Tag: Fred Hoiberg

Former Wisconsin transfer guard makes history for Nebraska in 31-point win

Former Wisconsin transfer guard makes history for Nebraska in 31-point win

Former Wisconsin guard Connor Essegian made history in Nebraska‘s 103-72 win over North Florida on Sunday.

In the blowout win, the former Badger transfer went off for 22 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals on 8-of-10 shooting and 6-of-8 from three. Essegian joined Cary Cochran as the second player in school history to nail six or more three-point field goals in back-to-back games.

This was also the second straight game Essegian scored 20 or more points. The former Badger went for a career 29 points of 10-of-22 shooting and 6-of-15 from three in Nebraska’s recent win over South Dakota.

The Fort Wayne, Indiana native’s stellar string of performances now pushes his per-game averages to 21.5 minutes, 14.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists on 50% shooting and 44.4% from three.

The Cornhuskers certainly hoped to acquire this version of Essegian when he elected to transfer from Wisconsin to Nebraska this April. As a freshman for the Badgers, Essegian averaged 11.7 points per game off nearly 36% from deep in 35 appearances.

His production dropped dramatically as a sophomore with UW, prompting the sharpshooter to transfer to a different program this spring. He’s beginning to hit his groove under head coach Fred Hoiberg, a fellow marksman during his tenure in the NBA from 1995-2005.

The Cornhuskers sit at 7-1 on the season and earned 22 votes on Monday’s AP Poll. Essegian’s team opens Big Ten play on Saturday, Dec. 7 against Michigan State.

Husker basketball adds two graduate assistants

Head coach Fred Hoiberg announced on Wednesday that Josiah Allick and Triston Simpson will be joining his staff for the 2024-25 basketball season. 

The Nebraska Cornhusker men’s basketball team has added two graduate assistants for the upcoming season. Head coach Fred Hoiberg announced on Wednesday that Josiah Allick and Triston Simpson will join his staff for the 2024-25 basketball season.

Allick played in 33 games last season, his only season at Nebraska. He averaged 7.3 points and 5.4 rebounds while leading the team in field goal percentage and having a pair of double-doubles.

“We are excited to keep Josiah around our program,” Hoiberg said. “Everyone saw the contributions he made as a player here with his work ethic, selflessness, and leadership abilities. He is an outstanding communicator who relates exceptionally well with people, and his experiences will help our current players as we continue to build a winning culture.”

Simpson returns to Lincoln after spending last season as an assistant at Indian Hills Community College. He spent three years as the starting point guard at South Dakota, where he appeared in 124 games for the Coyotes.

“We are pleased that Triston has joined our staff,” Hoiberg said. “He had a chance to get into coaching at the junior college level and helped Indiana Hills to the national tournament last year. Triston was a multi-year starter at point guard at South Dakota and played professionally for a few years before getting into coaching, and that experience will help him as he continues his adjustment to the coaching ranks.”

The two are both natives of Lincoln, Nebraska, and played for the Lincoln North Stars during their prep careers.

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Jimmy Butler’s verbal altercation with Fred Hoiberg on Bulls

During his time on the Chicago Bulls, Jimmy Butler got into a verbal altercation with then-head coach Fred Hoiberg.

The Chicago Bulls roster has tossed and turned for the past decade, but at the beginning of the 2010s, it was run by Jimmy Butler. The now-Miami Heat forward cut his teeth with the Bulls, but was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves after spending six seasons with the franchise.

Since then, he’s played for the Philadelphia 76ers and Heat, bringing Miami to two NBA Finals appearances during his time there. Butler has been known for his hard-nosed style on and off the court, and during his time in Chicago, that was very apparent, too. He even got into an altercation with then-head coach Fred Hoiberg.

During an appearance on the Thanalysis Show, a podcast hosted by Milwaukee Bucks big man Thanasis Antetokounmpo, ex-Bull Michael Carter-Williams recalled a verbal altercation between Butler and Hoiberg. (H/t Doric Sam of Bleacher Report)

“Coach Hoiberg is like, ‘Jimmy, this starts with me and you, what’s going on?’ And then Jimmy goes, ‘Well, one, I think you’re soft. Two, I don’t like you,'” Carter-Williams explained. “And he didn’t even get to three and Coach Hoiberg was like, ‘Well, then f–k you, Jimmy.'”

Butler has made a career out of this type of mentality, and though it may not rub some people the right way, he’s found plenty of success along the way.

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BREAKING: Former Wisconsin Badgers guard commits to a Big Ten rival

Reaction to Connor Essegian committing to a Big Ten rival?

Former Wisconsin guard Connor Essegian announced his transfer commitment to Nebraska on Sunday afternoon.

The fan-favorite Badgers guard had also visited Big Ten rivals Maryland and Indiana, but opted for the Cornhuskers in the end.

Related: An updated list of Wisconsin basketball’s transfer portal targets

Essegian struggled in 2023-24 after falling far in the rotation, averaging just 7.3 minutes and 3.2 points per game. Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg hopes he returns to his freshman year form — 27.4 minutes and 11.7 points per game on 40% shooting and 36% from three.

He joins a Nebraska program that made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014 in 2023-24. Hoiberg has the Cornhuskers headed in the right direction, and is now looking to take the next step into contention.

The now-former Badger is sure to play more at his new home. He transfers with two years of eligibility remaining.

Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard must replace the departed production of Essegian, Chucky Hepburn, A.J. Storr and Tyler Wahl. He and his staff are hard at work in the transfer portal to mitigate those losses, though they are yet to receive a commitment.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Fred Hoiberg named National Coach of the Year

Nebraska’s basketball coach wins a prestigious honor after a successful season.

Nebraska men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg received a prestigious honor on Thursday afternoon. He was named the 2024 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year.

