News and notes from Fred Hoiberg ahead of Nebraska’s Crown Tournament
While his team hasn’t played a basketball game in 18 days, Fred Hoiberg’s world hasn’t slowed down one bit.
On top of preparing for the inaugural College Basketball Crown (CBC) Tournament in Las Vegas, which kicks off for the Huskers Monday against Arizona State, Hoiberg and his staff have been busy working the transfer portal to replace the seven known departing players while also preparing to win the tournament.
“Obviously, crazy time preparing and doing everything to get ready for the tournament that starts on Monday,” Hoiberg said Wednesday at the Devaney Center. “At the same time, obviously with the landscape of college basketball right now, doing a lot of work as far as trying to figure out the roster for next season, and visits and zooms and going out and seeing guys, at the same time balancing everything that we have to do to put our game plan in and get ready for Arizona State on Monday.”
Nebraska’s team will fly to Las Vegas on Saturday and practice at a high school on Sunday. Here are a few quick hits from the head coach:
Hoiberg provided a few injury updates, the biggest of which was point guard Rollie Worster not being available to play in the tournament due to a foot injury he suffered in December and played through.
Worster has already spent a week in a boot. Expect a heavy dose of Brice Williams and Ahron Ulis running the point during the tournament. Sam Hoiberg will be an option as well.
“He’s been playing with the plate in his shoe,” Hoiberg said of Worster. “He’s been really, really sore, and it just got to a point to where it’s tough to put a lot of weight on it. So the decision was made to put him in a boot. He talked about trying to fight through it, but the best thing for Rollie and his career is to shut him down and get him in the boot, get the recovery process started and hopefully taken care of.”
Braxton Meah, the 7-foot-1 center who was battling back spasms toward the end of the regular season and missed the finale against Iowa, took time off the court to “quiet his back down” according to Hoiberg. Meah has been gradually working back into on-court activities and will be considered a game-time decision.
On Tuesday during practice, Gavin Griffiths twisted his ankle. After treatment and recovery time, Hoiberg is hoping Griffiths will be available for the game Monday.
Hoiberg on assistant Adam Howard leaving for NC State
Mining the transfer portal at the same time as preparing his team to win the CBC isn’t the only juggling act Hoiberg must deal with.
On Monday, Inside Nebraska confirmed one of Hoiberg’s assistant coaches, Adam Howard, has accepted a coaching job on Will Wade’s first staff at NC State. Howard spent the past three seasons with Hoiberg at Nebraska.
“Not ideal as far as the timing of it, but that’s the other thing that we’re working on, is trying to make sure that we fill that spot with somebody that can help us in all areas,” Hoiberg said. “I’m really thankful for Adam. This was a great opportunity for him with family in that area of the country that he just couldn’t pass up on.”
Hoiberg said he’s been putting together a list of candidates to replace Howard. Hoiberg said a coach with proven development skills and connections will be the focus.
With Howard not part of the program anymore, Hoiberg said recruiting coordinator Padyn Borders will help fill Howard’s role while in Vegas for the CBC.
“Padyn Borders has done a really good job for us,” Hoiberg said. “He’s been in a role where he can be on the floor, working with the guys.”
Hoiberg and other head coaches across the country want to see change in when the transfer portal window opens
With college basketball’s transfer portal window of March 24 through April 22 running right in the middle of postseason tournaments, coaches across the country are hoping for a change in the calendar.
There have already been examples of players entering the transfer portal from teams that are still alive in the NCAA Tournament.
“I hope they look long and hard at when they open the portal in the future, because it’s not fair,” Hoiberg said. “It’s not (fair) for the teams that are still playing, especially those that are competing for the NCAA championship.”
How would Hoiberg go about changing the transfer portal window?
“I think it needs to wait until after the Final Four,” he said. “I think that’s the fairest way to do it.”
Winning the CBC can be a “hell of a feeling” for the remaining players who could return next season
Hoiberg said the team remembers the feeling of winning the Diamond Head Classic in Hawaii in December. It energized the team and gave them confidence.
Hoiberg thinks the same can happen in Vegas, especially for the key players who can return to the team next season, like Connor Essegian, Berke Büyüktuncel and young guys like Nick Janowski, Braden Frager and Justin Bolis.
“That felt pretty damn good,” Hoiberg said, “and we talked about that. There’s a lot of different events out there, the CBI, NIT, NCAA, Crown. If you win one of those, man, that’s a hell of a feeling.”
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