Nebrasketball: Jim Molinari Confirmed Assistant Coaching Hire For Nebraska Basketball

Friday morning, Brian Rosenthal of the Lincoln Journal Star received confirmation that Jim Molinari, former Western Illinois Head Coach who resigned Thursday, will be joining the Nebraska Basketball staff.

Molinari, who had a 79-104 record for the Leathernecks, will be replacing Craig Smith, who took the South Dakota Head Coaching job after Nebraska was eliminated in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament by Baylor.

Western Illinois won the Summit League regular season title in 2013 and made CBI apperances in both '12 and '13, the first D1 postseason appearances for the school.

Molinari does have previous experience in the B1G, where he was a assistant to Dan Monson at Minnesota, and took the job on a interim basis when Monson was fired during the 2006-07 season.

Before the Minnesota job, Molinari had success at Bradley and Northern Illinois, making the NCAA Tournament with both schools during his stints. He had a overall record of 42-17 with Northern Illinois, and 174-152 with Bradley.

Nebrasketball fans got a glimpse of Molinari this past season, as he brought Western Illinois to Pinnacle Bank Arena for a non-conference game. The Huskers were victorious in that affair 62-47, which was Nebraska HC Tim Miles' 300th victory.