[Husker] Basketball & General Comment

[Gary Fead]

Greetings All:

As Mike Nolan stated earlier:

"I don't know that Nebraska could attract a basketball coach worth hiring."

To that I add: "Or that NU could afford to hire".


I am opposed to any coaching change in the men's basketball area at this time and I will be disappointed if we do that (especially if we handle it like the last major coaching change at NU). 



There are several reasons why I think there is more willingness to allow the basketball coach time: 

1. It is not a sport that commands the same interest level in Nebraska that football does. Unlike football where NU is the only D1 school, we have two D1 schools in basketball with NU and Creighton. Creighton takes quite a bit of the Omaha base that NU gets for football away for basketball. The guy who cuts my hair loves NU football but loathes NU basketball and goes to every Creighton game. 

2. We've never been "to the mountain top" or anywhere near it in basketball whereas we have been to the top several times (5) in football with many more "near misses". We know what it's like in football and we don't like what we have now seen in football so we aren't going to be patient and allow Bill Callahan (or even Steve Pederson) to have four or five losing seasons in football. 

I like Barry Collier, he displays several of Tom Osborne's character traits of loyalty, respect and "doing things the right way", the "Nebraska Way". This is not being displayed in other areas of the Athletic Department at this time, at least in my opinion it isn't. 

On another subject near and dear to NU (and the athletic department's) right now, I called the Development Office a few weeks ago regarding a significant 6 figure donation and inquired as to how we could get it done. The person I spoke with took my questions and promised a call back, three weeks later I'm still waiting for a return phone call with specifics on how to get it done. This is not a good way to do business in my estimation.  

I write a pretty hefty check to NU every year for donations and tickets and it's getting harder and harder for me to do that not because of financial issues but because of some of the things that have occurred over the past 24 months in Lincoln. 

Gary Fead
Omaha