Iowa State basketball: Is Steve Prohm the right man for the Cyclones?

Iowa State basketball fans are notoriously proud of their program, but the 2016-17 campaign hasn’t gone as many expected.

Most coaches inherit programs on the downswing and are tasked with rebuilding and rejuvenating things. Iowa State basketball was a wholly unique situation when Fred Hoiberg bolted for the Chicago Bulls and ISU hired Murray State’s Steve Prohm. The former Racer coach inherited a roster filled with talent and was a dark.

The former Racer coach inherited a roster filled with talent and was a dark horse Final Four squad. That team struggled with some chemistry and attitude issues but still managed to hit the Sweet 16.

This year has been odd. The Cyclones are just 13-7 and 5-3 in Big 12 play. They have also lost some contests they used to win in year’s past. The program’s perceived backslide has fans clamoring for Hoiberg’s return should the Bulls fire him.

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I think that would be a mistake.

Even if Hoiberg were fired, he made it clear he wasn’t a huge fan of college recruiting. He focused heavily on transfers over high schoolers; an unsustainable strategy now that everyone is competing for those same transfers. Hoiberg’s tenure saw several big success stories but he only cracked the top 50 class rankings twice in five years. Coach Prohm has equaled that mark already with the 38th best in 2016 and the 24th to this point for next year per 247. He has also reeled in the highest-rated Cyclone recruit ever when he got Lindell Wigginton to sign. Prohm deserves at least one more year with the potential talent he has in the younger classes.

Coach Prohm has equaled that mark already with the 38th best in 2016 and the 24th to this point for next year, per 247. He has also reeled in the highest-rated Cyclone recruit ever when he got Lindell Wigginton to sign. Prohm deserves at least one more year with the potential talent he has in the younger classes.

I also believe the current coach is better than Hoiberg in some aspects; he got a bunch of Hoiberg recruits to actually play defense! Hoiberg’s best defensive team finished 55th nationally on KenPom, but Prohm has the 25th best squad. Prohm is not as offensive minded as Hoiberg is, but offense for defense is a common tradeoff.

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Prohm is passionate about college ball and cares deeply for the Iowa State program. It is almost impossible and even irresponsible to judge a coach after a year and a half, even if he did inherit a great team. Prohm recruits just as well, if not better than Hoiberg, and deserves more time to develop his system. Fans need to settle down and watch the show.

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