WASHUT: Nebraska basketball changed with Hoiberg

The spotlight wasn’t too bright at all for Fred Hoiberg.

The 46-year-old was already well versed in dealing with all that comes at the highest level of basketball, both at the collegiate and NBA levels, and he carried himself every bit as such during his introductory press conference as Nebraska’s newest head basketball coach on Tuesday.

He was poised, funny, transparent, and confident during his podium and side interview sessions. Most of all, Hoiberg had complete command the entire time.

That was the most telling feeling in the room after the former Iowa State legend, Minnesota Timberwolves general manager, and Chicago Bulls head coach left the third floor of Memorial Stadium following his interviews.

Suddenly, Nebraska basketball felt different. It felt big time.

For the first time since World War II, the Huskers hired a head coach not only with high-major experience, but one that saw serious success at that level. He didn’t win as much as he’d hoped in the NBA, but a lot of those failures stemmed from circumstances beyond his control (injuries, poor front office management, etc.)

His resume and coaching pedigree carry a lot of weight in the basketball world, and him deciding to come to a program like Nebraska – even with the long list of family connections – was no small feat from athletic director Bill Moos.

But past accomplishments only take you so far, and Hoiberg knows it. He understands the lack of program tradition he’s inheriting, and that he and his staff – which currently has just one assistant, Matt Abdelmassih – are going to have to manage a total roster overhaul this offseason.

None of that phases him, and that’s because no one has more confidence in his ability and his formula to build a team into a winner in a short amount of time than Hoiberg.

He didn’t want to set any firm timeline as to when the Huskers would be regularly competing for NCAA Tournament berths. That’s because he doesn’t even know what his roster is going to look like a few months from now.

That said, Hoiberg thinks it can happen relatively fast, especially with the $1 million budget NU is giving him to assemble his coaching staff.

Everything is at Hoiberg’s disposal; from first-class facilities to an incomparable fanbase to administrative support that none of his predecessors enjoyed.

The reality is that Hoiberg has officially been Nebraska’s head coach for only three whole days, and the unrivaled level of excitement around the Huskers could fade if the success on the court doesn’t soon follow.

But for the here and now, "Nebrasketball" changed before our eyes on Tuesday. The Huskers are playing big-boy ball now, and they got the perfect man to run the show as it ventures into unchartered territory of expectations.