When news broke that Iowa State head coach, and Cyclones alum, Fred Hoiberg was leaving Ames to accept the same position with the Chicago Bulls of the NBA, the open position became the most coveted in the country.
Considered to be a near-lock to be ranked in the AP top-ten before next season begins, ISU offered the chance for its new coach to experience some immediate success, before the pressure of continuing Hoiberg’s recent results really kicks in.
In one of the quickest coaching searches of the offseason, ISU went to Murray State and reeled in Steve Prohm, one of the hottest names in the country.
Questions remained, though, about what kind of effect Prohm would have on his new squad, and what differences might exist between he and Hoiberg.
With that in mind, here are the top questions facing Prohm during year one.
How Will Monte Morris Be Utilized?
Morris is one of the top point guards in the country, but he fits a much different mold than the PGs of Prohm’s reign at Murray State. Where as Prohm has experience with scoring guards, Morris is a point that defers to the weapons around him, as opposed to one that creates looks for himself.
It’s hard to imagine a coach, having as much success as Prohm has had, not being able to adjust to his personnel and craft an effective offense. Still, that success was built upon having NBA caliber guards go against low-major competition for the majority of the year. Competing in the Big 12 is a different animal.
Can Prohm Continue ISU’s Surging Defense?
There were certainly times last season when the Cyclones struggled to string together enough stops—to quote some coaches, they struggled to get a “kill”, which is three stops in a row. Still, on the season as a whole, their defense was improved from the year before. With as much offensive talent as the Cyclones have, their margin for error on defense is certainly larger than many teams across the country.
But if they are to take the next step in their development as a team, one that many think should compete for the national title, or at least certainly the Big 12 title, than their defense must continue the progress that it has made over the past 24 months.
Finding favorable match ups for Georges Niang will be vital, as ISU can’t afford to have its most versatile offensive threat off the court for more than a few minutes at a time, but Niang’s defensive struggles have been well noted. In fact, his inability to consistently guard the ball was a big reason why UAB was able to upset ISU in the NCAA Tournament.
Can Prohm Help Iowa State Take The Next Step?
If last season’s Final Four exit by Kentucky taught us anything, it should be, just how difficult winning a title is. The Wildcats spent much of the season dominating their opponents, and looked like the favorite coming into the tournament.
Yet, as good as they were, the came up short of a chance to play for the championship.
Iowa State has a versatile roster that can score from the perimeter, off the bounce, off of rebounds, or in transition. They have shown the ability to, at times, be stout defensively. Still, Hoiberg’s squads could never quite get over the hump.
The first step would be to dethrone the Kansas Jayhawks, who have run off one of the most dominating decades in college basketball history. Winning the Big 12 regular season title would officially announce the arrival of Prohm and the Cyclones, but a run into the Sweet 16 and beyond is what is needed here. For a team as talented as ISU, another early exit can’t be accepted, even if the previous ones weren’t the fault of Prohm and his staff.
