Fred Hoiberg hired as ISU's new coach!

[cydave]

Re: Fred Hoiberg hired as ISU's new coach!

I'm calling JP today and telling him I really wanted the job this time, but I hope he will keep me on his short list for next time. Yes, it's true I've never coached or played the game after junior high, but I've watched basketball on TV and I promise to study coaching for the next 3-4 years so I'll be ready if the job ever opens up again.

And I assume you played in the NBA for 10 years as well? I also assume you have the same kind of connections that Hoiberg has with College and NBA across America? I assume you have the GM of every NBA team in your phone? I also assume that you have the knowledge, popularity, and charisma of Fred Hoiberg?

This isn't just some guy walking in off the street that got the job, Hoiberg is a walking legend for ISU. His connections, personality, and coaching plan got him the job. The players and recuits have stated how excited they are to play for Fred and also love that he was in the NBA for 10 years and has the connections that they like to hear about.

[Newsbreaker]

Re: Fred Hoiberg hired as ISU's new coach!

I also assume you have the same kind of connections that Hoiberg has with College and NBA across America? I assume you have the GM of every NBA team in your phone?

Why does he need a bunch of stuff that is irrelevant to being able to actually perform the job functions?

Hoiberg doesn't have a connection with my Uncle Bob. Bob knows basketball and used to be a good high school assistant. I'm so qualified for that job, it's silly. I'm calling Troy Dannen.

[coachdon]

Re: Fred Hoiberg hired as ISU's new coach!

I think this is the perfect hire for ISU. You rev up the fanbase with one of their heroes, and the fans will give him a lot of slack for a couple years to get things going their direction. Hoiberg is a smart guy who's been around basketball his whole life and in fairly high places. He'll do well in time.

[cydave]

Re: Fred Hoiberg hired as ISU's new coach!

Why does he need a bunch of stuff that is irrelevant to being able to actually perform the job functions?

Hoiberg doesn't have a connection with my Uncle Bob. Bob knows basketball and used to be a good high school assistant. I'm so qualified for that job, it's silly. I'm calling Troy Dannen.

Recruiting. I shouldn't have to say anymore. But, I will.
Picture yourself as a high school kid that has dreams and possibly the ability to play in the NBA. Fred comes to your house, being a former NBA player, having worked in the NBA, knows all of the GM's of NBA teams, and knows the league inside and out. That alone would get me pumped up just knowing that I might get to learn from an ex-NBA player who has all kinds of contacts. Of course, that isn't all there is to recruiting but it is a huge selling point to a potential NBA player coming to your school.

[SteinPizza]

Re: Fred Hoiberg hired as ISU's new coach!

It is a risky hire but one that gives JP a lot of flexibility. This hire INSTANTLY excites the Clone fan base by bringing their cult hero back.

That's part of the problem. The same type of people who are hugely enthused about this are the same types who wanted the Cubs to hire Ryne Sandberg, the Bears to hire Mike Singletary, the Iowa fans who wanted BJ Armstrong, etc. All three would've been stupid moves at the time. BUT, if they were made, it would've been largely symbolic and PR driven to placate the lowest common denominator of their fanbase. I'd have no issue with hiring The Mayor if it was part of a larger search. Shake the tree and see what falls your way - you have nothing to lose.

I don't doubt you guys are right that JP and Hoiberg have been talking. That just points out that Mac was wise to jump when he did, and shows that the folks here trying to beat up Mac for "skipping out on a commitment" are totally off base. Honestly, the timing of the circumstances was lucky as hell for Mac. He should go play the lottery tomorrow.

Look at it differently. If Farley left tomorrow, would it be a great move to hire Bryce Paup without looking at all of your options? Uh, no.

P.S. The NBA draft and high school recruiting don't equate too much, IMO. Also, what evidence do you have that Hoiberg was actually involved in the draft at all? He was VP of Basketball Operations, not GM, a scout, or a coach. He very likely had little to do with talent evaluation.

