Despite living busy lives as coaches, the relationship has stayed strong. In fact, Hankins offered some guidance for Hoiberg's son Jack, who was contemplating a scholarship offer to play golf at South Dakota before deciding to walk on to play basketball at Michigan State.

Hankins, who coached golf at Iowa and Michigan State, rattled off reasons why Hoiberg fits the Nebraska job, starting with his family roots to the school and state. And then there's that competitive side that Hankins has seen since those rec center days in Ames.

"I know one thing that I'll tell you about him, he's as competitive as they get," Hankins said. "He's definitely not super-animated, but he is a competitive guy, he's a smart guy.

"He hates to lose. He really, really hates to lose, and I've seen it firsthand. I'm telling you, coming from someone that's as competitive as I am, he really wants to win and it drives him crazy, and he gets fired up to go and compete and win basketball games."

Listen to Hankins, and it's easy to see how a golfer and a basketball player were able to relate to each other in college. Hankins hates losing, too.