The Jim Phelan Award is presented annually to the nation’s top Division I coach. The coach of the year is determined by a ten-member committee consisting of current and former head coaches and two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.

Hoiberg received the award after guiding Nebraska to a 23-11 record and the program’s first birth in the NCAA Tournament in a decade. The team’s 23 wins were the most by a Nebraska team since the Huskers won a school-record 26 in the 1990-91 season.

He is the second head coach to win the honor. Tim Miles was named the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year in 2014.

This is the second year in a row that the Big Ten will have a coach win the honor. Last season, Northwestern’s Chris Collins was named the coach of the year.

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Keisei Tominaga to participate in a three-point contest at the Final Four

Keisei Tominaga will wear his Nebraska jersey one more time.

A Nebraska basketball player will participate in an upcoming three-point contest. Keisei Tominaga has been selected to the Hanes Three-Point Championship roster.

The 35th annual State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix on Thursday, April 4. Tominaga appeared in 32 games for the Huskers this season, averaging 15.0 points per game while shooting 37.6% from the three-point line

Nebraska Men’s Basketball Head Coach Fred Hoiber participated in the event in 1995. The event will air live on ESPN at 8:00 p.m. CT.

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Nebraska HC Fred Hoiberg: Wisconsin can be ‘one of the best offenses in the country’

Nebraska HC Fred Hoiberg: Wisconsin can be ‘one of the best offenses in the country’

Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg had high praise for the Wisconsin basketball team that defeated his Cornhuskers 88-72 this afternoon.

When the Badgers’ offense is on, which it was today, it can be “one of the best offenses in the country,” Hoiberg said.

Wisconsin hit the 88-point mark thanks to a 51-point first-half outburst, the highest first-half total of the Greg Gard era. Tyler Wahl led the way with 17 points on 6/10 shooting, Connor Essegian netted 12 points off the bench, Chucky Hepburn finished with 13 points and John Blackwell contributed 10 points on 4/7 shooting.

It was an all-around effort from the starters and the bench and from inside and from three-point range. The Badgers shot a whopping 55% from the floor and 50% from three. The offense flowed all afternoon, which also coincided with stellar shooting nights from everybody on the floor.

Nebraska was no pushover as well. The Cornhuskers were 12-2 entering this afternoon and had KenPom’s No. 68-ranked defense. Wisconsin just dominated in every facet.

Here is Hoiberg’s comment postgame, courtesy of CBS 3’s Andrew Bandstra:

Wisconsin improved to 11-3 with the win and 3-0 in Big Ten play. It is a promising start to 2024 for a team with rising expectations.

Nebraska basketball player has minor knee surgery

Nebraska men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg has confirmed that one of his players will miss time due to injury.

Nebraska men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg has confirmed that one of his players will miss time due to injury. Junior forward Rienk Mast has had clean-up surgery on his left knee and will be out until early January.

Mast is in his first season at Nebraska after transferring from Bradley. The junior is currently averaging 13.0 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Last year, he was a member of the All-Missouri Valley Conference first-team, averaging 13.8 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per game.

He recently represented the Netherlands at the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament. The forward appeared in all three games, averaging 6.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists. The Netherlands finished third in their group and did not advance to the semifinals.

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Men’s basketball moves to 7-0 on the season with win over Cal State Fullerton

The Huskers continue the historically strong start to the season with an 85-72 win over California State Fullerton.

The Huskers continue the historically strong start to the season with an 85-72 win over California State Fullerton on Sunday afternoon.

Nebraska delivered five double-digit scorers in a highly productive outing by both teams. The Titans finished with a 41.8 shooting percentage, going 9-of-22 from beyond the arc while shooting seven free throws off nine attempts. The Huskers meanwhile shot an impressive 46.6 from the field, landing 12-of-30 3-pointers and shooting 19-of-20 from the free throw line.

Bradley transfer Rienk Mast led the charge for Nebraska, scoring 19 points, hauling in nine rebounds and going three-for-three from beyond the arc. Keisei Tominaga was also perfect in 3-point shooting, going 3-for-3 as well, which accompanied his perfect field goal shooting, going five-of-five in the win. This gave Tominaga 17 points in the win for his third double-digit game of the season.

The Huskers are now 7-0 on the season. This marks the best start in head coach Fred Hoiberg’s tenure at Nebraska. The Huskers will face their first big test of the season next Sunday, welcoming in No. 8 Creighton. Tipoff is set for 3:00 p.m. and can be viewed on FS1.

Nebraska men’s basketball takes down Lindenwood to start the season

The Huskers’ men’s basketball team commenced their 2023-2024 season with a Monday night clash with Lindenwood.

The Huskers’ men’s basketball team commenced their 2023-2024 season with a Monday night clash with Lindenwood. Nebraska took down the Lions with a solid 84-52 outing. The Huskers began the season without their star player, Keisei Tominaga, due to injury but saw five players step up to fill the void by scoring double-digit points.

The five combined for 65 points, 21 rebounds, 13 free throws, and eight 3-pointers. Sam Hoiberg led the charge in the win, dropping a career-high 15 points and five rebounds. C.J. Wilcher finished right behind Hoiberg with 13 points. He also landed three free throws, two 3-pointers and two blocks.

Bradley transfer Rienk Mast, and Charlotte transfer Brice Williams also dropped 13 points in the win. Mast hauled in six rebounds and three assists, while Williams shot three free throws and two 3-pointers.

New Mexico transfer Josiah Allick rounded out Nebraska’s top five in scoring. Allick delivered 11 points for the Huskers and led them in rebounds, securing eight.

Nebraska will remain home to host Florida A&M on Thursday night. The game is set for 7 p.m. and can be viewed on B1G+.