[Newsbreaker]

Re: Fred Hoiberg hired as ISU's new coach!

Recruiting. I shouldn't have to say anymore. But, I will.
Picture yourself as a high school kid that has dreams and possibly the ability to play in the NBA. Fred comes to your house, being a former NBA player, having worked in the NBA, knows all of the GM's of NBA teams, and knows the league inside and out. That alone would get me pumped up just knowing that I might get to learn from an ex-NBA player who has all kinds of contacts. Of course, that isn't all there is to recruiting but it is a huge selling point to a potential NBA player coming to your school.

So high school kids are going to get excited about playing for a guy who had an uneventful NBA career and knows the current league GM's?

Weird that nobody else would have picked up on this. You'd think teams would be hiring all sorts of middling NBA executives to use their contacts as recruiting fertilizer.

Watching ISU fans try and justify what is happening in Ames is one of the higher forms of comedy I've seen in a very long time. I almost feel sorry for you people.

[cydave]

Re: Fred Hoiberg hired as ISU's new coach!

So high school kids are going to get excited about playing for a guy who had an uneventful NBA career and knows the current league GM's?

Weird that nobody else would have picked up on this. You'd think teams would be hiring all sorts of middling NBA executives to use their contacts as recruiting fertilizer.

Watching ISU fans try and justify what is happening in Ames is one of the higher forms of comedy I've seen in a very long time. I almost feel sorry for you people.

Every current player on the ISU staff and recruit have mentioned they are excited to play for a former NBA player.
A few quotes from our players and recruits:
"he played in NBA"
"knows the NBA...when he tells me I need to do something to improve, I know what he is saying is legit."

Get out of the 1950's. High School kids think different these days. Do you even realize that there is more to recuiting than just a big name coach and a national championship?

Watching ISU fans try to justify what is happening in Ames is comedy?? Oh ok, well I suppose it would better for us to start jumping off cliffs and *****ing about why this is such a stupid thing and start calling for JP's head. That would make a lot of sense... Why don't you take a look at what the national media is saying. Some of those guys are being a lot more optimistic than our fans are. The local media is probably giving us a harder time than the national.

[Newsbreaker]

Re: Fred Hoiberg hired as ISU's new coach!

Of course they're talking having been in the NBA - it's the only selling point he's got! They sure as hell can't talk about being excited to play for a prove head coach who has excelled at multiple levels of basketball and has a track-record for player development and winning.

The reaction in Ames shows one thing: The fans there are more interested in style over substance. Having the hometown hero - even if he is entirely unqualified for the job and wouldn't get work at a single other school in the entire country - is more important then finding someone who is more likely to accomplish the goals every other program would have: winning.

Your salesman AD just pulled a move which is designed to accomplish only one thing, to fire up the fanbase. He may or may not win, but that's not what is important. This hire is all about getting you fools to donate more money to that program, winning is only a secondary goal. It's a circus.

If Iowa had hired BJ Armstrong it would have caused a total and epic meltdown. Hell, half of that fan base went crazy at the thought that he might be given an interview. ISU actually pulled the trigger and made that kind of hire.

Meanwhile, look at what UNI is doing with a more severe budgetary problem: Finding and trying to retain a winner on the belief that winning brings the money with it.

This is great for UNI - the level of in-state competition has been lowered.

[cydave]

Re: Fred Hoiberg hired as ISU's new coach!

Of course they're talking having been in the NBA - it's the only selling point he's got! They sure as hell can't talk about being excited to play for a prove head coach who has excelled at multiple levels of basketball and has a track-record for player development and winning.

The reaction in Ames shows one thing: The fans there are more interested in style over substance. Having the hometown hero - even if he is entirely unqualified for the job and wouldn't get work at a single other school in the entire country - is more important then finding someone who is more likely to accomplish the goals every other program would have: winning.

