College basketball: Grading the 2019 coaching changes

College basketball: Grading the 2019 coaching changes – Who gets an A?

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 29: Head coach Buzz Williams of the Virginia Tech Hokies looks on in the first half of their game against the Duke Blue Devils during the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional Semifinals at Capital One Arena on March 29, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

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In a March 21, 2018, file image, Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg mans the bench against the Denver Nuggets at the United Center in Chicago. On Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, Hoiberg’s Bulls eeked out a 99-98 victory against the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers. Hoiberg was fired Monday, December 3, 2018.(Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images) /

Nebraska: Tim Miles to Fred Hoiberg

Tim Miles is a good college basketball coach but he just couldn’t get Nebraska over the hump. The challenge of the job was just too much for him. Miles wasn’t dynamic enough to help the Huskers reach the NCAA Tournament more than once in his seven seasons at the helm.

Credit Nebraska’s leadership for identifying the best candidate out there for their job and doing what was necessary to corral him. Fred Hoiberg didn’t work out for the Bulls, but he was a star in the college ranks at Iowa State. That’s a job with a ton of similarities to Nebraska.

Some criticized Hoiberg for building his program largely on the backs of transfers in Ames, but that’s exactly what he’ll need to do in Lincoln. The state of Nebraska isn’t blessed with a great deal of high school talent. The Cornhuskers’ best chance for success is to use every path required to bring in talent.

Hoiberg has the network to do that and the school will give him all the latitude he needs. He might not turn Nebraska around quite as quickly as he did Iowa State, but Huskers fans should be very excited. This might be the best hire of the offseason.

Grade: A