The Crown wasn’t bejeweled enough for all programs in the midst of offseason turnover. But as Fred Hoiberg met with his leadership group after the regular season, something became quickly evident.
They wanted to play some more basketball together.
“Not one guy said, ‘Oh, I don’t know Coach, I don’t know if we should continue on with this,'” said Nebraska’s head basketball coach.
It’s not competing in the NCAA Tournament as their goals had it back in the summer. But the five-game losing skid had left a bad taste. A competitor at least wants the chance to wash it away.
Such is that opportunity in part at the College Basketball Crown. Tonight the Huskers will play the first of what they hope are four games over the course of a week at 7:30 p.m. against Arizona State, with the broadcast on FS1 and the Huskers Radio Network.
You never know how a team is going to come off such a long layoff, of course. Lose and you’re out. Win it all and it’s worth $300,000 to the program’s NIL collective.
Hoiberg did seem to still think his team still carried motivation – led by a senior like Brice Williams. After the decision to play in the event in Las Vegas was made, Williams told the whole team in the film room, “Guys we’re doing this.” He was clear about it: “Not one foot in, one foot out.”
If doing it, drive to win it.
“I just wasn’t ready to be done with college basketball the way it ended,” said the all-Big Ten first-teamer Williams. “That’s really it. I wasn’t ready to be done. I wanted to continue to play in the uniform. I wanted to play for a championship.”
It was a memorable individual season for Williams. And while the grind can be stressful at times, he doesn’t pay much attention to the outside noise. The last couple weeks also allowed some time to refresh.
He saw his mom, played some golf, washed his car. That’s how he decompresses. When he comes back to the gym from that he finds he’s even more hungry.
He found an agent too. So the agent can handle all the other stuff that goes with basketball opportunities at the next level. “Now I can just focus on the team and the run we’re about to make,” Williams said.
He’s focused on being where his feet are. A Husker still this week. And he spoke on Wednesday about why others in the portal should consider making the move to Lincoln like he did from Charlotte.
“You’re around honest people. You’re around people who want to see you succeed and they’ll do everything they can to help you succeed,” Williams said. “That’s a true testimony to my being here. Good, solid people. They’ll tell you what you need to do. You have every resource here to be successful. It’s a great program, great coach, great play style, great coaching, great culture. If anyone is looking to come here I think it would be a good idea.
“If you’re ready to work hard and build and win – and contribute to winning. Then it’d be a good place for you.”
He certainly took off and flew about as much as a player could hope. First-team all-conference is always a feat. It’s especially so in an 18-team league.
“It meant a lot. Just to be recognized and to be among the top players in the league,” Williams said. “I was very proud of myself. Very thankful. Appreciative to my teammates about that because I couldn’t have done it without them. But yeah, it was anything you dream for.
“It’s a goal you write down at the beginning of the season and to accomplish it, it gives you a strong sense of satisfaction.”
Winning a Crown would be an enjoyable way to punctuate things. His team won a tournament in Hawaii back in December and that meant a lot too. This tournament in Las Vegas may not be for everybody, but it sure means something to him to put on that uniform again.
Memories you carry with you. In that that tournament a few months ago, he said the team showed perseverance even when obstacles came up.
“We now have to show that for a four-game stretch to close out the season and win a championship.”
