Two of the best men's basketball coaches in the Big Ten will face off Wednesday when Northwestern takes on Nebraska at Wales Ryan Arena.
Imagine trying to write that sentence with a straight face a few years ago.
Perhaps some people still find it problematic, but they would be wrong.
The Wildcats' Chris Collins was named Big Ten Coach of the Year for the school's 10th time last season, doing everything he could to produce winners on the field in Evanston. And then there's Fred Hoiberg of the Huskers. He took over one of college basketball's most hopeless major conference programs months after being fired by the Bulls in December 2018, but now in his fifth season, he's on track.
Coach of the Year? Hoiberg has as much of a chance at that honor as Purdue's Matt Painter, Wisconsin's Greg Gard, Illinois' Brad Underwood or anyone else. .
NCAA tournament? The Wildcats (15-7, 6-5) and Huskers (16-7, 6-6) are covered by ESPN's Joe Lunardi, CBS Sports' Jerry Palm and Fox Sports' Mike DeCourcy. It is expected that he will be on the field. I have a degree in advanced bracketology. This will be Northwestern's first time in back-to-back tournaments. This will be the first time Nebraska has come out and actually won a game. Not so long ago, this school was one of only two major conference schools without a “W” in the Big Dance. The Huskers have carried that ignominious honor alone since 2017.
“Chris is a good friend,” Hoiberg said. His success was remarkable and fun to watch. If we work in business, we too have an opportunity. ”
Four years ago, as Hoiberg prepared for a visit to Evanston, he spoke with the Sun-Times about “sleepless nights.” ESPN called him the worst coach in the NBA. The Bulls kicked him to the curb despite a series of injuries to key players. The Huskers were having their second straight season, but ended up with a pitiful seven-win total. With Hoiberg adding 14 brand new names to the roster and forced to start over with zero competition, Lincoln was seemingly lost in the hoops wasteland.
Are you losing that much? It was brutal.
“But to be honest, it feels like a different life right now,” Hoiberg said on a more positive note over the phone. “So much has happened: job changes, family moves, the pandemic, new realities. [NIL and the transfer portal] In our business. I'm really happy with where I'm at. I am also very grateful for the opportunities and experiences I had in Chicago. ”
The Bulls are almost blindly aware of their relevance with Thursday's NBA trade deadline looming, but Hoiberg has no problem coaching the team without any visible disruption. The Huskers may not have much NBA potential on their roster, but they have enough backbone to defeat then-No. 1 Purdue by 16 points. Wisconsin played six overtime games and took a packed Illinois team to OT in Champaign on Sunday. The Huskers previously defeated Northwestern University, 75-69, on Jan. 20 in Lincoln. This was fun.
“Listen, I spent 19 years of my life there. [the NBA] And I've worn pretty much every hat you can wear,” he said. “There’s a lot of fun this time of year in that league, but there’s also some tension.”
No one is blowing up these Huskers, not on Hoiberg's watch. That's too good to be true. Mr. Hoiberg, 51, was born in Lincoln. His mother grew up there and his parents attended Nebraska State. His grandfather was a professor of sociology there for 30 years. Another, Jerry Bush, was the Huskers' head coach for nine seasons in the 1950s and '60s.
“It’s really amazing to see life come full circle,” Hoiberg said. “And now my name is in the same category as my grandfather. We beat a No. 1 team in '58. We beat two top-10 teams in '58. Now that's the common denominator. Masu.”
His parents, Eric and Karen, attend at most home games. His second-grade son, Sam, plays on the team. What could be better than this?
“It's pretty special,” Hoiberg said.
Hoiberg previously played at Iowa State University. Hoiberg led the Cyclones to the NCAA Tournament four years in a row, the last two as a No. 3 seed. So the Bulls went to get him. How did it go?
Well.
Perhaps Hoiberg can do in Lincoln what he did in Ames, where he grew up after his family moved.
“Of course,” he said. “We can win here.”
If it can happen in Evanston, it can happen in Lincoln. With the right coach, it can happen almost anywhere.
