Fred Hoiberg Says He Fucking Hated Recruiting at Iowa State
Well, there’s no surprise here. In fact it wasn’t a surprise when he was at Iowa State. Everyone in the world knew Fred Hoiberg hated recruiting which is why he had guys like Matt Abdelmassih on staff. It’s also a main reason as to why Iowa State brought in so many transfers (also chalking that up to Abdelmassih, who probably knows who is transferring in 2020).
Either way this statement holds a little bit of ground because it should nix the idea of Hoiberg being attached to any collegiate job. In fact, until he’s fired from Chicago, he shouldn’t be linked to any job. He left Iowa State – where he went to college – for the NBA. There isn’t any job that ‘can bring him home’ and the big time blueblood programs aren’t going to be calling his number. So, when jobs open up next year – assuming he’s with the Bulls – let’s just all agree to leave Hoiberg out of it.
What this also does is shed a light on most college coaches. Recruiting is a pain in the ass. It’s tiring, you have to babysit most of the kids and you have the fear of those guys being poached despite a commitment. The July live period is starting this week (I’ll have a blog all about that) as does the Peach Jam (again, a blog about that too is on the way), so watch how many coaches are in the stands. Even if a player is committed to a school, a coach will show up just to show that he’s still important. Most coaches don’t want to do that shit. They want to prepare their current team for their current season and work on that. It’s why your assistant coaches are so important in college basketball. Abdelmassih helped build the Iowa State program, though most of the credit goes to Hoiberg. Now, this isn’t a bash against Hoiberg, he was fine as a head coach at Iowa State, but it’s the assistants that do most of the legwork.
Recruiting is weird, man. Just think about the 55 year old coaches that have to sit there and text/call a 17-year old kid to try and convince him to come play for them. It’s a bizarre process from both sides of the table.