By LUKE MEREDITH
Associated Press
AMES, Iowa — The remarkable job that Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg has done in turning around his alma mater apparently got the attention of several colleges and NBA teams.
The Cyclones responded by opening their wallet to keep “The Mayor” in office for at least another decade.
Iowa State announced Thursday that Hoiberg has agreed to a new 10-year, $20 million deal with the Cyclones that will run through 2023.
Hoiberg, who just completed his third season with the Cyclones, finalized the contract with Iowa State President Steven Leath and athletic director Jamie Pollard on Thursday night.
“I sincerely appreciate the support that President Leath and Jamie have given me. Ames is my home and Hilton Coliseum has given me countless memories as both a player and coach. I look forward to continue leading a program that Cyclone fans can be proud of,” Hoiberg said in a statement.
Hoiberg, a former star player at Iowa State, has led Iowa State to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances for the first time in 12 years. The Cyclones nearly made the NCAA regional semifinals last Sunday before Aaron Craft’s late 3 led Ohio State past Iowa State 78-75.
The result did little to dampen the enthusiasm over the job Hoiberg has done at Iowa State, though.
The Cyclones said in a release announcing Hoiberg’s new deal that “several universities and NBA teams made inquiries to him about coaching their teams.” But Hoiberg, who grew up in Ames and left the Minnesota Timberwolves’ front office to coach his hometown Cyclones, chose instead to commit long term to Iowa State.
The deal is nearly identical to the one that Pollard and football coach Paul Rhoads agreed to before last season.
Hoiberg and Rhoads are extremely popular figures in central Iowa, and both figure to stick with the Cyclones for years to come.
“Nobody is better suited to be our head men’s basketball coach and we wanted to show he and his family, along with all Cyclone fans, that we are committed to keeping him in Ames for the long term,” Pollard said.
