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Now on to my soapbox....can someone PLEASE explain to me why Coach Collier is still going to have a mailing address in Lincoln for yet another year?  7-9 in conefernce is progress?  IN a weak year in the big 12? 
His list of dubious accomplishments is longer than anything good he has done in 6 years.  ARGH.  If you ask me, this decision shows a lack of committment to the hoops program.  This would have been the year to make a move with lots of options for coaches as there are many openings, or was that not a retread from the NBA avaialble?  I’m assuming that’s the direction he want to go based on his track record with football.  The biggest issue is attendance.  If they want to make money, got to have butts in the seats and hes not doing, either with the scheduling or the style of play, but I guess that’s OK if you show that marked improvement and go 7-9 and make yet another NIT appearance.  Frustrating to see how this plays out.  At least we have volleyball and baseball as consistent high level programs.  OK, done venting now.

I think John Maybry put it best in the LJS today:

“He couldn’t fire Collier after giving him an extension last season. We can debate all we want about whether Collier has done a good job in his six years at NU, but he’s done his best job this year, so how can you say goodbye after retaining him last year?”

And it’s true.  How can you fire someone who improved the team from last year to this year after giving him an extension?  And call it what you want, but it was improvement this year.

The lack of commmittment to the hoops program goes back a long way before this decision.  It’s a reoccuring trend in the athletic department, regardless of who the AD is.

My only beef with Collier nay-sayers is that he is the exact kind of coach that you want at Nebraska.  He graduates players, he won’t embarass the U off the court and he recruits good kids (save Joe McCray).  My question is would you sacrifice any/all of that to bring in a coach that wins ball games?  Yes, there are qualified coaches out there that won’t but he’s everything we could want in a coach...except winning.

In the Athletic Department’s defense, Stevie, it’s possible that they just don’t feel they have the spare resources to spend on basketball at a time when football, volleyball, and baseball are obvious priorities. Perhaps they are satisfied, for now, with mediocrity and a glimmer of hope in some of the team’s young talent, in part because they don’t want to mess up what they have going in the Big 3.

Or maybe Steve Pederson is gun-shy after the post-Solich firing mess. Nah, I don’t think that’s it.

Me, it’d be fun to have a good basketball team to go watch now and then, but I’m just not a basketball fan in general so it’s difficult for me to stir up too much emotion on this one. Besides, I already have pre-football, football, volleyball, and baseball to worry about. I need a break in there somewhere!

Anybody that knows basketball should know how bad this program was when Barry arrived, Nee had a house of whack jobs that hated each other as well as the coaches.  Coach Collier should be extended a lifetime contract to coach here in the midwest at a program that needs to look outside the states boarders to find great talent.  I don’t mean talent for a mid level program, talent for the big twelve.  I watched the future of NU B-Ball this weekend in Dallas and the future looks good.  We will never get the players that KU wants just as KU will never get the football players we want.  We will get a couple of top players year in and year out, make a run to the big dance now and then, but just as KU will never be a powerhouse in football.  NU can not build a tradition in a few years.  Barry is a perfect fit for NU and will continue to make the prgram that Nee almost killed stronger.

Actually Mr. Wilson, it would be to the athletic dept. benifit if basketball did well.  Basketball can be a revenue generating sport and a significant amount at that.  Granted the athletic dept doesn’t need it cause the football team pays for itself and every other sport but to have 2 revenue generating sports is pure gold.  I also give credit to SP for putting in the courtside seats to get VB as close to revenue generating as possible.  I say as close to because it never will be until they raise ticket prices or move to a bigger arena and both are either a long way off or never going to happen.