Your salesman AD just pulled a move which is designed to accomplish only one thing, to fire up the fanbase. He may or may not win, but that's not what is important. This hire is all about getting you fools to donate more money to that program, winning is only a secondary goal. It's a circus.

If Iowa had hired BJ Armstrong it would have caused a total and epic meltdown. Hell, half of that fan base went crazy at the thought that he might be given an interview. ISU actually pulled the trigger and made that kind of hire.

Meanwhile, look at what UNI is doing with a more severe budgetary problem: Finding and trying to retain a winner on the belief that winning brings the money with it.

This is great for UNI - the level of in-state competition has been lowered.

BJ and FH aren't the same situations. Sure, they were both good and big names at their respective University, but I doubt BJ ever got any votes to be Mayor. BJ also didn't grow up in Iowa City, like Fred in Ames. BJ has never really expressed a huge interest in returning back to UI to be head coach, let alone state that he would want to stay there after success. Fred has done all of that, now all he needs to do is win.

You take a risk every time you hire a new coach, we took a risk with Mac and obviously lost on that one. I can't see Fred doing any worse at this point. In fact, Colvin and Hamilton have talked about coming back to ISU. If, in fact, they do come back then Hoiberg would already be +2 in transfers. That alone just says that Mac's relationship wasn't good with the players and says the players are excited to play for Hoiberg.

[TH1974]

Re: Fred Hoiberg hired as ISU's new coach!

BJ and FH aren't the same situations. Sure, they were both good and big names at their respective University, but I doubt BJ ever got any votes to be Mayor. BJ also didn't grow up in Iowa City, like Fred in Ames. BJ has never really expressed a huge interest in returning back to UI to be head coach, let alone state that he would want to stay there after success. Fred has done all of that, now all he needs to do is win.

That's easy enough.

[Newsbreaker]

Re: Fred Hoiberg hired as ISU's new coach!

but I doubt BJ ever got any votes to be Mayor. BJ also didn't grow up in Iowa City, like Fred in Ames.

You realize statements like this make my point, right? It illustrates that you're more interested in remembering good times than creating them.

BJ has never really expressed a huge interest in returning back to UI to be head coach,

That wasn't the story just a few short weeks ago. Plus, he's an agent! He knows people in the NBA! He played in the NBA! He knows what it takes to get there! Kids will be impressed with his NBA player credentials (which are about 45x's more impressive than Hoiberg's)! All he'd have to do is win!

That alone just says that Mac's relationship wasn't good with the players and says the players are excited to play for Hoiberg.

The kids might be excited about downing 14 of those new KFC sandwiches in a single sitting, but that won't mean it's good for anybody.

Johnny Orr was just on KXNO. He is so excited that Fred is going to pack Hilton again. People will remember the old days! It's gonna be great.

So far as coaching goes, well 60 years ago Johnny took a small Wisconsin school to the state tournament in his first year coaching, and all he had to do was get the players together and "let them do what they want." (That was a direct quote). Fred should be fine without any coaching experience. It's not like coaching in this day and age in the Big XII Conference is any harder than a small Wisconsin town in the 50's.

I am officially expressing my interest in coaching at UNI. I would stay after success as well. I'm also going to run for mayor of my town and get a few votes. It will be great. I've now met half the qualifications 'ol Dave just thought were so important.

[UNIPNTHR]

Re: Fred Hoiberg hired as ISU's new coach!

*Recruiting players, which means more than selecting them off a board and then opening a check book. It's going to mean actually identifying players and then convincing them to come play for you when they have many alternatives.

*Running a practice. You know, getting ready to play the game of basketball.

*Producing a game plan. Scouting the other team, identifying how your team can best compete against them, devising a way to do that and then implementing it.

*Directing players during a game against another competitive team.

Please provide a link that authoritatively proves that previous experience guarantees success, and that the lack of previous experience automatically precludes success.

