Tim Myles/Chris Collins Comparison

[CatJones]

Comparing the Big Ten coaching careers of Tim Myles and Chris Collins is interesting. Both took over traditionally weak programs at about the same time, taking their schools to the NCAA tourney early in their careers at their respective institutions.
Both had great new arenas. Coach Myles had the benefit of lower admission standards. Coach Collins had the benefit of being
close to Chicago.

Myles: 7 Seasons at Nebraska, 116-114 overall record (.504), 52-76 Big Ten record (.406), one NCAA appearance (second season),
two NIT appearances (sixth and seventh seasons), fired after seventh season

Collins: 8+ seasons at NU, 129-144 overall record (.473), 54-109 Big Ten record (.331), one NCAA appearance (fourth season)

I think Nebraska made a big mistake firing Coach Myles. I also think NU will not fire Coach Collins, and probably should not, but may short of a second NCAA appearance this year.

 

[Sec_112]

Allow me to step away from the ridiculously repetitive Collins debate.

Doesn't Hoiberg's results demonstrate how difficult it can be to find the right guy? On hiring day, who would have thought the NBA guy with proven NCAA experience would end up as a disaster at Nebraska? Mediocre maybe. But a train wreck?

Yeah, Hoiberg seems like a passive guy, but it shouldn't that much of a mess. I'd love to know what the difference is between ISU Hoiberg and Nebraska Hoiberg. I assume some assistant at ISU was the secret weapon.

 

[GatoLouco]

Doesn't Hoiberg's results demonstrate how difficult it can be to find the right guy?

100%. How is it that Butler has found the right guy over and over again?

I don't have the answer, and setting aside luck, which can always factor in, I suspect the sophistication of the search process is, in a lot of cases, the answer.

On a board like this, and pretty much in every news outlets, the prospects are evaluated according to their resumes. What's the track record? What are geographic ties? What are the cultural connections?

I don't want to suggest those are not important, but I believe those are very superficial aspects when it comes to finding the right guy. Anyone who follows a program very closely, has a lot more insight into what a coach brings, even without connections inside a program. Has seens a lot of games, can evaluate style of play, type of recruits the coach brings in, seen countless games and the decisions the coach makes, etc, etc.

So I can't imagine a search process without talking to countless people who have insights. Former players, former assistants, local media, opposing coaches, etc.

100% an exercise in speculation, but it's very possible not much was done with Hoiberg since he had such a great track record at ISU. I recently heard during a broadcast a commentator mentioning that he talked to someone at ISU, and was told that Hoiberg almost solely worked on offense in practice. Thought that was interesting.

I can imagine in a lot of hiring decisions the process going out the door. AD has his guy, someone with great influence has his own ideas, and so on. Not unlike hires at any other place.

 

[CappyNU]

Yeah, Hoiberg seems like a passive guy, but it shouldn't that much of a mess. I'd love to know what the difference is between ISU Hoiberg and Nebraska Hoiberg. I assume some assistant at ISU was the secret weapon.

Interestingly, one of his assistants at ISU is now their head coach, but two of the other assistants he had at one point there are still with him at Nebraska, plus former NU asst Armon Gates, he of the controversial departure from Florida.

100%. How is it that Butler has found the right guy over and over again?

One could argue Butler has not found the right guy this time based on the past few seasons.

 

[GatoLouco]

One could argue Butler has not found the right guy this time based on the past few seasons.

I don't have an opinion on Jordan being the right guy or not. To me it is TBD.

What I find fascinating is that you go through the recruits Butler has brought in post Stevens, and they are, ranking wise, no better than NU's recruits. In fact, Jordan, who might be the first fail in 20 years, brought in Butler's best recruiting class ever.

Edit: Jordan made the tournament in 2 of 4 years (if you consider they were definitely going to be in the Covid year). This year it will take a miracle to get in. The record, in itself, does not point to not being the right guy. The problem to me is that he made the tournament on the back of players he did not recruit.

 

[Styre]

Doesn't Hoiberg's results demonstrate how difficult it can be to find the right guy? On hiring day, who would have thought the NBA guy with proven NCAA experience would end up as a disaster at Nebraska? Mediocre maybe. But a train wreck?

Yeah, Hoiberg seems like a passive guy, but it shouldn't that much of a mess. I'd love to know what the difference is between ISU Hoiberg and Nebraska Hoiberg. I assume some assistant at ISU was the secret weapon.

Hoiberg is sort of hard to evaluate in the wake of the expanded transfer portal and the pandemic. All three of his Nebraska teams were absolutely shredded by departures in the prior offseason. That's ultimately on him, of course, but if he can't keep a roster together it doesn't even matter if he's a good basketball coach.