Fred Hoiberg's goal: Bring magic back to Hilton

AMES (AP) - Iowa State has given "The Mayor" a five-year term to get things turned around.

The school introduced former star Fred Hoiberg as its new men's basketball coach Wednesday, hoping he can revive the once-exciting program that has fallen to the bottom of the Big 12. His base salary is $800,000 per year.

"I'm excited, guys. I can't even explain how excited I am," Hoiberg said.

Hoiberg is an Ames native and one of the most popular players in school history. Hoiberg, who earned the nickname "The Mayor" at Iowa State, played 10 seasons in the NBA before joining the front office of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

He will replace Greg McDermott, who left for Creighton after four lackluster seasons. Hoiberg promised to run an uptempo style and said he will keep assistants T.J. Otzelberger and Jeff Grayer, another former Cyclone.

Hoiberg, who was the vice president of basketball operations for the Timberwolves, was a prep star from Ames High who went on to scored nearly 2,000 points for the hometown Cyclones from 1991-95. He played for the Pacers, Bulls and Timberwolves before a heart issue forced him to retire in 2006.

While Hoiberg was involved in collegiate scouting with Minnesota, he's never been a head coach. He also inherits a program that has had four straight losing seasons and was hit hard by player defections this spring.

Cyclones star Craig Brackins declared for the NBA draft, and fellow standout Marquis Gilstrap had his appeal for an extra season of eligibility denied by the NCAA. Three others, including starting center Justin Hamilton, have announced plans to transfer.

Iowa State was expected to contend for a postseason berth last season but finished 15-17.

McDermott led Northern Iowa to three straight NCAA tournaments but couldn't get the Cyclones moving in the right direction. He went 59-68 in Ames before returning to the Missouri Valley Conference.

Hoiberg was one of the players credited for helping create "Hilton Magic," a term used to describe the Cyclones' home gym during its rocking heyday.

There hasn't been a lot to cheer about in Ames of late, but Iowa State is banking on Hoiberg to resurrect the program and generate some much-needed buzz.