Doc Sadler, are you in?...or out?

Rough times being had in Husker-land as of late. Too clarify, I'm speaking of the men's basketball team and their current inability to win games.

I'll admit it, I spurned on the Husker chant earlier this season. I was hopefull for a winning Big 12 record, and an NCAA Tournament berth. Coach Sadler had these boys at 12-3 back in December, and looking ready to give the best of the Big 12 a run for their money. I doubt anyone thought they'd see what happened next. The Cornhuskers have lost 9 of the last 10 games, and are on track to equal their worst conference record since 1962 - the only season Nebraska has recorded just one win during the modern era. Young players, injuries, inconsistent shooting, excessive turnovers, and poor transition defense has taken it's toll on the 2009-10 team, causing some Husker fans to wonder which direction the 4th year coach is taking this team.

(More after jump...)

The overall consensus within my personal basketball circles is that Sadler is a fine coach, worthy  of coaching a team like Nebraska. During the two years prior to arriving in Lincoln, Sadler led UTEP to records of 27-7 and 20-9, with an appearance in the NCAA tournament. So far, in twice that span, Nebraska has yet to see a winning record in conference. Troubles with keeping players around, has put ol' Doc in a tough spot, with the majority of his experienced players being under-classmen. Not much you can expect this year out of such a green bunch, and things can only get better. Some would say that a school like Nebraska, dominated by it's football fandom, should never realistically expect anything better than a 7th or 8th place finish in the Big 12. No harm, no foul...right? Nebraska Football keeps winning, and the basketball team can float along in mediocrity without drawing so much as a scoff from Big Red faithful. For most, this basketball program is just something to keep us busy until the spring game anyway. Any of that "winning" business, is just a happy surprise in mid-February.

Others, might argue that given it's generous resources and the massive overall support of the university, the basketball team should always be competitive regardless of the coach. Doc Sadler hauls in about 800k per year as the men's basketball coach in Lincoln, not a bad gig, and needs to start earning it. Comparative to the other major sports generals at Nebraska, Sadler's salary ranks 2nd behind Bo Pelini. Basketball teams only need five players for a starting rotation...less than any other major team sport. Add in a handful of bench players, and you only need 12-16 decent players from a recruiting pool of several thousand. Too tough to recruit talent in Nebraska? Think again. Just up the road in Omaha, Dana Altman has managed to do fine resulting in seven NCAA tournament appearances in 13 years.

So, the question should probably be asked at this point. Is Doc Sadler going to continue as the basketball coach in Lincoln? Does he deserve more time to develop his young players, or is he on the hot seat? What's up Doc, are you in or out?