It's that time again.
1. Former Arizona football coach Dick Tomey said something recently that struck a chord with folks, and shifted my thoughts to Mike Riley.
During an appearance on SiriusXM College Sports Nation, Tomey said more schools are realizing that you don't need to hire a hot coordinator as a head coach. There's a lot more to the job than outsmarting foes in X's and O's.
Managing people is paramount, Tomey said.
"So many guys who are getting head coaching jobs now have never been coordinators," said Tomey, via (). "Urban Meyer wasn't a coordinator. Dabo Swinney wasn't a coordinator. Brent Brennan, the new head coach (at San Jose State), was not a coordinator.
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"People are figuring out that's not the magic bullet. It's guys who have personality, that can bring people together and get the most out of people that are the best."
Nobody's saying Riley is perfect at his job. But most everybody would agree the third-year Nebraska head coach possesses the sort of personality and life wisdom that can bring folks together. Those traits could be particularly important as he manages a defensive staff with three new faces -- Bob Diaco, Bob Eilliott and Donte Williams.
Diaco, the new defensive coordinator, is a forceful personality with a wealth of ideas that he's been quick to share. Most importantly, he's had to share his vision for what the Nebraska defense should look like. Achieving that vision becomes much easier if his staff fully understands it.
That doesn't happen by osmosis. It takes time and elbow grease. It requires engagement.
"And it's not only the football part of it (X's and O's) — it's mentality and philosophy," Riley has said. "I think he's a good teacher."
Riley's task is to keep everyone on the same page. That can be easier said than done.
So, yes, Tomey's right. It becomes a matter of managing people.
"Football's really not complicated. People are," Tomey said. "The coaches that succeed are the ones that handle the people part. The game's not complicated unless you make it that way, and if you do, you're not going to succeed."
2. An athlete's rise (or fall) so often is tied to mindset.
Just a slight alteration in that regard can make a world of difference.
Nebraska wrestling coach Mark Manning recently shared a great example.
Former Husker wrestling great Jordan Burroughs, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, tore up his knee early in the 2009-10 college season. During his recovery, he approached Manning, telling the coach he wanted to take his career to a higher level.
Manning suggested that Burroughs jump up a weight class to 165 pounds, which would position him well for international competition at 163 pounds/74 kilograms. Problem was, the returning NCAA champion, Andrew Howe of Wisconsin, wrestled at 165.
"I said, 'Hey, Jordan, we're not worried about Andrew Howe, we're worried about this Russian, Denis Tsargush, the 2009-10 world champion,'" Manning said. "I said, 'That's the guy you have to beat, Jordan. Next year, you want to be not only a national champ, but a world champ.'"
Think about what that conversation must have done for Burroughs' confidence and overall outlook.
He went on to become only the fourth wrestler ever to win NCAA and world championships in the same year.
He'll wrestle in the USA Wrestling World Team Trials on Saturday at the Devaney Sports Center.
More on Burroughs and his international career
3. If you're a Nebraska wrestling fan, this is a monster week.
Entering the World Team Trials, two former Huskers are ranked No. 1 in the USA senior freestyle ratings -- Burroughs and James Green (70 kg/154 pounds).
Both are from New Jersey but train full-time in Lincoln, coached by Manning and Bryan Snyder.
Green finished third in the NCAA Championships in both 2014 and 2015 before becoming a force internationally. His story is interesting in part because he wasn't highly recruited. In fact, his high school, Willingboro, no longer has a wrestling program.
"They had only three other kids on his high school team when I went and recruited him," Manning said. "They went to other high schools and practiced."
Green's father was shot and killed when he was 10, but he stayed on the right path, in part because of a strong mother as well as a friend of his father, a New Jersey businessman who continues to be in Green's corner.
We'll have plenty more on Green's rise later in the week.
4. "Now what?"
That's how Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Terry Pluto began his column Sunday night () from the NBA Finals.
I'm sure ex-Husker great Tyronn Lue understands Pluto's sentiment.
Now what?
Lue somehow must devise a way to slow down a Golden State attack that's led by two of the NBA's all-time greatest offensive weapons -- Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry -- who both happen to be hitting on all cylinders.
Lue wanted his Cavaliers to pick up the pace in Sunday's game in the Bay Area, a 132-113 loss in which the Cavs were outscored 65-49 in the second half.
Now what?
Perhaps Lue should try to slow down the pace, Pluto writes.
The score of 2016's Game 7 was 93-89.
At the end of the third quarter Sunday, Golden State was leading 102-88.
Yeah, slow it down. That was my thought as I watched Sunday.
"Other than that, I don't have any good ideas," Pluto writes.
Hope Lue does.
5. The Big Ten tied its record with five NCAA baseball tournament entrants.
In case you missed it, all five were eliminated in regional action this past weekend.
Indiana, Iowa and Maryland each won one game, while Nebraska and Michigan were 0-for-2.
The Hawkeyes made the biggest stir, taking down No. 1 seed Houston in the Houston Region opener.
As Clark Grell points out in this Husker season wrap-up (), Nebraska's bats for the second straight year went silent in NCAA play. In the past four NCAA games, the Huskers are a combined 27-for-122 (.221).Â
They never held a lead.
Nevertheless, we're pretty sure the hitting coach's job is safe.
It's Darin Erstad.
6. OK, so Lue does have at least one go-to idea left in the hopper.
Lue: You know how you keep putting your head down, running straight and laying it up?
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LeBron: Yeah?
Lue: Just keep doing that