CHICAGO – As Tim Miles took the United Center press conference podium following Nebraska’s loss to Wisconsin in Friday’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, he knew as much as anyone else in the room about his future.
Asked about his job status, which has been under heavy speculation for the past two months during the Huskers’ massive collapse this season, Miles said he’d know more roughly 45 minutes later – when NU athletic director Bill Moos would issue a public statement regarding his evaluation and decision on Miles and the Husker men’s basketball program.
Shortly after, that statement came out just as Miles said.
“We will await Sunday’s announcement to see if we receive an invitation to participate in the NIT. Once our season is completed, my evaluation of our men’s basketball program will draw to a close.”
In other words, Miles and his staff would have to wait at least another 48 hours before learning their fate.
After essentially having to coach for his job the past three seasons, Miles could only worry about what was still within his control as his future twisted in the wind for another two days.
“I’ve accepted the fact that I’ve ran my race," Miles said, doing his best to keep his emotions in check.
Moos was in Chicago for Nebraska’s first-round win over Rutgers on Wednesday night but left on Thursday prior to the win over Maryland, reportedly to travel to California to attend his son’s football spring game at Cal on Saturday.
Miles said he spoke with Moos briefly in person on Wednesday night, and then Moos sent him a “complimentary” text after beating the Terrapins. Miles said he expected Moos would do the same again after Friday’s loss to Wisconsin.
In Nebraska’s locker room after the game, Miles’ players offered up unanimous support of their head coach.
“Yes, I think he’s a good coach,” senior guard James Palmer Jr. said. “He recruited me hard coming here, and he’s a good dude off the court. He takes care of us, and I think he should definitely stay."
Added senior point guard Glynn Watson Jr.:
“I think he fights for the guys no matter what’s going on, through the ups and downs. I’ve been with him through the ups and downs, and I think he’s a great guy on the court and off the court. It might not seem like that always to all the fans or whoever, but he is, and I think he should be able to stay.”
The more interesting voice was junior forward Isaiah Roby, one of the few returning pieces from this year’s roster who would likely be the centerpiece of the Huskers’ rotation in 2019-20.
“We’ve heard it all year, and he’s heard it all year,” Roby said of the speculation over Miles’ job status. “He’s addressed it with us as a team, and I think he should be back. Me and Miles have had a relationship for a long time now. I’ve known him since my sophomore year of high school, so I feel like we have a really good relationship. I think he’s a really good coach and a really good guy.”
Roby was asked if Nebraska’s eventual decision on Miles would impact his decision to return for his senior season, jump to the professional ranks, or even transfer to another program.
“That’s a tough question right now,” Roby said after a long pause. “Yeah, that’s a tough question right now.”
The toughness, fight, and resiliency Nebraska showed this week while winning three games in a span of five days and nearly making it four for six were things Miles said he would never forget, regardless of what his future holds in Lincoln.
“It’s cool,” Miles said. “It’s cool, because we’ve had guys transfer and leave, and for these guys to stick it out and just play the way they did, it means a lot on the personal level.”
