Former Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg is reportedly the choice to succeed Tim Miles at Nebraska, according to Lars Anderson.
According my people in Nebraska, the next head coach of the @Huskers basketball team will be Fred Hoiberg. This is firm and final.
— Lars Anderson (@LarsAnderson71) March 20, 2019
Hoiberg was fired on Dec. 3 after the Bulls started 5-19, although many voices around the league criticized Chicago's front office for setting Hoiberg up to fail. After all, John Paxson and Gar Forman said the team wanted to get “faster and more athletic” after trading hometown hero Derrick Rose in the summer of 2016.
They then promptly signed aging veterans Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo, a decision that imploded after the duo failed to coexist with Jimmy Butler, who was jettisoned on draft night in 2017.
Early injuries to starters Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn and Bobby Portis immediately derailed what Bulls fans would be a step in the right direction after a 27-55 finish in the 2017-18 season.
Hoiberg began his tenure in Chicago after the Bulls moved on from Tom Thibodeau following the 2014-15 season. The former Iowa State head coach was bringing his fast-paced offense to the Bulls, but he could not win with a Bulls team that still included a core of Butler, Rose and Pau Gasol, missing the playoffs altogether.
According to Basketball-Reference, Thibodeau's teams posted an average offensive rating of 105.84 over his five years in Chicago. Hoiberg's three seasons with the team yielded just a 105.4 offensive rating, while also regressing significantly on the defensive end.
One of the reasons for Hoiberg's lack of success–other than ill-advised moves by the front office–likely resulted from a total lack of shooting personnel in a perimeter-oriented offense.
Hoiberg will attempt to reinvigorate his career at the college ranks, taking over for a Cornhuskers team that finished with the second-worst record in the BIG 10 this season.
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