Tag: Fred Hoiberg

Jimmy Butler may still blame former Chicago Bulls coach

Jimmy Butler, who is now leading the Miami Heat on an incredible playoff run, may still have some blame for his former Chicago Bulls coach.

The Chicago Bulls have some of the best alumni in the NBA. Michael Jordan obviously leads the pack, but there is also Scottie Pippen, Derrick Rose, Dennis Rodman, Joakim Noah, and so many more. The Bulls are one of the most historic franchises in the league, and they have produced a ton of talent.

Most recently, Jimmy Butler has been absolutely dominating the league on the grandest stage. His Miami Heat are currently one win away from their second NBA Finals appearance in four years. During a recent chat with NBC Sports Chicago’s KC Johnson, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel spoke about Butler’s poor relationship with former Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg.

Winderman recalled a time when Butler yelled at Hoiberg to “coach harder,” speculating that the Heat forward still blames the ex-Chicago coach to this day.

“So it’s your fault Fred Hoiberg, who I think Jimmy blames more than anything,” Winderman said.

That being said, Winderman also noted that Butler still respects former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, as he likely helped develop him into the hard-nosed, intense player he is today.

“You can see so much respect for Thibs and what Thibs did,” Winderman said. “That Thibs didn’t hand him something. He had to earn it in Chicago.”

But instead of helping the Bulls make Finals after Finals, Butler is down in Miami, leading the charge. One can only wonder what things would have been like if the Bulls had kept Butler around and attempted to build a championship-caliber roster and winning culture around him.

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Four-star Wisconsin guard commits to Big Ten school

Nick Janowksi, a four-star class of 2024 guard from Pewaukee, Wisconsin committed to Nebraska on Friday.

Nick Janowksi, a four-star class of 2024 guard from Pewaukee, Wisconsin committed to Nebraska on Friday. The 6-foot-3, 200 pound athlete was offered by the Badgers but chose to go elsewhere for college. The three-time state champion will join Fred Hoiberg in Lincoln.

In what has been a consistent trend for Wisconsin basketball, the team looks likely to once again fall short of the hopes and dreams of fans who want them to get one of the top in-state recruits. The program has shifted to being more commonly associated with Minnesota players (Tyler Wahl, Steven Crowl, Nolan Winter) than those that are homegrown in the cheese state.

As of right now, the only commitment that Greg Gard and his staff have gotten from the class of 2024 is 6-foot-6 three-star forward Jack Robison from Lakeville, Minnesota, home of Tyler Wahl and Nate Reuvers.

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Huskers basketball forecasted for Big Ten cellar in poll

More of the same is expected from the Huskers men’s basketball team this year. Can a new batch of transfers begin to turn things around?

A Big Ten men’s basketball preseason poll conducted by writers from The Athletic and The Columbus Dispatch was released on Monday as Big Ten media days kicked off in Minneapolis.

After nearly slipping out of the NCAA Tournament last season, the Indiana Hoosiers were tabbed as the preseason favorites in the poll, which is not the official Big Ten preseason poll. Trayce Jackson-Davis (18.3 points per game, 8.1 rebounds per game in 2021-22), who was the poll’s preseason Player of the Year, returns for Mike Woodson’s squad, along with second-team honoree Xavier Johnson. Five-star recruit and now Indiana freshman Jalen Hood-Schifino joins the fray as well as the Hoosiers look for their first conference title in seven years.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers did not receive such a favorable prospectus and were predicted to finish last in the Big Ten after a 10-22 season overall and 4-16 record in conference play last season. The Huskers’ mark in Big Ten action matched Minnesota for the worst in the conference.

None of the Huskers’ hoopers received a vote in any all-conference team voting but Nebraska’s youthful new-look group could be candidates to surprise.

Head coach Fred Hoiberg no longer has the services of Alonzo Verge, Kobe Webster and both Trey and Bryce McGowens, the latter of which was drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft by Charlotte Hornets.

Transfers Sam Griesel (14.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 3.4 APG in 2021 at North Dakota State), Emmanuel Bandoumel (10.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG at SMU) and Juwan Gary (6.5 PPG at Alabama) will infuse new blood on the court in Lincoln, along with a crop of JUCO transfers and freshman Ramel Lloyd, a four-star recruit out of nationally-ranked Sierra Canyon High School in California.

The Huskers’ biggest returner is senior forward Derrick Walker, who started every game last year. Walker led Nebraska in rebounds and broke the Huskers’ single-season record for field goal percentage by shooting 68.3% from the field.

The results of the poll are listed below, with each team’s number of total voting points, first-place votes and all-conference honorees, according to the poll.

USA Today sues Nebraska over details in Scott Frost’s contract

The lawsuit was filed in court on Friday!!

USA Today has filed a public-records lawsuit against the University of Nebraska after a request related to performance metrics in restructured coaching contracts was denied. The lawsuit, which was officially filed against the director of records, was filed due to the refusal of the university to release details of Head Football Coach Scott Frost and Head Basketball Coach Fred Hoiberg’s restructured contracts.

Several publications filed requests over the contract details, denying all submissions. The decision was then appealed to the state attorney general’s office. That office concluded that the university could withhold the contractual information under the state of Nebraska’s public records statutes. A lawyer representing USA Today is asking the court to either order the records to be released immediately, set a deadline for the documents to be released, or provide specific details as to why the requests were denied.

Frost had restricted his contract to reduce his salary from $5 million in 2022 to $4 million and took a smaller buyout if he’s dismissed after the upcoming season. However, should Frost hit specific metrics in his contract, his salary would rise back to $5 million, and he would have a chance to have his contract extended one more year to December 31, 2027. Hoiberg also took a pay cut, lowered his buyout, and waived a retention bonus but was also given specific goals that would allow him to be retained.

