Nebraska's Hoiberg named Big Ten Coach of the Year

Several Nebraska basketball players and their coach earned conference honors Tuesday.

Big Ten Conference basketball coaches named Fred Hoiberg as the conference’s Coach of the Year. The seventh-year coach led the Huskers to a 26-5 regular season record, which tied the school record for victories in a season. The team went 15-5 in the Big Ten, setting a record for its most-ever conference victories. It’s the second Big Ten Coach of the Year award for Hoiberg, who won the honor for the first time two seasons ago.

On Monday, Nebraska gave Hoiberg a three-year contract extension and a salary increase from $4.35 million to $5 million a year.

During a news conference Tuesday, he talked about what the contract extension means to him.

"Dad got his PhD here in Nebraska. My mom got her degree from here as well," Hoiberg said. "And both grandparents having a big role in the faculty here, and it's just really exciting for me knowing that this is most likely where I'm going to end my career.”

Michigan’s Dusty May was named coach of the year by the media.

The coaches also named Pryce Sandfort to the conference first team.

Sandfort, a junior transfer from Iowa, averaged nearly 18 points a game in his first season for the Huskers and set a school record for three-pointers in a season. Sandfort received second-team honors from the media.

As good as Sandfort was on offense, he also averaged five rebounds and one steal per contest.

"His defense was a big part of this whole success story that we're having right now," Hoiberg said.

Three other Husker players received conference honors.

Braden Frager, a redshirt freshman from Lincoln, was named Sixth Man of the Year and also was named a member of the All-Freshman team. Frager averaged nearly 12 points a game for the season and 11 points per game in conference play. He was the only non-starter in the conference to average double figures.

Fan favorite and coach’s son Sam Hoiberg was named honorable mention Big Ten and also was named to the conference’s all-defensive team. During the 20-game conference slate, Hoiberg averaged more than 10 points, five rebounds and nearly five assists a game. He also led the league in steals.

Rienk Mast also was named honorable mention. He averaged 12 points and nearly six rebounds a game in Big Ten play.