Southern Miss head coach Doc Sadler has stepped down from his position, the school announced Thursday.
Sadler is expected to join Fred Hoiberg's staff at Nebraska, sources told ESPN. Sadler spent one season with as an assistant coach under Hoiberg at Iowa State and was the head coach at Nebraska for six seasons.
"I'd like to thank the administration, fans and especially the players for sticking with us through difficult times but also in the fun times," Sadler said. "As a coach, one of the things that I always try to do is prepare my players for life and hopefully I have lived by that example. With the support of my family, I've decided it's time for me to take a step back from being a head coach. I feel very comfortable doing that as I know that I am leaving the program in a good position. After 16 years as a college head coach, it's time to evaluate what's next for me. With a new athletic director in place and a talented young team, I feel that the best days are ahead for Southern Miss basketball."
Sadler, 58, spent five seasons at Southern Miss, with his best season coming in 2018-19. The Golden Eagles finished 20-13 this season, tying for second place in Conference USA. They won eight of their last 10 games to end the regular season before falling to Western Kentucky in the conference tournament.
In addition to his time at Iowa State and Nebraska, Sadler spent two seasons as the head coach at UTEP and five seasons as the head coach at Arkansas-Fort Smith, and he was an assistant coach at a number of schools.