[Husker] Basketball

[Bob Beach]

On 3/5/2005 at 10:21 AM Mike Jaixen wrote:

>>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.



      I agree 8-8 is a good season compared to the past.  But why be satisfied with that?  Bob Knight is just two wins away from leading Tech to its fourth straight 20-win season, an odds-against prospect when he took the Lubbock job after being ousted from Indiana.  Texas Tech was not all that great before Knight got there.  Knight won right away.  It didn't take five years.  I know situations are different and Knight may not have been able to do that at NU.  But, the point is it can be done in less than five years.  All Collier has done over five years is pretty much maintain a program known for its mediocrity.  If that is all that is required and 8-8 is fine then Collier appears to be the man.




>>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.



     I agree with the above.  I am not saying the football coach and basketball coach have to be held to EXACTLY the same expectations.  But the difference isn't close.  Callahan has to win now and his feet are held to the fire.  Collier has now probably at least six years with virtually no expectation other than to finish at least .500 in the conference.




Bob Beach
Man is never too old to learn.  Man only becomes too old when the process of learning stops.