Let's go back about about 14 months, shall we? Greg McDurmott has just returned to the Missouri Valley Conference by heading to Creighton. Now, Iowa State needs someone to find someone to fill the head men's basketball coaching position. But who?
Why not Fred Hoiberg?! He has tons of coaching experience very little coaching experience! His popularity in Ames ran so high as a basketball player as to earn the title 'The Mayor,' so that’s got to mean he’ll be a slam-dunk as a head coach, right?
Say what you will about Jamie Pollard, but the hire to bring in Hoiberg has helped to bring a sense of excitement to the team that hasn't been there since...well...it’s been a while. Let's be honest, there wasn't much anticipation from the fan base for the season to start during the Wayne Morgan and McDurmott years.
Did that excitement translate into wins during his first season in charge? Not entirely, although the team was in most games this year until the last minute or so of the game. (I know that doesn't mean much in terms of progress, but at least the team was a ton of fun to watch) Now the program just has to figure out how to keep assistant coaches out of trouble with the law to help Hoiberg out on the X’s and O’s side of things. Oh yea, and figure out how to make things work with all those transfers coming in. There is a lot of talent there, but it will take a good amount of work to mold all those players into one cohesive team. Indeed, the risks associated with that plan of attack makes being the nation’s transfer hotbed a bold move in and of itself.
Needless to say, it’s a fun time to be a fan of the basketball program at Iowa State, and we have the fact that Hoiberg is at the helm to thank for a lot of that energy. I'll leave it with this thought. Aren't you more excited about the potential of the men's basketball team this summer than you have been in years past? I'd say you would have to be.
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