The last few weeks have been a roller coaster of emotions for the Iowa State fan. I personally saw this move coming. I always wished that Fred Hoiberg would stay at Iowa State until he retired, but you knew just by watching what he was doing he was becoming the big fish in the little pond. His speed-’em-up offense was fun and exciting to watch, but on the other hand his defense was multiple heart attacks in the making. Fred was the kid from Ames. He was everything the Cyclones needed and wanted. He was “The Mayor.”
Fred grew up in Ames. He was a ball boy at Hilton and he was a three-sport athlete at Ames High. Despite being recruited by multiple colleges for football and basketball, he decided he wanted to play for his home town team. Fred was annoted with the nickname “The Mayor” when he was a freshman in college. He was given that nickname by his teammate Doug Collins. It became solidified when he had write-in votes for the 1993 Ames mayoral race. He would later be known by many other names during his coaching tenure at Iowa State.
He went on to be one of the best players to ever play for Hilton. He was a second round draft pick in the 1995 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers, where he played for 4 years. Then he moved on to the Bulls for 4 more years and played for the Timber Wolves.
That is when Fred’s world came crashing down: he failed a physical. The team doctors wouldn’t tell him why he failed. So he went on to get a check up for his life insurance and found out that he had a heart condition that needed open heart surgery. He received his surgery at the Mayo Clinic and while under the knife he ended up with a heart block. He was only the second person out of 151 to have this happen to him. Now living with a pacemaker, he tried and decided against making another run at the NBA. Instead, he went to work for the T-Wolves front office.
During this time, Iowa State was on a roller coaster ride with a lot more downs than ups. The Cyclones had only a few good seasons between Hoiberg’s playing era and his coaching era. They only went to the NCAA tournament 5 times and the NIT twice in a 15-year span. I know that sounds good, but for what we in Cyclone Nation have come to expect, that wasn’t good enough: we have come to expect to be in the NCAA almost every year. Average or just above even 500 is just plain boring. You want to have a shot at the national championship. Another thing that plagued Cyclone Nation was a number of personnel issues. Larry Eustachy was the first real hope to bring Iowa State back to the national spotlight. Things really started looking up until the ’02-’03 season. On a trip to Columbia, Missouri, Eustachy attended a college party, after which he struggled with alcoholism. He would resign on May 5, 2003. The Cyclones went 114-107 over the next 7 years with 2 coaches.
Enter FRED HOIBERG and his coaching ERA. This was an interesting hire to say the least, for he had never had any type of coaching experience. He was a front office exec at Minnesota before taking the job at his alma mater. I personally was excited to see him come back and coach. That hire really might have been just to get the fan base excited again. Well, it worked: the fan base was excited. Fred went right to work trying to restock a depleted team, so he did what he did best and went looking for talent. He restocked with transfers and players that had a troubled past. Players like Royce White, who was let go from Michigan State because of a robbery charge. Fred took him and molded him into his type of player. Royce would go on to be a first round draft pick.
Fred did what he promised to do and that was bring Iowa State back. He did so, so well and so quick that rumors started to spread just as quick as his high flying offense. But Fred stayed true to Iowa State, staying for 5 wonderful years where he compiled a 115-55 record with 4 consecutive NCAA appearances. He did so by keeping the focus on the players – well, for the most part.
There was that time down in San Antonio where you got one of your new nicknames, SWAGBERG. That of course took off on to a life of its own. You were there when your town and your college needed you the most and for that I want to say thank you, Fred.
I never expected Fred to leave this year, not with a top 10 team ready to my a charge but sometimes bigger and better things call. I knew the Chicago Bulls job was just too hard to turn down. I for one don’t blame him for wanting to move on. I wish him continued success in his coaching endeavors. The only question is who can replace the one the only Fred Hoiberg? I’m happy that it wasn’t me who had to make that choice.
Enter Steve Prohm, the former Murray State coach. Prohm led the Murray State Racers to a 104-29 overall record in his 4 years as head coach and went to the NCAA once. (I know what you are all thinking. I just said that Fred had 4 in 5 and Steve only has 1 in 4. Well, it’s a Divison 1 vs a Mid Major, and it’s harder to get in as a Mid Major.) Prohm has the same style as Fred, fast paced and always ready to score. I believe that Prohm’s defense will be a bit better but that remains to be seen. I believe that Prohm will do well at Iowa State and I am excited to see what he brings to the table.
That is all for now. I am out of here. “Ballgame”