Fred Hoiberg To Have Open Heart Surgery Next Week
Iowa State men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg announced Friday that he will undergo open heart surgery to replace his aortic valve on Friday, April 17 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
“After my initial surgery to replace my aortic root 10 years ago, I knew that this was something that would need to be done at some point,” Hoiberg said. “My valve has severe regurgitation and the time has come to get it replaced. I am hopeful that this will be my last surgery and I’m looking forward to getting this behind me.”
The university said Hoiberg recently finished his fifth season as Iowa State’s head coach. He has guided the Cyclones to a school-record four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and back-to-back Big 12 Championship titles. Hoiberg owns a 115-56 career record.
Gotta get that valve replaced, understandable. I doubt too many of the bloggers on this site know exactly what an aortic valve is, why it needs to be replaced or really much in general about this. From what it sounds like, the surgery is serious, but my guy will be back on the sidelines come November.
We all know Fred Hoiberg’s NBA career was shortened because of his heart ailment. Tough to speculate where he would be today if that had not happened, but as a Cyclone fan, you have to be thankful it all worked out like it did, and Hoiberg seems like he will be in Ames for a very long time.
Not much to talk about with Iowa State lately after a disappointing NCAA Tournament provided a rough first Thursday for this guy. Despite this, the Cyclones seem like a favorite to many to do big things in 2015-16. Lots to figure out still not just for ISU but also every other team in the country, but you have to like those chances.
Get well soon, Freddy.
Trent’s Note: I’m sure the Bulls are keeping a close eye on this. They’ll probably even send Hoiberg edible fruit arrangement after all goes well during surgery. They gotta send their best wishes to their future head basketball coach in Chicago.
