[Husker] Basketball

[Mike Jaixen]

Where have they been all year?  Well, we saw a glimpse
of them at Lawrence in January, when they missed a
shot at the buzzer that would have upset #1 Kansas at
the Phog.  All season long there have been injuries
and illnesses that have kept them from getting into
any sort of groove - until the last week and a half. 
In less than an hour, they go for finishing 8-8 in the
conference, which is a good season for Husker hoops by
any measure, if you look at past history.

And you have to remember what Collier took over - a
team that went 11-19 and didn't have many players in
the freshman and sophomore classes for him to build
from.  He appeared to make mistakes in his 2nd and 3rd
recruiting classes, which would be a reason to fire
him in the past.  But that problems seems to be
corrected, so why punish him now for it?

As far as Bill Callahan goes, he doesn't get the same
5 year pass.  He took over a team that went 10-3 (not
11-19).  Some people have suggested that the talent
level was the reason for us dropping to 5-6, but the
prospects for the NFL draft is shooting that argument
full of holes.  He'll need to get the football program
back to where he found it, which means bowl games and
8-10 win seasons over the next couple of years.  Maybe
it's not fair, but it's not like he took over a
program in ruins either.

--- Robert Beach <rbeach at neb.rr.com> wrote:
>      Someone posted this week about how I hadn't
> commented on the recent state of NU men's
> basketball.  While the latest run is great I am not
> quite ready to declare Barry Collier the second
> coming of John Wooden.  The Huskers put some things
> together last year at the end as well and made the
> NIT.  I guess I would have to ask is where have they
> been all year?  If this was Collier's first or
> second year I wouldn't say anything about a less
> than stellar season and a 3-4 game winning streak at
> the end.  But he has been here five years .  FIVE
> YEARS!!  And yet I hear people say "give him more
> time."  I will absolutely guarantee you if Callahan
> has .500 seasons, or there about, through his fifth
> year people will not be saying "he needs more time."
>  The "fire Callahan" crowd will definitely be out. 
> Now if Collier's teams can play a whole season like
> they have the last three games, although beating
> Colorado while not playing well at home is no great
> accomplishment, I will change m!
>  y mind.  I just don't know how many more years he
> should get to do that.


Mike Jaixen

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