Shatel: Time has come to transform NU hoops

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LINCOLN — Time and again, throughout his storied career, the man has moved mountains.

He not only followed a coaching legend, he one-upped him. Won nine games a season for 25 straight seasons. Produced three national championships.

In his second career in athletics, as athletic director, he healed the pain and embarrassment of the previous administration. Helped secure a set-for-life move into the Big Ten Conference. Led the way for major upgrades in facilities for football, basketball, baseball and volleyball.

In doing so, he carved a second legend for himself. But the job isn't done.

For the most unique challenge of his career, Tom Osborne must transform Nebraska basketball. Make it relevant. A winner.

Tom knows football. Tom knows winning. Tom knows integrity and character.

But does Tom know basketball?

We're about to find out. Or, so we assume.

Doc Sadler has pushed his tenure at Nebraska to the brink. He's forced Osborne to make a call, one the athletic director doesn't want to make. Osborne likes Doc. He's also not a trigger-happy A.D. looking to make a name for himself.

Then came Saturday.

Nebraska beat Illinois 80-57, adding a bizarre twist to the story. It was a surreal day, with the Huskers down eight early before shooting and running and dunking over the reeling and wounded Illini, who offered little fight once they got down.

It was a misery-loves-company sort of day, which included an Illini player sobbing on the bench and all sorts of pained expressions on the faces of people in orange and a sense of finality about coach Bruce Weber's future.

So pardon the Husker faithful if they didn't storm the court.

The red reaction was interesting as well. At the end, the crowd of 7,820 stood and applauded for a short time. The players walked off the court, some looking somber. Sadler didn't do a dance. He thanked his team for its effort and the fans for showing up.

It was a feel-good, thanks-they-needed-that kind of game, not the kind of result that should sway an athletic director about a 12-13 season. There's a bigger picture here and that is this: Husker Hoops is in bad shape, as bad as it's been in a long time.

A peek at next year's roster doesn't show a quick turnaround, not with the current staff or system.

Which is where Osborne comes in — or will, we assume.

He's not talking. Understood. Osborne won't add fuel to the fire by issuing a vote of confidence every week. But when I asked Osborne for an interview this week to talk about the program, his vision, his expectations, etc., he politely declined.

Coming from a man who likes his coach, that silence is not a good sign for the coach.

Trying to figure out what he might do? Good luck. He's only done this twice. When Osborne fired Bill Callahan and Mike Anderson, it came the day after their last game. So Osborne won't dally. Keep an eye out the day after the Huskers' exit in the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis.

Who would he hire? In his football and baseball hires, Osborne acted quickly and leaned toward familiar faces. Though he didn't know Bo Pelini well, he knew enough about him to feel it was the right fit. He had a past relationship with Darin Erstad.

Who does Osborne know in hoop circles? Dana Altman? There's no telling if Osborne would want to step on Creighton hearts, or if Altman would even come back (for a likely pay cut). And Altman has yet to prove he can take Oregon to the NCAA tourney.

Put the Altman talk on hold. This is a complicated hire, and Osborne's lack of hoop pedigree makes it more complicated.

Whatever he does, it's time for NU to be "all in" with basketball. Hmm. Sound familiar?

I've written that since the late 1990s. Pay attention to hoops. Care about basketball. My colleague Lee Barfknecht and I have pounded that theme home so much we're blue in the keyboard.

What does that mean? It's investing time and money, showing urgency, raising standards. Having an athletic official higher than the associate media relations director show up for a home game against Michigan State.

Look, a new downtown arena is a terrific start. A practice facility known in hoops circles as the best in the country is an eye-opening gesture.

These expensive toys are priceless tools for recruiting. But they're hollow gestures unless you have a coach who knows how to use them.

Hire whoever you want. Big name, small name, no name. Know this: Winning major college basketball will cost you money, and you have to be able to recruit.

It's time for Nebraska to hire a recruiter. And have that coach hire a recruiter. And then, well, recruit.

Winning at the major college level is all about players. Nebraska didn't learn that lesson after firing Danny Nee, who went to five NCAA tourneys and recruited NBA players, in 2000.

NU was so eager to get away from Nee's image. It hired two consecutive "teachers," men who spoke of fundamentals and playing hard and developing young men. But Barry Collier was in over his head as a Big 12 recruiter, and eventually hired an ace recruiter (Scott Spinelli), but even that wasn't enough.

Sadler has had his share of bad luck with personnel and injuries. But he hasn't helped himself on the recruiting trail. In year six, there's nobody on NU's roster whose absence should be the reason for 12-13.

If Doc arrived here with a plan or a staff equipped to recruit to the Big 12/Big Ten level, it was hard to see. Certainly, it was flawed. Going heavy with an international flavor is not a recipe for success at this level.

There's a misconception about Doc's recruiting. That is, Osborne — who has disdain for AAU recruiting — won't let Sadler delve into the AAU world. Or, that Sadler refuses to do it himself.

Marc Boehm, assistant athletic director for basketball, said Saturday that there is "absolutely not" any order to stay away from AAU. Sadler said he had no problem recruiting AAU and listed a handful of players, including Jorge Brian Diaz, who were in AAU programs.

If Nebraska is going AAU, it's a different AAU than Frank Martin at Kansas State.

In recent years, I've asked the question, if Kansas State can transform its program, why can't NU? At least one former Husker and several fans told me they wouldn't want to win that way or pay an assistant coach $300,000 to recruit.

Well, the K-State way won at Baylor on Saturday and likely secured another NCAA spot for the 'Cats. Is K-State going on probation? Under investigation? And who wouldn't want a player like former Wildcat Jacob Pullen on the roster?

Doc has his transfers, too, but he's not getting the same transfers as Iowa State. Second-year coach Fred Hoiberg, who has playing time and NBA connections to offer, rejuvenated his program with four transfers, guys from other places looking for playing time on their way to somewhere else. He's doing it to jump-start his program — which he has this season — then he can get the high schoolers in.

Nebraska needs that jump-start. And it needs to do whatever possible — ethically, of course — to do that.

Earlier this season, former Husker Bruce Chubick said "sometimes you have to take a kid or two who may not be doing the things he should be doing, but you rein them in by surrounding them with other good kids." Chubick said Nee, his former coach, knew how to win with that balance.

Another former Husker, Beau Reid, has been outspoken about NU's lack of skill level. Reid suggests blanketing upper Midwest states like Ohio, Indiana and Illinois to find kids with hoops in their bloodstream. Not a bad idea, considering the new league.

The timing of this column looks awkward, after a nice win. But last week, there was that 16-point loss to Penn State. There's a bigger picture.

The Huskers made Doc proud with their effort, and defense, and it's hard to do that when you're in last place and the "Fire Doc" rumors are everywhere.

But pride and effort don't get NCAA bids or fill arenas. Winning does that. And players win games.

And players want to play in systems where they can score points. Players want to go to the NBA.

Osborne, who won a lot of games, and changed his recruiting emphasis at least twice during his career, must understand that.

But now the sport is basketball and all eyes will be on the legend who has spent his career transforming Nebraska, to see if he can have the same effect on this historically wayward son.

Contact the writer:

402-444-1025, tom.shatel@owh.com

twitter.com/tomshatelOWH

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