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Report: Iowa State admins ‘nickel and dimed’ Hoiberg’s program

Fred Hoiberg

Fred Hoiberg

AP

When it was announced during the summer that Fred Hoiberg would be leaving his position as head coach at Iowa State to take on the same role with the Chicago Bulls, few were surprised. “The Mayor” made a name for himself in his hometown of Ames as a high school and college player at Iowa State, and returned to lead the program to multiple NCAA tournament appearances and two Big 12 tournament titles.

However due to his experience in the NBA as a player and executive, a move to the pro game was seen by many as a matter of “when” it would occur as opposed to “if.” What many may not have bargained for was some of the circumstances that reportedly may have influenced Hoiberg’s decision to make the move to Chicago.

Wednesday Travis Hines of the Ames Tribune wrote a story detailing some of the issues Hoiberg’s program reportedly had to deal with away from the court, with the athletic administration “nickel and diming” the team in the years leading up to the head coach’s departure.

One example of this occurred following the team’s winning of the 2013 Diamond Head Classic on Honolulu.

The day after claiming the Diamond Head Classic championship in Hawaii in December 2013, the Iowa State men’s basketball team used luggage as beds and pillows in a hotel ballroom.

The Cyclones, on their way to the best start in school history, went without hotel rooms in order to save ISU from paying an extra night’s rate as they waited hours for their return flights to Iowa, sources with direct knowledge of the situation told the Ames Tribune.

“It was bush league,” one source said. “It was a mid-major move.”


It should be noted that both Pollard and Hoiberg were guests on 1460 KXNO-AM in Des Moines Wednesday afternoon, and they denied having issues with each other (in separate segments). That was one of the other issues cited in the story, with the two being “professional” but not all that close. Hoiberg also touched on the hotel room incident in his interview.

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While that may not seem like a big deal, being used as a reason for the increase in prices “concerned” Hoiberg according to the story. And given the fact that he grew up in Ames, that’s certainly an understandable concern to have.

With Hoiberg having moved on, the question now is how this will all impact Steve Prohm as he looks to pick up where “The Mayor” left off. While on the court the talent is there for Prohm to have an immediate impact in his first season as head coach, financial support will factor into the efforts to make sure Iowa State basketball is successful for years to come.

And if there are issues between the administration and the head coach, that task becomes far more difficult.