How Nebraska Basketball Coach Fred Hoiberg is Trying to Build Sustained Success

Many college basketball teams, we suppose, can become a one-hit wonder. Nab a good player, surround him with enough talent or role players to make the NCAA Tournament. It has happened throughout the sport’s history. It’s how one-bid conferences thrive.

What Nebraska accomplished last year was similar but different — in a potentially good way. Fred Hoiberg put together a roster of talented players with various and high-grade skills. Then, he blended them into his vision of a cohesive, sweet-shooting club that could find success in the treacherous and deep Big Ten.

Mission accomplished, as they say, with a school-record 28 wins, the end of an 0-8 NCAA Tournament streak, a trip to the Sweet 16. The Huskers finished 14th in the final AP Top 25 Poll.

So, what now for Husker basketball? Can the players blend into a working unit? Will the chemistry happen? It might be easier to have that one season out of nowhere, than to have continued success over time.

Hoiberg’s goal

Sustained success is the goal, at Nebraska and elsewhere. That was Hoiberg’s charge once last season ended — and before that, to be real. He had a golden opportunity to capitalize on Nebraska’s success. The Huskers were hot and the basketball community knew it.

The Huskers played an entertaining brand of basketball, one that garnered national attention — which is what happens when you open the season 20-0. Nebraska played with flair and a fresh offense that emphasized the three-point shot but didn’t rely on it entirely.

To potential transfers and recruits, the Huskers were having fun on the court — at least it looked that way. Basketball didn’t look like the grind it could be with every move orchestrated by an overbearing coach. Hoiberg and his players communicated on the court but not in Bobby Knight method of my way or the highway.

The connection among Hoiberg and his players looked like unity.

That’s not to say there weren’t tense moments. Every team has them, especially over the course of 35 games of 40 minutes each — and after countless practices and film sessions. But that tension was overwhelmed by what looked that joy on the court and fueled by the kind of success that Nebraska has never enjoyed in men’s basketball.

The Huskers opened their 2026-27 season with a 106-64 win over Division I newbie Le Moyne on Monday night. Nebraska had five players in double figures — starters Pryce Sandfort (20 points) and Cale Jacobsen (16), plus reserves Connor Essegian (13 points in seven minutes), Damon Wilkinson (11 points in 15 minutes), and Jacob Lanier (11 points in 23 minutes).

The Huskers’ next game is Saturday against Providence in Uncasville, Conn., a neutral-site game about an hour from the Friars’ campus. The Friars opened their season with an 83-56 win over Maine on Monday.

Building a roster

Hoiberg went into this season with a nucleus of good players — Sandfort, Braden Frager, Jacobsen, plus Essegian, who hadn’t played in a year because of an right-ankle injury he suffered last November.

Hoiberg knew he needed more size and talent to sustain the success and to compete in a loaded Big Ten eager to avenge some unexpected losses to the Huskers. Hoiberg also lost leadership guys to graduation in his son Sam and Rienk Mast.

Talent made its way to Lincoln, an unlikely destination for top-flight players. Hoiberg’s recruiting class includes freshman Colin Rice, a 6-foot-9 guard/forward from Waukee, Iowa, Sandfort’s hometown.

Freshman Jacob Lanier, a 6-foot-6 guard, has drawn praise for his ability to handle the ball and run the offense — a potential major need after losing Sam Hoiberg to graduation.

Nebraska guard Jacob Lanier had 11 points, six rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes vs. Le Moyne on Monday night. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Then, there’s the transfers. Hoiberg brought in large players with multiple talents.

* Sam Orme: 6-foot-10 forward who can shoot the ball. He came from Belmont.
* Taj DeGourville: 6-foot-5 guard from San Diego State.
* Kadyn Betts: 6-foot-8 forward from Montana.
* Boden Kapke: 6-foot-11 center from Boston College.
* Trevan Leonhardt: 6-foot-5 guard from Utah Valley.

Early in the season is when you understandably hear mostly praise for the new guys. How they’re playing, how they fit in, how they can help.

Once the Huskers play a few games we’ll see the rotation and the minutes played. We’ll see if the players can make the transition to the Big Ten.

Nebraska’s conference schedule begins Dec. 2 against Ohio State. Nebraska will have played seven games before the Buckeyes come to town. We’ll have a much better read on the roster and whom Hoiberg trusts and who gets the crucial minutes.

Nebraska guard Trevan Leonhardt scored seven points, had seven assists and five rebounds in 21 minutes against Le Moyne. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

And … who is clutch? Who is making the defensive stops, grabbing that important rebound, hitting the all-important three-ball?

Jacobsen nailed it at a news conference last week going into season opener against Le Moyne.

“It’s a lot of good people,” Jacobsen said. “That’s kind of what they’re looking for in the portal, right?

“Obviously, it’s shooters and guys that are big and long, but then it’s also: You got to fit the culture and what we like to do.”

Mission accomplished? The long road to March will tell us.

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