We have the best example possible (see Greg McDermott) that sometimes X's and O's and in-game experience can't trump the "Right Fit" for the program. And this might be a bad example (feel free to let me know), but Dannen had no prior Athletic Director experience and has shown to be a very serviceable AD for us.

My point of this post is that I just don't understand the fervor of your negativity towards this hire. It is not beyond comprehension that Hoiberg could be successful.

[Newsbreaker]

Re: Fred Hoiberg hired as ISU's new coach!

Please provide a link that authoritatively proves that previous experience guarantees success, and that the lack of previous experience automatically precludes success.

Irrelevant links will not be provided. Nothing guarantees anything, but you're a total dolt if you don't think that some prior experience isn't a strong requirement for success.

We have the best example possible (see Greg McDermott) that sometimes X's and O's and in-game experience can't trump the "Right Fit" for the program.

Let's not get carried away with the McDermott stuff. He won at UNI. He won like nobody before him had won. Just because the next guy proved to win even more, that doesn't diminish what Mac did.

And this might be a bad example (feel free to let me know), but Dannen had no prior Athletic Director experience and has shown to be a very serviceable AD for us.

Troy had experience running an athletic organization and fundraising. What are we asking him to do, and in which area is he excelling to the higher degree?

Meanwhile, Mayor McCyclone has no experience coaching and no experience recruiting. He has experience in basketball, but that's like saying a hospital administrator is qualified to be your brain surgeon because he once was a brain surgery patient and has experience in a hospital.

It is not beyond comprehension that Hoiberg could be successful.

No, it's not, but it's unlikely. Plus, for a fan base that 36 hours ago wanted a guy with "experience" and "past success" who preferably was a "big name" the glee with which they're accepting a guy who has absolutely none of that is hilarious.

[TH1974]

Re: Fred Hoiberg hired as ISU's new coach!

Please provide a link that authoritatively proves that previous experience guarantees success, and that the lack of previous experience automatically precludes success.

This is the dumbest of all arguments in this whole situation. The "Well, (insert names of coaches with experience here) had experience and they failed, so why *not* give the job to an inexperienced guy?" line is ridiculous. Certainly there's no guarantee of success or failure, but you're going to have a much better chance of success with someone who's had experience.

I'm copying this quote from someone at another site verbatim, because I think it makes a lot of sense and puts this whole thing in perspective:

...no one is saying that it is impossible for someone with no coaching experience to be successful as a coach. It's possible that I could hire the clerk at the nearest convenience store to be VP of Sales at our company and have that work out. It would, however, be a dumb hire.

If you're looking for 'proof' in the form of links, how about providing three examples of successful major-college coaches who've had no prior coaching experience.

Honestly, I have to admit that if there's going to be a former player-with-no experience-turned-head-coach who ends up being successful, it's someone like Hoiberg. He seems smart and he's a hard worker with passion for ISU. I'm not completely writing him off, but I strongly believe that someone who's already coached and recruited would have a much better shot at success.

[UNIPNTHR]

Re: Fred Hoiberg hired as ISU's new coach!

Let's not get carried away with the McDermott stuff. He won at UNI. He won like nobody before him had won. Just because the next guy proved to win even more, that doesn't diminish what Mac did.

I'm referring to Mac at ISU. He had prior experience, was a winner coming in, and yet did not succeed at ISU. It's possible that any hire you'd deem qualified could have found a similarly dismal outcome for the Cyclones.

Troy had experience running an athletic organization and fundraising. What are we asking him to do, and in which area is he excelling to the higher degree?

Meanwhile, Mayor McCyclone has no experience coaching and no experience recruiting. He has experience in basketball, but that's like saying a hospital administrator is qualified to be your brain surgeon because he once was a brain surgery patient and has experience in a hospital.

Just for clarification: Basketball Executive is to Hospital Executive, as Basketball Coach is to Brain Surgeon? I generally follow your points, but this time I'm scratching my head.