect, No. 3 shooting guard and No. 25 overall prospect in the 2021 freshman class. He's listed at 6'6", 175 pounds, and has shown tremendous scoring ability during his time at Legacy Charter High School. 

According to stats compiled by MaxPreps, McGowens averaged 23.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game through his first three high school seasons. The South Carolina native shot 51 percent overall and 42 percent from three-point range. 

The Cornhuskers emerged as a surprise favorite for McGowens when his brother, Trey, transferred to the program in April. 

Per Sports Illustrated's Jason Jordan, McGowens' final five came down to Nebraska, Florida State, Michigan, Georgia and LSU after he met with each of the programs via Zoom last month. 

According to Sam McKewon of the Omaha World-Herald, McGowens is the first 5-star recruit who has ever committed to play basketball at Nebraska. 

Head coach Fred Hoiberg had a brutal first season with the Cornhuskers. Their 7-25 record was the fifth-worst in the program's history and the first time Hoiberg has had a losing season as a college head coach. 

Adding McGowens to the fold gives Nebraska instant credibility in the Big Ten. It also allows the coaching staff to pitch other high-end recruits on the idea that their program is one that can be a destination for talent as they try to build a winning culture. 

Nebraska men's basketball coach Fred Hoiberg has been released from an Indianapolis hospital after leaving Wednesday night's Big Ten tournament opener early because of illness.

Hoiberg released a statement Thursday morning:

The coach was seen with his head bowed on the bench before leaving the arena. Assistant coach Doc Sadler coached the remainder of the game in Hoiberg's absence.

Jeff Goodman of Stadium reported Hoiberg was told to get checked out immediately after leaving the court.

The Nebraska men's basketball team was temporarily restricted from leaving their locker room at Bankers Life Arena following an 89-64 loss to Indiana, according to NCAA.com's Andy Katz. No one from the team was made available to the media or allowed back to the locker room.

Around 11:45 p.m. ET, the Huskers were finally able to load onto the bus and head home.

The 47-year-old coach was a college basketball icon at Iowa State, where he would return to coach for five years after a decade-long NBA career with the Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves. Once he started coaching in college, his second act began to take off. He led Iowa State to a Sweet 16 berth in 2013-14 but never finished better than second in the Big 12.

No matter, he quickly became one of the most sought-after coaches in basketball—a sweepstake the NBA eventually won.

Hoiberg left college to sign a five-year, $25 million deal with an aging Chicago Bulls core to try to make one last run with a roster featuring Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson, Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic. The team finished 42-40, missed the playoffs and began a rebuild shortly after.

Three years into his tenure as Bulls coach, Hoiberg was fired after a 5-19 start to the 2018-19 season.

Hoiberg took the year off before winding back up where he had the most success: college basketball.

Nebraska hired Hoiberg on a seven-year, $25 million deal. His first season with the Cornhuskers, though, showed just how much the program lags behind the rest of the Big Ten. Hoiberg went 7-24 in the 2019-20 season, including just 2-18 in the conference, before the team's early exit in the Big Ten tournament Wednesday.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball team has called in some reinforcements ahead of the Big Ten tournament.

According to Yahoo Sports, Nebraska has added football players Brant Banks and Noah Vedral to the roster. Both will be eligible for Wednesday's first-round game against Indiana.

Vedral, a backup quarterback in 2019, was a two-time all-state basketball player in Nebraska with 1,286 points and 267 steals in his high school career, per Robin Washut of Rivals.com.

Banks, an offensive tackle who redshirted in 2019, averaged 11.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game as a junior in high school before concentrating on football as a senior, per Washut. At 6'7", 300 pounds, he could provide valuable size inside for Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers need all the help they can get after a 7-24 regular season, finishing dead last in the Big Ten with a 2-18 conference record. The squad enters Wednesday's game on a 16-game losing streak.

Fred Hoiberg is back as a head coach after finalizing a deal with the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday.

The school announced Hoiberg's hiring with an introductory press conference scheduled for Tuesday.

