B!G Media Day Recap

Gallery: (10-7-2021) 2021 Big Ten Media Day
Nebraska Head Coach Fred Hoiberg met with the media Thursday afternoon, as part of Big Ten Media days. Fans can watch the full video below beginning at the 7:51 mark and some of the highlights are below. 

'm really excited about our group this year," Hoiberg said. "For the first time since we've been at Nebraska, we have a continuity with our lineup. We bring back players that played a key factor in our team and in our system, are going to provide or are providing great leadership to our young talented class that we brought in with our anew commerce, four freshmen and four transfers that we've added to our lineup.

To have continuity is very important. We basically started with the ground up with our first two seasons. We took over a big rebuilding project in a league where we were the only team that was really going through a rebuild, created some very difficult moments. But I'm proud, especially last year's group, of how we fought through adversity. We were hit by the pandemic and by COVID as much as any team in the country a year ago where we were shut down for 21 days with 10 of our rotation players that came down with it, four of our coaches. I was really proud of putting a schedule, talking to Kerry Kenny, about how we basically put together 14 games in 29 days. With deconditioned bodies, having to stay out of the gym because of everything that was going on with our group.

A lot of those guys that went through that found a way through to fight through that adversity, they've been important in our early stages of helping our young players along, talking to them about the system, when you do it right, when we share the ball, make simple plays, about how effective it can be.

Our young class, top 15 class in the country, I have been really impressed with the maturity of our group. Excited about the uniqueness of the skill set of our roster. I think we're going to have a group that comes in and competes. Every year it's been the thing that I've enjoyed most about our team, walking into the gym every day knowing it's a team that's going to compete and gives an effort every time they step on the floor.

One of the biggest challenges Hoiberg has is the improved depth on the roster. The third-year Husker coach because that he can go 12-deep at times, and finding the optimum lineups will be important, whils the competition will help the Huskers heading into the season. 

It is going to be my single most difficult part of the job this year, is figuring out a rotation, who starts, and more importantly who finishes games, who we can trust in those late-game situations," Hoiberg said. "The biggest thing you have to express to your team is role acceptance, going out there whatever role you're given, star in it. We got three weeks to figure it out. What we start with with a rotation may not be what we finish the year with. We're doing our best to put the best players on the floor, the best five that fit together to give us the best chance to win. That's ultimately the goal. Coming from a guy that played every role, from being a bench guy, behind-the-bench guy, a starter, to go out there and accept it, do the best job you can, take advantage of the minutes when they come and also practice situations."