Fred Hoiberg was referred to as “The Mayor” of Ames, Iowa, as he led the Iowa State Cyclones to prominence in the Big 12. Hoiberg went to high school in Ames, and attended Iowa State as a player before his NBA career. He was a home grown boy, but even the die hard fans of the Cyclones program knew he would return to the NBA in some capacity before all was said and done.
That move happened over the summer, when Hoiberg signed a five-year contract worth up to $25 million with the Chicago Bulls. This move from Hoiberg opened up the door for another young coach rising up the ranks in Steve Prohm.
Prohm was born in Virginia before moving to Georgia with his family, where he eventually committed to play NCAA Division III basketball in Atlanta. Prohm made it halfway through his freshman season before he left the school and transferred to the University of Alabama to begin chasing his coaching dream and eventual career. Prohm received an opportunity to be the student manager and student assistant coach for five years while he received his undergraduate degree in education. Prohm continued to take risks after graduation, taking a volunteer position at Centenary College under then head coach Billy Kennedy. Prohm lived in the basement of a dorm and ate meals in the cafeteria, but he established the important relationships he needed to develop in his early coaching career.
Prohm followed coach Kennedy to Southeastern Louisiana, where he spent five seasons as an assistant before leaving for an assistant job at Tulane University. In 2006, Prohm rejoined forces with Kennedy as part of his coaching staff at Murray State University. The Racers won a school record 31 games during the 2009-10 season, upsetting Vanderbilt in the NCAA tournament for the second ever tournament win in school history. Kennedy took the more lucrative job at Texas A&M following the success, and that opened the door for Prohm to take his first ever head coaching position at Murray State. In his first season, the Racers started 23-0 and tied the school record for wins at 31, while securing a top-10 ranking and another appearance in the NCAA tournament behind Philadelphia 76ers guard Isaiah Cannon. Prohm continued the rise of basketball in Murray, Kentucky with the Racers during his tenure before making the jump to the Big 12 just six days after Hoiberg took the Bulls job.
Prohm inherits a roster full of talent, led by Senior Georges Niang. The Cyclones also bring back Senior guards Jameel McKay and Naz Long to go along with the Marquette transfer Deonte Burton, who was named to the Big-East All Rookie Team and played in eight games before transferring, averaging 6.4 points and 2.0 rebounds to go along with his 47.2 percent from the field.
New coach Steve Prohm may not be known as “The Mayor,” but he is more than qualified and ready to take over the Iowa State Cyclones basketball program, and begin his own chapter in Ames, Iowa.