Reports: Jeff Hornacek will be Knicks’ next head coach

There will once again be two Iowa State alumni coaching NBA teams.

Jeff Hornacek, who never guided his team to the playoffs in 2 1/2 years as head coach of the Phoenix Suns, will be the next head coach of the New York Knicks, multiple media outlets reported Wednesday.

Bleacher Report first broke the story.

Breaking: Knicks will hire Jeff Hornacek as head coach, per NBA source.May 18, 2016

Breaking: Knicks will hire Jeff Hornacek as head coach, per NBA source.

— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck)

Hornacek, 53, was fired by the Suns on Feb. 1 when the team was 14-35. The previous two seasons, he produced 48-34 and 39-43 records.

Iowa State's career assists and steals leader, Hornacek played for the Cyclones from 1982-86. He then played 14 seasons in the NBA with Phoenix, Philadelphia and Utah. Hornacek re-joins Fred Hoiberg of the Chicago Bulls as former Cyclones who are current NBA coaches.

Derek Fisher was replaced as the Knicks' coach on Feb. 8 after a 23-31 start to his second season. New York went 17-65 in his first year.

Interim coach Kurt Rambis guided the Knicks to a 9-19 mark down the stretch this season.

After the season, the Knicks reportedly had interest in Golden State Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton, former Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel and former Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt. In addition, Rambis was viewed as a front-runner due to his longtime relationship with Knicks president Phil Jackson dating to their time with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Walton wound up accepting the Lakers' head-coaching job.

Despite the presence of high-scoring forward Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks have endured three consecutive losing seasons. They have won one playoff series since the 1999-2000 season.

Anthony led the team again this season with an average of 21.8 points per game. Forward Kristaps Porzingis finished second in Rookie of the Year voting this week after averaging 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.