Hoiberg issued a statement included in the announcement:

“Lincoln is a special place for our family. I was born in Lincoln, my grandfather Jerry Bush was the head coach at Nebraska, my other grandfather was a long-time professor there, and my parents are proud graduates of the University of Nebraska. Nebraska has always felt like a second home.

“I had the opportunity to coach at Pinnacle Bank Arena with the Bulls, and I have seen first-hand that the facilities are as nice as any in the country. When you couple that with a loyal and passionate fan base, you can see there is great potential for the future of Nebraska basketball.”

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski first reported Hoiberg's deal will be worth $25 million over seven years. 

Hoiberg will replace Tim Miles, who was fired after seven seasons at the helm. 

Hoiberg was previously head coach of the Chicago Bulls before getting fired 24 games into the 2018-19 season. The 46-year-old had a difficult three-plus-year stretch with the franchise after taking over for Tom Thibodeau. 

The Bulls had just one winning season with one playoff appearance under Hoiberg. The front office broke up the nucleus of the team after the 2016-17 season by trading Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves that offseason and Nikola Mirotic to the New Orleans Pelicans in February 2018. 

There were also reports Hoiberg lost all control in Chicago's locker room before he was fired. 

Per The Athletic's Darnell Mayberry, Bulls players "no longer believed in his system and became increasingly emboldened in undermining Hoiberg's authority."

John Paxson, the Bulls president of basketball operations, told reporters at the time of Hoiberg's firing they had to make a change to help the franchise be successful in the future. 

"For us to sit here and think that just because we're getting guys back [we'll improve]; I think that would've masked the problems that we've seen," Paxson said. "Then we wouldn't have made good decisions going forward. We gave Fred opportunities. And he did a lot of good things for us."

Prior to his tenure in Chicago, Hoiberg established himself as an excellent coach at the college level. He went 115-56 with four NCAA tournament appearances and two Big 12 tournament titles in five seasons at Iowa State from 2010 to 2015. 

Hoiberg will be tasked with turning around Nebraska like he did Iowa State. Prior to his stint with the Cyclones, the program hadn't made the NCAA tournament since 2004-05 and had just one winning season in the next five years. 

Nebraska found success under Tim Miles with three winning seasons and one NCAA tournament appearance in 2013-14. 

One issue for the Cornhuskers under Miles has been in-season consistency. For example, they were ranked No. 24 in the Associated Press Top 25 after an 11-2 start this season. They proceeded to lose 14 of their final 21 games. 

Hoiberg gets an opportunity to re-establish his value in the college ranks after a difficult stretch in the NBA. Nebraska is a low-pressure environment for him to get his career back on track and give the program some sort of foothold in the Big Ten. 

The Nebraska Cornhuskers and former Iowa State and Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg have been "actively talking" about the team's head-coaching vacancy, according to Evan Daniels of 247Sports.com.

Per that report, "Nebraska has identified Hoiberg as their top target, and while a formal agreement hasn't been finalized, one source believes they aren't far off." 

Nebraska fired former head coach Tim Miles on Tuesday after seven seasons at the helm, per Chris Heady of the Omaha.com.

Miles went 116-114 in his tenure, though the team reached just one NCAA tournament in that time. Nebraska came into the 2018-19 season with high hopes, but it disappointed, going just 19-17 and losing in the second round of the NIT. While injuries played their part in derailing the season, the Cornhuskers also trended in the wrong direction after starting 11-2 and rising to as high as No. 24 in the rankings. 

Nebraska athletic director Bill Moos spoke about Miles in a press release, per Heady:

"Tim Miles is a good basketball coach who has put his heart, soul and energy into the Nebraska men's basketball program over the past seven years. Ultimately, we have not maintained a level of consistent success and stability on the court, and after a full review I have made the decision to move in another direction for the leadership of our program."

Hoiberg had a great deal of success at the college level, meanwhile, going 115-56 and leading the Cyclones to four NCAA tournament appearances and two Big-12 conference tournament championships in five seasons. He would be a solid upgrade for a Nebraska basketball program that has traditionally been pushed to the background in favor of football.