When Jamie Pollard was hired as Iowa State’s athletic director, he promised to make changes in Cyclone athletics.

Through his first six months on the job, most of those changes appeared to be cosmetic – proposed renovations to Hilton Coliseum and Jack Trice Stadium among them – but Pollard made his first big move Friday.

Pollard announced the firing of ISU men’s basketball coach Wayne Morgan at a Friday morning press conference.

“I’ve had the opportunity in the last six months to perform an assessment of our men’s basketball program, and as a result of that assessment I concluded that I do not believe our current coaching staff can sustain the level of performance needed for this department to achieve its goals,” Pollard said.

Morgan was hired in 2003 to replace Larry Eustachy, who was also fired by the university after photos of the coach partying with college students at the University of Missouri surfaced.

The decision to fire the coach was based on the direction the program was headed, Pollard said.

“I don’t believe that I see the trends of a basketball program that can compete on an annual basis for Big 12 Championships and put itself in the NCAA tournament,” Pollard said. “I don’t see the foundation there that has the ability to annually do that.”

Iowa State will buy out Morgan’s contract, costing the university $1.5 million over the next two years.

Pollard also fired assistant coaches Damon Archibald, Eric Brown and Michael Mennenga, and director of basketball operations Dave Edwards.

In three seasons with the Cyclones, Morgan had compiled a 55-39 record, earning bids to the NCAA tournament in 2005 and the NIT in 2004.

But this season was a disappointment for Iowa State, as it could only muster a 16-14 record and was not invited to postseason play. The Cyclones were 6-10 in the Big 12, failing to win back-to-back conference games and falling to Oklahoma State in the first round of the Big 12 tournament.

“The fact that we didn’t make the NCAA tournament – or the NIT – contributed to this decision, but I want to emphasize that clearly it is not the only reason for making this decision,” Pollard said. “Our expectations for our sports programs are far greater than the win-loss record of any one team, of any one year or any postseason participation.”

Iowa State’s 16 wins were the least since the 2001-02 season. It was also just the second time in the past seven seasons that the Cyclones failed to advance to the postseason.

Morgan was stunned by the news of his firing, which came in a meeting with Pollard and ISU President Gregory Geoffroy late Thursday night.

“I was blindsided,” Morgan told the Des Moines Register. “[Pollard] said they were firing me, not for doing anything wrong, but because of the direction they thought the program was headed.

“When was the last time you heard someone get to the NIT semifinals, the NCAA second round, average 18 wins – and get terminated?”

Pollard said Morgan reacted to the news with disappointment.

“Wayne [Morgan]’s reaction was how you’d expect it to be,” Pollard said. “He was very disappointed and he believes that he does have the traits [to lead this team]. He believes that he had the program going in the right direction. I respect him for that – he’s a competitor. We have to agree to disagree.”

The decision to fire Morgan also comes on the heels of a possible recruiting scandal, with Iowa State at the center of the controversy.

When asked if he had expressed doubts about Morgan’s ability to lead the Cyclones before this weekend, Pollard simply answered, “Yes.”

Now the Cyclones turn to a search for a new coach, someone who will be their third head coach in the last five seasons.

Pollard will head the search, with Ames businessman and former ISU basketball great Gary Thompson serving as an adviser. Former athletic director Bruce Van De Velde, who stepped down in August, will also serve in a consulting role.

“I have no doubts that Iowa State University’s athletic programs can achieve great things if we have the right people and a relentless work ethic,” Pollard said. “Our men’s basketball program needs to be a catalyst for our department to achieve its goals. Our men’s basketball program needs to be a marquee program.”

Several names have already surfaced to fill the vacancy. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Rob Jeter and University of Northern Iowa’s Greg McDermott are two names that top Iowa State’s list of possible replacements.

Former Cyclone great Fred Hoiberg has also expressed interest in his alma mater’s head position.

Pollard knows the person he hires as the next coach will determine his legacy at Iowa State.

“This program needs stability,” Pollard said. “This program has had two coaches leave in the past four years. We’ve got to get it right and I have that responsibility. I will be judged by whether I can handle that responsibility and I respect that.”

Coaching Candidates

Greg McDermott – The current head coach at the University of Northern Iowa has the Midwestern traits ISU Athletic Director Jamie Pollard is looking for. He knows the area recruiting-wise and knows how to relate to the Iowa public. McDermott brought Northern Iowa its first Missouri Valley conference title in its history and made its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance this season before falling to seventh-seeded Georgetown.

Rob Jeter – Currently in his first season as head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Jeter may have a leg up on everyone else because of his tenure as an assistant under Bo Ryan at Wisconsin – Pollard’s previous school. Wisconsin, in four seasons with Jeter as an assistant, won two Big Ten titles and a Big Ten Tournament title, as well as had four NCAA Tournament appearances.

Jeter guided Wisconsin-Milwaukee to a Horizon League championship and a first-round NCAA Tournament win over sixth-seeded Oklahoma before falling to third-seeded Florida in the Minneapolis regional.

Fred Hoiberg – Hoiberg is the dark horse candidate. The Mayor, an ISU legend, ranks third all-time in scoring, three-pointers and assists, as well as seventh all-time in steals and rebounds. Hoiberg went on to a 10-year career in the NBA with Indiana, Chicago and Minnesota.

Hoiberg is hampered by having no previous coaching experience, but he does have the familiar face that Pollard seeks to relate to fans.

– Compiled by Brett McIntyre