LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) With speculation about his future increasing, Nebraska coach Tim Miles said Wednesday that his basketball program is moving in a positive direction and he believes he has the support of athletic director Shawn Eichorst and executive associate athletic director Marc Boehm.
Miles addressed his situation in advance of the Cornhuskers’ game at Michigan State on Thursday night.
”Over the last weeks I think there have been plenty of questions about my longevity at Nebraska,” Miles said. ”One, I want to be forceful that I want to be the coach here. I believe Shawn wants me to be the coach here. I believe Marc does.”
Miles is in his fifth season in Lincoln and has compiled a 75-81 overall record and 33-53 mark in Big Ten games. This season’s team is 12-14 after back-to-back wins and is ninth in the Big Ten at 6-8. The Huskers have lost three games by one point and another by two.
Eichorst did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Nebraska has been beset by injuries this season, the most notable to forward Ed Morrow Jr. He missed seven games because of a foot problem.
Miles said he and Eichorst have a ”great relationship.”
”We talk on a regular basis, he’s always very encouraging and positive about the direction we’re going,” he said. ”As you look forward, Shawn has done a great job with us, adding staff. We’ve improved our staff, we’ve improved our recruiting budget. I feel really comfortable about the direction we’re going.”
Miles’ 2012-13 team was his best, going 19-13, finishing fourth in the Big Ten and making the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers were 12th in 2014-15 and 11th in 2015-16.
”I know some fans are a little bit unhappy with my management of the results,” Miles said. ”I can find a lot of different reasons to tell you that we’re on the right track but I can’t prove it with a winning record. … We want excellence. I schedule for excellence. I don’t schedule for the NIT. I don’t schedule for wins. We want what everybody wants. Our standard every year is to make the NCAA Tournament and win when we get there.”
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