Iowa State offered its basketball fans little time to mourn the departure of Fred Hoiberg.

Seven days after Hoiberg made the decision to accept the coaching offer from the Chicago Bulls, Iowa State moved on and found its replacement. 

“We interviewed seven coaches,” said ISU Athletic Director Jamie Pollard. “Six of those were head coaches.”

Murray State men’s basketball coach Steve Prohm stuck out above the rest of the candidates, and he’s ready to get to work.

“Now it’s time to get totally invested in Ames, Iowa,” Prohm said. 

One challenge Prohm will face is recruiting. Being named head coach this late in the recruiting process can be a difficult task, but Prohm is up for the challenge. 

“I want to be hands-on in recruiting, but once they get to campus, I want our players and fans to help do the job,” Prohm said. 

Style of play, on the other hand, should not require adjustment for Prohm or the players, because Prohm is accustomed to running a similar style of play as the Hoiberg-led ISU teams.

“Coaches are steal guys. I want to watch someone’s system that will fit ours, and I did that with Iowa State,” Prohm said in reference to his team at Murray State.  

Prohm also said he wants the players to have great freedom … “to a point.”

In addition to running a similar style of play as Hoiberg, Prohm will also use him as a resource.

“I’m not here to replace [Fred]. I’m here to learn from [him] and rely upon him,” Prohm said.  

Prohm has had success coaching point guards in the past. One of his former players, Isaiah Canaan, is currently in the NBA and Prohm’s most recent point guard, Cameron Payne, is expected to be a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA draft.

Prohm shouldn’t have trouble helping ISU point guard Monté Morris get to the next level, but Prohm doesn’t just want to be known as a point guard coach.

“I want to be a two-guard coach, a wing coach and a post coach,” Prohm said. 

Prohm had never been to Ames before and has never stepped foot in Hilton Coliseum, but he is looking forward to it.

“Hilton Coliseum is one of the top five places to play in the country,” Prohm said.