Hoiberg welcomed back 'home' to Iowa State

AMES -- Fred Hoiberg was welcomed back to Iowa State with open arms Wednesday as the Cyclones' next head men's basketball coach.

"It's great to be home," Hoiberg said. "I haven't slept or eaten in two days."

Hundreds of fans, family, players and coaches packed the Jacobson Athletic Building to see the former Cyclone star introduced to thunderous applause.

Four years after expressing interest in returning to his hometown and the school where he starred in the early and mid-1990s. Two days after Greg McDermott left ISU for Creighton, ISU has the guy who is excited to be back and Cyclone Nation is to ready to rally behind.

The Cyclones haven't been to the NCAA tournament since 2005 and had four straight losing seasons under McDermott.

"It's time to bring the magic back to Hilton Coliseum," Hoiberg said. "We need that atmosphere back."

Hoiberg has retained assistant T.J. Otzelberger and promoted him to assistant head coach. Former Cyclone great Jeff Grayer, hired by McDermott last week, will stay on staff as well.

The other two spots are yet to be determined.

'There's a lot of people I'm going to talk to," said Hoiberg, who agreed to a salary of $4.5 million over five years.

Hoiberg, 37, leaves his job with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves in his first year as Vice President of Basketball Operations. He'd been in the front office with the team a total of four years.

The 10-year NBA veteran with Indiana, Chicago and Minnesota said he wants to run an up-tempo offense at ISU.

"I want to get easy baskets before the defense gets set," he said. "It's too hard to grind it out in the Big 12."

Pollard spoke with Hoiberg Sunday night once McDermott said he was contemplating acceptign Creighton's offer. The two met at Hoiberg's Minnesota home Monday night and discussed the job.

By Tuesday afternoon it was a done deal.

Pollard began the press conference with some emotional words for McDermott and his staff and players.

"I want to thank them for giving everything they had," Pollard said. "'I'm always going to call him a friend."

Hoiberg averaged 15.8 points over his career and is the school's third all-time leading scorer (1,993).

Both he and his wife, Carol, are from Ames. They met in high school and will raise their four children here with help from the grandparents, who all still live in town.

It was a dream scenario for Hoiberg.

"I can't even explain to you how excited I am," he said. "'We are going to give you something to cheer about on a nightly basis."

He has just a half-season of coaching experience as an assistant with the Timberwolves. Neither he, ISU's players or Pollard are worried he won't be able to do the job.

“Fred Hoiberg is far more than just a great player, a fan favorite and someone who wants to be a head coach,” Pollard said. "Fred is also a leader, a visionary and a Cyclone. And now, he is a head coach."