Fred Hoiberg recently finished his second season as the head coach of the ISU men’s basketball team. Prior to taking over as the head coach at Iowa State, Hoiberg played 10 seasons in the NBA for the Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls and the Minnesota Timberwolves. He answered a few questions while on the road for the Cyclone Tailgate Tour. 

You had an interesting entrance into Cyclone history in 1986 when, in your time as a ball boy, Jeff Hornacek landed on you, sprained his ankle and missed the rest of the game.

It’s not my greatest Cyclone moment. I try to block it out of my memory!

Are you ever awe-struck by the opportunity to win a state title in Ames, play for Iowa State, spend a decade in the NBA and return to where it began to coach? 

I have certainly lived out a dream. Of all of those accomplishments, winning the state title in high school is the one I cherish the most.

During your time in the NBA, you played under the likes of Larry Brown, Larry Bird, Tim Floyd and Kevin McHale. How have those coaches helped you? 

I have taken a piece [of experience] of every coach I have played for. I have learned a tremendous amount from all of the coaches and taken bits and pieces from each of them. All of them have unique qualities which have made them successful.

Basketball wasn’t the only option out of high school, what do you think it’d have been like had you headed to the University of Nebraska to play football instead?

It was honor to be recruited by a legendary coach like Tom Osborne. I loved football, but basketball was more important. I was born in Lincoln and both my parents went to Nebraska. My Grandpa was the basketball coach at Nebraska, too.

The NBA Playoffs are well underway; what memories do they bring back for you? 

I had great memories of our series with the Bulls when I was with the Pacers. That was my third year in the league. The most fun was in 2004 when we lost to the Lakers in the Western Conference finals. We went six games with the Lakers and had a chance. The atmosphere was incredible, and it will always be a wonderful memory.

You guys sold out five games and ranked in the top 25 nationally in attendance this past season. Is this the Hilton Magic you were talking about? 

I definitely saw the return of Hilton Magic this past season. Our fans were a huge part of the success we had. The Kansas and Baylor games were special seeing the fans rush the court.

The bulk of your off-season comes in the coming months. What do you enjoy doing in the summer? 

Mainly getting a chance to catch up with my family. I don’t see them very much during the season.