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Fred Hoiberg: ‘I see real potential for long-term success’
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Fred Hoiberg had one word to express how he felt about becoming the head basketball coach at Nebraska: excited.
On Tuesday, Nebraska held a press conference to introduce Hoiberg as the new head coach of the Huskers basketball program. The Lincoln native expressed repeatedly how excited he was to be the next coach at Nebraska and the opportunity in front of the program. He made it clear that this is a place that can enjoy plenty of success in the future.
“I see real potential here to have long-term success,” Hoiberg said at the press conference. “A lot of that has to do with the facilities that are here…I’m tellin’ ya, these facilities are as nice as any in the country. And it’s a very attractive thing when you’re trying to attract recruits to a market like this.
“And also the fan support. The fan support is second to none. I was a die-hard Husker football fan as a kid growing up and it’s just amazing, every seat in this stadium has been filled since 1962. And then the basketball games, to see the atmosphere — I watched a lot of Big Ten basketball this year…it’s just an unbelievable atmosphere.”
Hoiberg also gave a shoutout to former head coach Tim Miles for resurrecting the program and building fan interest in the program.
Hoiberg is somewhat of a hometown hire for the Huskers. Though he played high school basketball in Iowa and attended Iowa State, Hoiberg was born in Lincoln and his grandfather was the head coach of the programs in the 1950s and 1960s.
Hoiberg also brings coaching experience to Nebraska, having served as the head coach at Iowa State from 2010-15. He led the Cyclones to tournament appearances in four of his five seasons and made the Sweet 16 in 2014.
Iowa State was 115-56 in five years.
After five years in Ames, Hoiberg took over as head coach for the NBA’s Chicago Bulls from 2015-2018. He was fired midway through this season following a 5-19 start.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB