Fred Hoiberg was never more than a role player in the NBA.
After a hugely successful collegiate career at Iowa State in which he earned the nickname “The Mayor” by receiving write-in votes in the 1993 Ames mayoral race, he spent 10 non-descript seasons in the NBA, the final two with Minnesota.
He never reached double-figures in scoring in any season, but as pedestrian as his pro career was is as impressive as his college basketball coaching career has become.
Back at his alma-mater since 2010, Hoiberg and No. 9 ISU, were on the national stage in the first half of an ESPN doubleheader of college hoops tonight, and they stayed undefeated after easily dispatching of No. 9 Baylor 87-72 in Ames behind 30 points from guard DeAndre Kane.
The win puts the Cyclones at 14-0 on the year, leaving them as one of six Division I teams in the country without a loss.
Hoiberg has already managed to do something no one else could fathom in his time at Iowa State; harness former Hopkins standout Royce White’s talent in his only season at ISU.
Plagued by legal trouble and mental health issues that have caused rifts between he and the multiple NBA teams he has had brief stops with, ISU was the only place in which White was able to stay on the court and thrive.
Hoiberg was one of his biggest proponents, and the combination took the Cyclones to the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament in 2012, with Hoiberg leading ISU back to the NCAA tournament without White last year.
This season appears to be Hoiberg and Iowa State’s best yet, as the steady improvement they’ve showed under the fourth-year head coach continues to culminate with impressive win after big time victory.
The Cyclones task gets no easier as they get into Big 12 play, as three of their next five games come against ranked opponents.
