Monday Musings: Four-year anniversary (share your story)

[MNCyGuy]

I wasn't sure what to think until I heard Fred speak at the press conference. I was sold at that point. Then the Ames channel 8 news reporter interviewed me about what I thought and put my thoughts on tv.

Pretty much the same. I only started following ISU when I came down from Minnesota to go to school here and in that time frame I had already experienced the McD and Chizik hires. At the time I just didn't have much enthusiasm left for a coaching hire and honestly if you look back at how relatively low key Hoiberg's introduction I think the AD felt the same way.

But as soon as he started talking and got to work you could tell something was going to happen. Maybe not this much, this fast but you could tell that ISU basketball was going to start rewarding you for caring again.

 

[Cyclone07]

I also remember there was a huge dispute on CF with people stating they loved Fred but why would we hire him because he had no coaching experience. Not everyone was in complete favor of the hire. And at the time it made sense why they weren't.

 

[Dandy]

My first thought was AWESOME! My 2nd thought was, "How would you ever fire Fred Hoiberg."

This is exactly what I thought as well. When CFH was hired I thought, "If he fails, you still can't fire him." Now I want to keep him by all means necessary.

Also, his first contract was five years at $800,000 per year. Now? Nine more years at $2,600,000 (average) per year.

 

[WooBadger18]

I remember thinking that this would either work out well (but I never thought it would work out this well), or that it would turn out so badly that it would make the Gmac years look great. I was really nervous and had my doubts. I don't know if I've ever been happier to be wrong.

 

[cyclones12321]

#1 has to be the Okie State game aftermath

Agreed b12 championship had to close to top 5

 

[ISUCyclones2015]

http://www.kxno.com/cc-common/media...xno.com&SITE_ID=726&STATION_ID=KXNO-AM&TRACK=

That is the recording link but it ain't up anymore it looks like.

This site had a little tid bit on the exchange

http://www.clonechronicles.com/2010/4/28/1448620/hoiberg-to-iowa-state-the-morning

 

[LivntheCyLife]

I was both the most excited and scared for Iowa State sports as I think I've ever been. Excited to see my boyhood idol coming back and knowing a true Iowa Stater was going to be coaching the team. But also terrified that if things didn't go well having to move on from the mayor would have been a new low for Cyclone sports.

I haven't always been the biggest Pollard fan but he never shies away from making a bold move. Hiring Hoiberg with no coaching experience was one of his gutsiest moves and probably his best while at ISU.

 

[Dandy]

[video=youtube;Ge181n6hPiU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge181n6hPiU[/video]

 

[Die4Cy]

I was excited for Fred, but expected it to take a long time to turn around, given Fred had never coached anywhere prior. I thought Pollard understood this, and even cynically felt CFH would get an extra year or two from fans because of who he was. I figured JP and Fred were tied at the hip, because if the day ever came when CFH had to be let go, Pollard was likely to pay the price as well, so I was a little nervous as well.

It was a ballsy move for sure. When does anything ever work out that well for ISU?

 

[mksmith2]

The Hiring of Freddy was my first ever introduction to CycloneFanatic. I was desperate to read as much as possible because I had memories of meeting him as a kid, watching the Big 8 tourney's with him playing, I still have a signed basketball from him thanks to where my Mom used to work. I planned on going to the press conference, but ended having to work and just watched all the videos of it later in the day.

I wasn't sure WHAT to expect. I had been a McDermott apologist till his last season in Ames. All I knew is the last time I had enjoyed watching my Cyclones in spring, I was in Middle School. (we can say all we want about the '05 season..it was still sorely disappointing to me) The only consolation was that the Hawkeyes were sucking worse than us. All I knew is that I wanted to watch the Cylcones win again.

 

[CarolinaCy]

Good time to link this thread;

http://cyclonefanatic.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89141&highlight=Hoiberg+hired+thread

Props to Erik for this (post #38 in the linked thread):

Hoiberg always succeeds. He's the kind of guy that just creates success everywhere he goes.
If this is true, he'll win. He knows the Magic here. He can tell recruits stories that will make them think Ames is a serious place.
He knows the fans, so he can sell tickets like crazy. Think that our sleeping giant wouldn't go completely nuts to see the Mayor lead us back to the tournament?

 

[jsb]

Good stuff.

One of my favorite things about this board is that you can dig up old threads and see what was said. Some of the time that probably isn't good, but it does make for some good reading. I love the Matt P and John Walters exchange. If you are objective you could see where Matt was coming from, but it was clear he didn't know who he was dealing with. Someone really should post the link to that again.

I remember being excited that they had hired Fred (and shocked!), but I do remember telling my Dad that it was going to suck if they had to fire him in 3 years. Iowa State basketball had just gotten so bad and seemed to have such awful luck that it was hard to see ANY coach figuring things out.

4 years ago, I would have signed up for the Mad Fran approach to rebuilding in a heartbeat. And today I just laugh and the poor Iowa fans with their 4 years to a play in game approach. I had no idea that we had just gotten someone who would be at the top of the short list for almost any college or NBA team in just a couple of years. I had no idea that we had a freaking genius in our midst!

I had season tickets throughout the Morgan and McDermott eras . And I liked both coaches a lot and despite the bad years basketball season was still a highlight of my winter. I remember leaving Hilton after blowout losses or heartbreaking losses and walking out to my car with a crowd of silent fans. So I have appreciated the fact that I've rarely left Hilton sad over the past 3 years. And I also remember how disappointing it was when players would leave Iowa State, so I appreciate that we've had 4 years worth of guys that are glad they came to Iowa State.

It has been a fantastic 4 years for Iowa State basketball. Hopefully the Hoiberg era continues for many, many more years.

 

[Rabbuk]

I lived in Chicago and knew nothing about ISU beyond that it was surrounded by cornfields

 

[Dandy]

[video=youtube;JkhpyJvGGAE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkhpyJvGGAE[/video]

 

[Billups06]

Good time to link this thread;

http://cyclonefanatic.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89141&highlight=Hoiberg+hired+thread

Wow. I'm very surprised, numerous posters not behind the Hoiberg hire. I do not remember reading those posts after the hire was announced.

 

[CycloneErik]

This was the first (and so far, only) coaching press conference I ever attended.
I was working third shift, so I was exhausted for it and paid for it all night long. Worth every sleepless minute.

Also, seeing the looks that his kids gave him made it clear that he really isn't just a hero to us, but he's a real hero to them. There was a neat family dynamic going on there.

 

[Wesley]

After McD departure, a certain number of people were ready for anyone.

 

[RubyClone]

Was wary of hiring a guy with no coaching experience of any kind at any level.

But on the way home listening to KXNO - I began to feel better about it after realizing that Perrault was bad mouthing it so bad - and he's such an IDIOT - that it had to be the right thing to do.

After that, for the next couple days - it was resisting the overpowering urge to head down to Grand Ave and beat the **** out of that moron for all the crap he was spewing.

God love John Walters....

Edit: Trying to find the audio for JW and giggles exchange that day. First Google result was this. Enjoy...

http://www.hawkeyelounge.com/threads/fred-hoiberg-is-the-next-head-coach-at-iowa-state.156920/

 

[Dandy]

[video=youtube;J9GIGuEXm6Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9GIGuEXm6Y[/video]

 

[jsb]

Wow. I'm very surprised, numerous posters not behind the Hoiberg hire. I do not remember reading those posts after the hire was announced.

It didn't take long for most fans to get on board (hell it might have been by the end of that thread), but initially there were a lot of angry people. Some of the doubt was understandable. Some was over the top.

4 years later and I think 90% of us would agree that he is a bargain at $2.6 million per year.