Iowa State Basketball Coaching Search Update: June 3rd

Wednesday morning brought a sense of relief and anticipation to Cyclone Nation. Fred Hoiberg was off to the Bulls, he looked Dreamy as ever doing it, and now we settled in to something every fan loves: a bona fide coaching search.

Chris Williams kicked off the morning with a thought dump of his own about the hot coaching names, and gave us one we hadn't heard, and probably don't wish to: Dana Altman.

No one should expect Altman to come to Ames. Not with the rape allegations chasing some of his players at Oregon and not with Jamie Pollard's insistence on building a family oriented athletics department in Ames. Say what you will about Fred Hoiberg's "loose" discipline after multiple player OWI arrests, but they pale in comparison to some of the charges that Altman and his players are racking up in Eugene.

So for those doubting the Altman angle, that should seal it.

Then just as quickly as Boise State coach Leon Rice entered the picture he was out of it.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">One more Iowa State coaching search note: Go ahead and scratch Boise State’s Leon Rice off of your list. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cyclones?src=hash">#Cyclones</a></p>&mdash; Chris Williams (@ChrisMWilliams) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisMWilliams/status/606122250266230785">June 3, 2015</a></blockquote>

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There are the cast of coaches who have been rumored from the onset: Steve Prohm (Murray State), Brad Underwood (Stephen F. Austin), Bryce Drew (Valparaiso), and Jeff Hornacek (Phoenix Suns). Then this happened:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">SOURCE: Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek declines meeting with Iowa State AD, president. Details here. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cyclones?src=hash">#Cyclones</a> <a href="http://t.co/f4Z3HdpYEp">http://t.co/f4Z3HdpYEp</a></p>&mdash; Chris Williams (@ChrisMWilliams) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisMWilliams/status/606118348150079489">June 3, 2015</a></blockquote>

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For those not wanting to click, I can tell you that someone posing as Jeff Hornacek's agent commented twice on the article and alluded to Iowa State not pursuing the proper channels for contact. I can't say for certain this is true, but given Pollard's secrecy with his searches it wouldn't surprise me if he tried to contact Hornacek one on one. Somehow things boiled up, and it appears the leading candidate for many is now firmly entrenched in Arizona.

Travis Hines confirms the person posing as Hornacek's agent is, in fact, his agent:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jeff Hornacek’s agent confirms it’s him commenting on this Cyclone Fanatic report. We&#39;ve reached peak coaching search <a href="http://t.co/EVGxt4SeqX">http://t.co/EVGxt4SeqX</a></p>&mdash; Travis Hines (@TravisHines21) <a href="https://twitter.com/TravisHines21/status/606166514375520256">June 3, 2015</a></blockquote>

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There are now also rumors for former NBA assistant Lindsey Hunter being in the mix, which means he probably is no longer in the mix. A quiet, under the radar candidate that could emerge is Utah's Larry Krystkowiak. At just $1.6M/year in base salary he would be an easy get for Iowa State, would have a step up in program and conference prestige, and runs a very similar offensive scheme to Hoiberg's.

Two things are certain as this search steps up: Jamie Pollard always has a trick up his sleeve and things are only just beginning.