Husker Hoops Head Coaching Job – Pros/Cons

As the NCAA Tournament nears its conclusion, the coaching carousel begins to spin.

Nebraska is in need of a new coaching staff to replace Doc Sadler’s staff, who was fired after the Big Ten Tournament.

Former Creighton coach Dana Altman has reportedly pulled his name from contention for the job, which begs the question “why?” Husker Corner breaks down the most important Pros and Cons to the Nebraska head coaching job.Pros

• Conference Prestige – Playing in the Big Ten helps. There’s a reason mid-major teams come and go – it’s hard to recruit without a conference behind you. While Nebraska’s recent success is small and thinly spread, it will always have a chance at an NCAA bid if it can get in the top half of the conference standings. A team that gets some momentum in a good conference can establish themselves as a team with national cache, which allows for a much higher ceiling than mid-majors offer.
• Facilities – While the Devaney Center is nothing to drool over, Pinnacle Bank Arena will do wonders for Nebraska basketball. The new arena will give recruits a reason to bug out their eyes when nothing else will get the job done. Recruiting has been a soft topic with Husker fans the past few years, and at the very least the new arena should help in-state recruits choose Nebraska instead of leaving the state. The new practice facility at the Devaney Center will have a similar effect.
• Time – You can’t put a price on time. With the pace and impatience of sports these days, most high-profile jobs are a ticking time bomb. Nebraska’s new coach will actually be allotted four years or so to put together his program before he is fired if it doesn’t materialize. The same wouldn’t be true at a national power.

Cons

Location – Let’s not kid ourselves, Lincoln, Nebraska isn’t the most appealing place to play or coach college basketball. High schools aren’t focusing on basketball and it’s showing in the talent level of local recruits. Sure, there are some strong prospects coming out of the Cornhusker State but they’re few and far between, which makes Nebraska’s new coach’s job that much harder.

Fan Support – Husker fans care about football first and volleyball second. Basketball is a second class sport and has a second class fan base in Lincoln. While success doesn’t directly tie into fan support, it sure doesn’t help to have a crowd behind you. The arena will help some to boost that, but a Nebraska fan will never be close to a North Carolina fan in regards to basketball.

Brand Recognition – For a lot of basketball recruits and coaches, the name is everything. Nebraska is not a big name in basketball, and it continues to plague the program. People not familiar with the program have a hard time finding a hook to Husker Hoops, and as a result, the school is much less attractive.

By Chris Peters

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