On the heels of the Nebraska basketball team's historic season, the Huskers got some very good news earlier this week. Top Husker assistant Nate Loenser is staying put after interviewing for the head coach job at Northern Iowa.
Loenser might be a bit disheartened not to get the job, but he was up against stiff competition, as Kyle Green had three stints as an assistant at Northern Iowa. Now he will return to the Panthers as the head men's basketball coach after spending the past five years on Iowa State's staff.
Earlier in the week, it was reported that the Nebraska assistant was a finalist for the UNI head coaching job. He was one of three candidates reportedly selected to interview.
Nebraska basketball keeps Nate Loenser after Northern Iowa chooses Kyle Green
Reports suggested the Panthers' athletic department had narrowed its search to Loenser, Green, and current UNI assistant Seth Tuttle. With Loenser not getting the job, the Huskers keep the man who has been credited by people inside and outside the program as being the man who is behind NU's elite defense.
However, defensive gameplan isn't even the only thing the man who has now been with head coach Fred Hoiberg for a decade. Per his Husker.com bio, "Loenser plays an extensive role in nearly every facet of the program, including leading the Huskers’ individual skill development programs, opponent scouting, game planning, and recruiting."
If the Nebraska basketball team can come close to the level of success it achieved next season, both the Huskers and Nate Loenser's profile will only grow. It only seems a matter of time before he moves on for a head coaching job of his own. For now, Hoiberg and the Huskers will reap the beneift of him sticking around.