The Chicago Bulls have made it official: Fred Hoiberg is the new head coach in the Windy City.
Hoiberg, 42, becomes the 19th coach in franchise history. He spent the previous five years as the bench boss at his alma mater, Iowa State University.
The former NBAer inked a reported five-year, $25 million deal to take over for the recently-fired Tom Thibodeau.
From the press release:
“In Fred, we feel that we’ve got a guy who has a terrific package of skills: a winning coach, a natural leader and a great communicator,” said Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman. “He is a guy that has played in the league, has been an executive in the league and has had unparalleled success coaching at Iowa State—winning multiple Big 12 Championships, consistently having nationally-ranked teams and NCAA tournament teams. There is no question that we think he’s the right fit and that he will maximize the potential of this team.”
During his tenure in Ames, his teams posted four straight 20-win seasons, highlighted by the Cyclones going 53-17 (.757) over his last two seasons. He was named Big 12 Co-Coach of the Year in 2012 and he coached Iowa State to Big 12 Conference Championship titles in 2014 and 2015. In his last three seasons on campus, his teams led the Big 12 in scoring with an average of 77.9 ppg, while ranking in the top-10 nationally in two of the seasons. The Cyclones were one of two teams in the country to place in the top 15 in offensive efficiency in each of the past three seasons (lowest finish was 11th). While Hoiberg in Ames, Iowa State also led the country in assists per game (2013-14), three-point field goals made (2012-13), three-point field goals attempted (2012-13) and three-point field goals made per game (2012-13); in 2013-14, the Cyclones ranked second in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio. Additionally, over the last two seasons, Iowa State led the country in wins against top-25 teams with 18.
“I am very excited and thankful for the opportunity to coach the Chicago Bulls. Everyone back in Ames knows what Iowa State means to me and my family. I am closing a special chapter in my life and beginning a new one here in Chicago,” said Hoiberg. “Being a head coach in the NBA has always been a goal of mine and to be able to do it at this time with the Bulls was the right fit for me. Having played in the league for 10 years, and then worked in a front office of an NBA team for four years, I am ready to begin this next phase of my career and help this team win an NBA Championship.”
