'Mayor' Hoiberg Gets His Trophy

In just his second season as men's basketball coach, Fred Hoiberg earned Big 12 coach of the year honors.

Today he received his trophy.

Not bad for one of Ames' favorite sons, nicknamed the Mayor, who had been working as a front office executive for the Minnesota Timberwolves after his 10-year NBA career ended in 2004.

Hoiberg was a top prep star in Iowa for back in the early 1990s and stuck around to play for Iowa State. So, when he was named head coach of his alma mater before the 2010 season, it was a bit of a homecoming.

And, Hoiberg hasn't disappointed. The Cyclones finished 23-11 (12-6 in Big 12 conference play) this year, and the 23 wins were the fourth most in school history. 

The Cyclones made it to the NCAA tournament and knocked off perennial powerhouse UConn, before falling to No. 1 seed Kentucky.

Nice season, Cyclones, and congratulations, Fred. We hope this is a sign of more good things to come.