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Nebraska Forward leaves to team to play in Australia

Nebraska loses one of its veterans to the Australian professional league.

A Nebraska Cornhusker forward has signed with a professional team and forego their final year of eligibility. Lat Mayen signed a contract with a basketball team in his native Australia, ending his Huskers career. The Adelaide, Australia native played in 30 games last season and averaged 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

“Lat has decided to pursue professional basketball opportunities back home in Australia,” Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg said. “Everyone in our program appreciates the contributions he has made to the Husker basketball program over the last two seasons and the work he put into the gym every day. Lat has been a pleasure to coach and look forward to him embarking on a pro career.”

Mayen played in 58 games in his Nebraska career and averaged 7.2 points on 39% shooting with 4.2 rebounds.

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SMU transfer picks Huskers

Nebraska Basketball added to its team following the commitment of an SMU transfer.

Nebraska Football isn’t the only team on campus active in the transfer portal. Nebraska Basketball has also been adding depth to their squad during their off-season. On Tuesday night, SMU transfer Emmanuel Bandoumel announced his commitment to the Cornhuskers. The 6″4′ 180-pound guard from Quebec City, Quebec, started 64 games over the last three seasons. He averaged 10.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game last season for the Mustangs.

Nebraska Head Coach Fred Hoiberg released the following statement following Bandoumel’s commitment.

“Emmanuel gives us another guard with positional size on the perimeter,” Hoiberg said. “He’s started the last two-plus years at SMU and is a good 3-point shooter who has shot over 35 percent each of the past two seasons.  Defensively, he has the size and athleticism to guard several spots which matches up well with our other backcourt players. He also brings experience and leadership having started at SMU for the past three seasons.”

Bandoumel will be joining Sam Griesel (North Dakota State) and Juwan Gary (Alabama) as the transfers joining the Husker program for the upcoming 2022-23 season.

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Husker Basketball Lauded for Off Season Move

Nebraska Basketball Coach Fred Hoiberg continues to receive high marks for his move in this year’s transfer portal.

When it was announced at the end of February that Men’s Basketball Coach Fred Hoiberg would be returning for his fourth year on the job, everyone knew that roster changes would have to be made. The most dramatic of those roster moves came when Sam Griesel, formerly of North Dakota State, announced that he would be playing for the Huskers this upcoming season. The senior guard averaged 14.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and 3.4 APG on 48.2% shooting in 25 starts for the Bison in the 2021-22 season.

The experts are noticing the move too, and 247Sports recently compiled a list of the top 10 teams in the 2022 transfer portal. The Huskers were slotted in at number six on that list, sharing the spot with Iowa State, Florida State, and Ohio State. The experts at 247Sports say, “This is exactly the transfer Fred Hoiberg needs at Nebraska. The opportunity will be there for Griesel to get major minutes right away, and he’s a high-floor player who has done a lot of winning throughout his career.”

This type of news doesn’t guarantee the Huskers anything this upcoming season, but it is nice to see that outside perspectives are noticing what Fred Hoiberg and company are doing and approving of it.

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Hoiberg Makes Addition to Coaching Staff

On Monday, Nebraska basketball Head Coach Fred Hoiberg announced that he had hired a new assistant coach to join him on the bench for the 2022-23 season

On Monday, Nebraska basketball Head Coach Fred Hoiberg announced that he had hired a new assistant coach to join him on the bench for the 2022-23 season. Adam Howard will be coming to Lincoln from South Alabama, where he had spent the last four seasons as a member of Richie Riley’s staff. The Jaguars were 75-50 during his time in Mobile, including two 20-win seasons. Before South Alabama, Howard spent time at Troy University, Tennessee, and Southern Miss. He is best known for his defensive sets in both the half and full court as a coach. That could be helpful to Nebraska as they’ve finished last in the Big Ten in points against per game in each of Fred Hoiberg’s three seasons as head coach.

In a statement to the media, Howard discussed how excited he is to join the Cornhuskers coaching staff saying, “My family and I are humbled and excited for the opportunity to join Coach Hoiberg’s staff at Nebraska. Coach Hoiberg has been remarkably successful at every level of basketball, and I could not be more appreciative that the next step in my development as a coach is to learn and grow under him and the staff he has in place at Nebraska.”

Howard played his college ball at Western Kentucky and was part of the 2008 squad that made the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The memories that flash first are …

The memories that flash first are happy. Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg remembers Chicago for the day his twin sons were born, for the two seasons he spent establishing himself as an NBA rotation player on the Bulls, and for the playoff series he almost won as Chicago’s coach in 2017. But as the Huskers travel to Northwestern, located 14 miles north of Hoiberg’s old life, on Tuesday, the more painful recollections return. The mounting losses, the speculation surrounding his job, and the stress he shouldered in Chicago are resurfacing in Lincoln four years later.

In Chicago, Hoiberg said Monday that …

In Chicago, Hoiberg said Monday that the Bulls “led the league in injuries” during his first season. One year later, Rajon Rondo broke his hand with the Bulls leading the Boston Celtics 2-1 in a first-round playoff series. And one year after that, the Bulls pivoted to a rebuild. Hoiberg’s Bulls tenure turned ugly the following season, when he began questioning his players’ motivation. He called Chicago’s effort “embarrassing” after a 105-89 loss to a shorthanded Celtics team in March 2018. And he told the Chicago Tribune that his makeshift lineups were “not an excuse to not bust your ass” after a 135-106 loss to the Charlotte Hornets seven months later.