Let the Guessing Begin

By Big12-Fans Writer Jason Brooks


It has been well documented here of late that I am not a big Barry Collier Fan. It is definitely time for Barry to go. The man cannot coach. I was sitting at a local bar enjoying a good pizza and an even better beer, watching the game on television. A bad foul was called and the camera panned over to Barry Collier who just sat on his butt and played with his perfect hair. God forbid a couple of hairs get misplaced. Most coaches would’ve come up off the bench and tore the officials a new hole. But Barry just simply sits and plays with his hair. My question is simply this: Why doesn’t Barry coach during the game? He knows his butt is on the line, he better know that if he doesn’t finish the season strong that he won’t make the NCAA Tournament, yet he continues to sit. How is it that this coach, whom everyone states did a hell of a job at Butler, can’t get his act together? South Stadium has been very quiet this year. Mark Boehm has been oddly quiet this time of year. He hasn’t answered questions about Barry’s future here in Husker land. This time last year we couldn’t shut him up about how good of a coach Barry is. No, instead, the only statement that Mark has been saying is this: “We evaluate every coach at the end of the year. We won’t make any decisions until the season is over.” Well Mark, the season is over. Might as well save us all the agony of having to watch Barry coach two more games, and fire him now. So where does that leave Nebraska hoops fans? Who do we replace Barry with? How long do we give the new coach? Let's look a little deeper.

Where does that leave Nebraska Hoops fans? Nebraska Hoops fans actually have something look forward to; next year that is. Sure we lose two seniors in this year’s team in Jason Dourisseau and Wes Wilkinson. Wilkinson has a knack for being colder than an Ice Age during big games and Dourisseau's rebounding abilities will be sorely missed. But let's take a look at what the Cornhuskers have returning in 2006-07.

Find a great selection of Nebraska Cornhuskers apparel & hats online through Big 12 Fans!

Jamel White is a guy that has lots of potential; I’ve seen this guy make some unbelievable shots. He has come up with rebounds that a little guy shouldn’t be coming up with. Having a year of experience in the Big 12 will help his play dramatically. Charles Richardson has more play making potential than what people give him credit for. His numbers are not that great, but only because he is in charge getting the offense set up. Aleks Maric is the big guy that can take over a game. He single-handedly kept Nebraska in the game against Kansas. As soon as he fouled out of the game, the lead for Kansas doubled within a minute of game time. His rebounding prowess has proven to be of great benefit this year. As a matter of fact, since he returned from a December road trip to Australia, Aleks has been producing double-double games on a consistent basis. Those three players alone should be enough for Nebraska to make a great push in the Big 12 next year and create excitement in Husker land. As long as Barry isn’t the head coach that is.

Who do we replace Barry with? Believe it or not I have already heard at least three names pop up for the Nebraska job. Scott Spinelli, Rick Majerus, and Mike Davis have all been mentioned as the next head coach of Husker Hoops.

Scott Spinelli is currently the assistant head coach for Nebraska. He is a proven recruiter at several colleges and universities throughout the country. Scott has been the recruiting coordinator for Nebraska, Loyola University, American University, and the University of Wyoming. He had a stop with the Philadelphia 76ers, where he was a scout. Scott is responsible for bringing in Joe McCray, Aleks Maric, and Jamel White. Personally, I think he is the only reason why Nebraska is as good as they are. Scott has never had a head coaching position in the college ranks. Can he get the job done? Can he do it here?

Rick Majerus is currently an analyst for ESPN. While his head coaching accomplishments are well documented (422-147 and 11 trips to the NCAA Tournament), his health issues are of concern. He was the head coach for the Utah Ute’s, and for the USC Trojans (for one day), where he retired from both for health reasons. Steve Pederson and Rick Majerus have a history together. Making the health issue a little more concern. Can Rick and Steve handle a friendship with the pressure of having to win?

Mike Davis is currently the head coach for the Indiana Hoosiers. Mike will step down after the season is over having a 96-67 record. This record may look a little odd to say that he is a good coach. Consider this, he is the first coach in Indiana history to have three straight twenty-win seasons. Mike led Indiana to the 2001-2002 National Championship game. In five years he has made the NCAA Tournament in four of them. Mike’s on again off again relationship with the fans has been one of great turmoil. Mike is a good coach, at a spoiled University. Can he handle building up a program like Nebraska’s?

Bob Huggins is the former head coach for Cincinnati. A School President that didn’t like the image that Bob brought to Cincinnati ousted him from Cincinnati last August. What she failed to realize is that she had a coach that the fans love, and the man wins. In sixteen seasons Bob took his Cincinnati team to fourteen straight NCAA tournaments. He had a visit with the Final Four in 1992, and three visits to the Elite Eight. Bob has a .740 winning percentage with his record at 399-127. Bob also got nailed with a DUI in 2004; he sat out two months to get his life back in order. He has appeared to have done so. The fact that he has done so much with a Cincinnati program that had not done much before he got there is impressive. Sure he had a run in with the cops, but he was sincere in his apology to the fans and the administration at Cincinnati. The question here isn’t can he build up the Nebraska program, or is he a loyal coach (after all he turned down several head coaching spots at other Div. 1 programs, and NBA jobs). The question here is: Can he stay sober while he’s doing it? My thought is yes he can do it, and yes he can stay sober. While I haven’t heard his name brought up, I just threw it in because I like the guy, he would seem like a good fit for this Nebraska team.

How long do we give the new coach? Regardless of who the next coach is at Nebraska, we have to have some patience. I want to see Nebraska win in basketball, there are a lot of us in Husker Nation that want this. So how long is long enough? When Bill Callahan signed on he said to give him 5 years. With football it takes longer for a head coach to implement his system. Football is a very complex sport, so it should take longer. Basketball is quite the reverse. Basketball is relatively simple. You have two types of defense, Man-to-Man and Zone. You have the offense with its base set of plays for the different types of zone defense, and a few different plays for the man offense. A coach can turn his program around with one great recruiting class almost immediately. So how long do we give the new head coach? Personally I say give the new head coach four years to turn this thing around. If the team is showing substantial gains, extend his contract for two more years and go from there.

I know I am talking like Barry has already been fired. I’ll bet anyone a pitcher of Budweiser that he will be at the end of the season. Nebraska just lost to Texas A&M. I’m not bashing A&M by any means, but Nebraska should’ve won that game. Hell Nebraska should be 20-8 easily by now, not 17-11. Nebraska has an inconsistent team, with an inconsistent Head Coach. For those people that say Steve Pederson won’t fire a winning coach, y’all need your heads examined. Tell that to Frank Solich, and see what he says. In the end it’s not about winning this year, it’s been about how we have lost. Pack your bags Barry; it’s time to go. Let the replacement guessing begin.

Big12-fans.com's Archived Articles