7. Fred Hoiberg (Nebraska)
Born in Lincoln, Hoiberg starred at Iowa State before spending a decade playing in the NBA. He’s really come into his own as a college basketball head coach, doing plenty of great work helming those Cyclones before a stint leading the Chicago Bulls. After his dismissal, Hoiberg headed back to his hometown and took over as Nebraska’s head coach back in 2019.
After winning just 24 combined games in his first three seasons, Hoiberg has really come into his own leading the Cornhuskers. He broke a Tourney drought in 2024 and won the CBI title the following year, though this past season really takes the cake. Hoiberg took Nebraska to 2nd place in the Big Ten and all the way to the first Sweet Sixteen in program history.
Hoiberg was named AP Coach of the Year and picked up the first two NCAA Tournament wins in program history for the Cornhuskers. Everything about these last few seasons has been a major breakthrough in every way for this program. Two of the last three seasons have seen Nebraska Top 3 in an enormously talented Big Ten and it’s almost hard not to slot him in even higher from this success.
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