Right Said Fred

• Fred Hoiberg had a great news conference. No surprise. As Shawn Terrell said, Hoiberg seems like a guy who will succeed at whatever he does.
• Some of us who remember Fred in high school are shaking our heads that he's now the head coach at Iowa State. Time flies.
• We had Hoiberg on our radio show. He has a plan. He's confident. He knows why (some) people doubt him. I can't imagine anyone with no head coaching experience having a better shot at working out. Fred Hoiberg is not Clyde Drexler.
• Jamie Pollard told us every hire is a roll of the dice. (see Chizik, McDermott) Pollard believes Hoiberg is a safer bet than most. He might be right.
• Pollard sold some season tickets. Cyclone fans haven't been this excited about the basketball program since Larry Eustachy's prime.
• Johnny Orr, Jim Hallihan, and Gary Thompson all told me they have zero doubts Hoiberg will succeed.
• Bottom line: The Iowa State basketball program has a much brighter outlook than it did a week ago. It can't get much worse than fan apathy, bottom of the Big 12, and no Hilton Magic. Fans should be excited.