Iowa State has just announced the hiring of new head coach Steve Prohm after former coach Fred Hoiberg left to become the head coach of the Chicago Bulls. Prohm left Murray State where he coached the Racers for four years. In his four seasons at Murray State, he went 104-29 with a 54-10 record in the conference. In his first season at the helm, he led the team to the NCAA Tournament making it to the Round of 32.
The team the Virginia native will be inheriting is one that will be contending for the national title next year led by returning starters Jameel McKay, Monte Morris, and Georges Niang. When asked about why he was attracted to the Iowa State job, the team that was already assembled was one of the reasons why he was interested. "Someone asked me what attracted me to this job. I'll be honest. The first thing? That team," Prohm said. "It's been a dream of mine to coach at the (high-major) level."
The type of playstyle that Prohm brings to the table is comparable to that of the type of offense that Fred Hoiberg ran with the Cyclones; free-flowing, up-tempo basketball. When AD Jamie Pollard asked the seniors on the team talked to the seniors about the style of play and demeanor of Prohm being similar to that of Fred Hoiberg, Niang gave a nod of his head for approval.
According to reports, Prohm signed a five-year deal with the Cyclones and will be making $1.5 million in base salary which is the second lowest in the Big XII ahead of TCU’s Trent Johnson. Despite having the second-lowest base salary in the conference, the pay was a significant upgrade from what he was getting paid at Murray State. During his tenure with the Racers, he was making around $500,000 annually after he restructured his deal a couple of months ago.