Assistant coach Beckner leaving NU after one season
The revolving door that has become Nebraska basketball’s coaching staff has yet another new opening, as head coach Tim Miles confirmed that assistant coach Phil Beckner is leaving the Huskers to take an assistant job at Boise State.
Beckner, who was officially hired on Aug. 1, 2015, leaves his position after one season and just over nine months on the job.
“In talking with Phil, he felt that when this opportunity presented itself, it was a great time and great fit for him to make that move," Miles said in a statement Tuesday. "I support him because I want our guys to be happy, I want them to be fulfilled. I think he felt moving west and being with coaches he knows well would be a good move for him. I wish him nothing but the best of luck.”
The 33-year-old came to Lincoln after seven years as an assistant at Weber State and then one season with the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA Developmental League.
What make his departure especially difficult for Miles to swallow is that Beckner was hired to replace former assistant Rashon Burno, who left Nebraska after just 50 days on the job to go to Arizona State last July.
Burno had replaced Chris Harriman, who left for New Mexico shortly following the end of the 2014-15 season.
Miles must now hire his sixth assistant coach since he took over at NU a little more than four years ago in 2012.
Just as it was after Burno moved on prior to the start of the 2015 July recruiting period, Beckner’s departure leaves Nebraska one assistant short going into the start of the spring AAU season this month.
The first live recruiting period of the year runs from April 7-20 (with a dead period from April 11-14), and the opening evaluation period runs from April 15-17.
Some notable prospects Beckner had been recruiting to Nebraska include 2017 Round Rock (Texas) McNeil point guard Victor Bailey, 2017 Tempe (Ariz.) Corona Del Sol point guard Saben Lee, and 2017 Pickerington (Ohio) Central center Sterling Manley.
During the seven-week stretch between Burno and Beckner, Nebraska utilized video coordinator Gregory Eaton to go on the road for recruiting.
Eaton has been a member of Miles’ staff since 2011-12 when was hired by Miles and Colorado State.