Why Fred Hoiberg should be Big Ten coach of the year

Fred Hoiberg should be the Big Ten Coach of the Year.

He probably won’t be. But he should be.

What Nebraska has been able to do this season truly boggles the mind.

Fourteen months ago, things were bleak.

In January 2023, Nebraska went 2-7 and lost not one but two starters to season-ending injuries with Juwan Gary’s shoulder and Emmanuel Bandoumel’s knee. They had to throw Sam Hoiberg — an undersized walk-on who had previously been on the scout team — into the rotation because there was no other choice.

With a 10-13 record, it wasn’t out of the question to wonder not only what would happen down the stretch but after the season, too.

Then the calendar turned to February, and Keisei Tominaga set the world on fire.

Thirty points in the win over Penn State. Twenty-four points in a loss at Michigan. Twenty-two points in that overtime win against Wisconsin. Twenty-two points in a win at Rutgers. Twenty points in that overtime win against Maryland. A down game in the win over Minnesota before posting 20 points in the loss to Michigan State.

After finishing the season at 16-16, the Huskers were on the outside looking in at an NIT berth. Even though Nebraska was left out of the postseason once again, a feeling of hope swept over the program and the fan base.

Heading into this season, there wasn’t much belief in national circles that Nebraska could make some noise. The Huskers were projected to finish 12th, ahead of No. 13 Penn State and No. 14 Minnesota, in the preseason poll.

The Huskers lost Derrick Walker, Sam Griesel and Bandoumel from the starting lineup after they had exhausted their eligibility. Gary, although talented, was coming off a season-ending shoulder injury. They swung at big transfer prospects like Hunter Sallis, Kerr Kriisa, Latrell Wrightsell Jr. and Javian McCollum, among others, but didn’t land them.

They brought in Rienk Mast, Brice Williams and Josiah Allick — all guys who succeeded at the mid-major level — but would it translate to the Big Ten? They keyed in on Iowa transfer Ahron Ulis to presumably be their point guard, but while the Huskers were in Spain, Ulis was charged in the Iowa sports gambling probe. With one scholarship remaining, Nebraska went out and found guard Boogie Coleman — another guy with mid-major experience from Ball State with one season at Mizzou sandwiched in between his two stints with the Cardinals.

Through all that, though, Hoiberg believed well before this season that this group could achieve some special things.

“I want to see us continue to grow — we’ve got a group of guys that are going to come out and compete every night,” Hoiberg said at Big Ten Basketball Media Days in October. “That’s going to be a constant of this year’s team. If we do that, the results will take care of themselves. We want to be a team that’s playing in the postseason this year and we want to be a team that is growing every time we step on the floor — practice, the shootaround, the game — we just want to continue to get better and take this program to the next level and sustain it.

“Hopefully, when we come here in a couple months, we’re in a great place. Because of the makeup of this group, I’m confident that we’re gonna have a good year.”

It sure has turned out to be.

Nebraska’s 7-0 record to open the season was the best start by a Husker team since 1992-93. Nebraska’s dominant win over No. 1 Purdue gave NU its first win over a top-ranked team since 1982 and was just the fourth such victory in program history. Pair that win with Nebraska’s win over then-No. 6 Wisconsin and this season was the first time since 2013-14 for Nebraska where the Huskers beat two top-10 teams in the same campaign.

The Huskers reached 20-plus wins in the regular season for just the seventh time in program history. In February, Nebraska had four straight conference victories by margins of 15 points or more. No Husker team had a streak in league play like that since 1911-12. While inside the friendly confines of Pinnacle Bank Arena, Nebraska went 10-0 during conference play and 18-1 on the season. That perfect Big Ten mark was just the third time since World War II that Nebraska’s home record was unblemished in league play. The last time? 1965-66.

There’s been a lot of “first time since” notes for this season. The above examples are just a handful.

But there’s also been plenty of adversity — some of which has been self-inflicted — like Gary’s suspension due to undisclosed violations of team rules at the beginning of the year and Ulis’ gambling situation. Some of the other stuff, though?

Remember when Mast was randomly assaulted downtown before the season and sustained facial injuries that required medical intervention and prompted him to miss the exhibition? And then that he had to wear that mask for several games to protect his face? Or how he missed a few games midway through the year after he injured his knee against Kansas State?

Or how Gary gave us all a scare with what appeared to be an Achilles injury, but then it turned out to be a calf strain — where he still missed several games as he recovered from that?

Or even with Blaise Keita, who hasn’t played at all this season after he sustained a high-ankle sprain last year and is still working through his recovery process. You have to imagine he’d factor into the equation if he was 100% healthy.

Through it all, Nebraska sits at 21-9 with one regular-season game remaining. If Nebraska wins at Michigan, that’ll give the Huskers 22 regular season victories for the first time since 2017-18. The previous time before that was 1990-91 when Danny Nee’s squad was 24-6 heading into the Big Eight Tournament.

Speaking of tournaments … Nebraska, in the final week of the regular season, is still in position to secure as high as the No. 3 seed at the Big Ten Tournament. The No. 3 seed! Even with some uninspired losses away from home.

But maybe the most impressive part about all of this: Nebraska is doing all of this without a singular go-to guy.

For as successful as the Huskers have been, there won’t be a Husker named to the All-Big Ten first-team next week. They probably won’t have a second-team guy either, but it’s technically possible.

The only Husker ranked in the top 20 among Big Ten players in scoring is Tominaga, who comes in at No. 20 with his 14-points-per-game average. His 2.1 3-pointers per game rank No. 9 among league shooters.

Mast comes in at No. 5 with his 7.9 rebounds per game and No. 15 with his three assists per game, while Gary is at No. 16 with his 6.2 rebounds per contest.

Some incredible performances, sure, like Mast’s 34-point outing against Ohio State, but as of now, zero Huskers have been honored with Big Ten Player of the Week accolades this season.

And yet they’re still in contention for the double-bye at the Big Ten Tournament and in line to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years and the eighth time in program history.

Listen, I see the argument for Purdue’s Matt Painter. But the Boilermakers have Zach Edey and Braden Smith. Of course they’re going to be good.

I see the case for Northwestern’s Chris Collins, too. But they have Boo Buie leading the charge. Of course they posted back-to-back 20-win seasons. Doesn’t hurt that Brooks Barnhizer is coming into his own, too.

I even understand the grandstanding for Illinois’ Brad Underwood, though less-so now after the Illini lost to Purdue on Tuesday.

But no one, absolutely no one, is doing more with what they have than Hoiberg. There is no doubt that he has coached the absolute best out of his team this season.

This is the Big Ten “Coach” of the Year award, not the, “Well, this coach has the reigning national player of the year award.”

The football crew got it right for Northwestern’s David Braun earlier this academic year — taking a team that was expected to flounder and ended up making the postseason.

Hoiberg deserves it. Unequivocally. Now let’s just see if he actually receives it.