For years, I have been a Steve Prohm guy. I love Coach Prohm as a person and have met him at many Cy’s House of Trivias. But since I don’t need to ever worry about press conference credentials or him ever coming on a podcast, I can say it is time for Jamie Pollard to let Coach Prohm go.
This is really hard for me to type – I mean, I am the Cyclone Bingo guy. I used to live and die by Iowa State basketball. But since the Ohio State game in Tulsa two years ago, I find myself not even giving a shit about it. Couldn’t even name the starting five. Have maybe watched 10 minutes of them this year and that was because I bet on the Iowa game. I get it, not watching is a me problem. “Loyal sons forever true,” you might tell me. But in 2021, you need to give me a reason to watch. And fam…18-41 in Big 12 play since the start of 2017 ain’t it.
Yeah, injuries happen. Yeah, you can’t stop players going pro. But at the same time, Prohm’s inability to coach up NBA talent and build players around the future pros cannot be overlooked. Big time recruiting classes don’t mean shit if the big time recruits don’t stay four years. And I am not talking about Haliburton and Horton-Tucker. Think about this: Where are the Cam Lards of the world? The Lindell Wiggintons? He has had exactly one player stay at ISU for the duration, and that is Solomon Young. If you aren’t going to load the team with multiple lotto picks, you better be able to recruit, improve, and keep players around.
It is so hard for me to say Prohm killed Hilton Magic, but Steve Prohm killed Hilton Magic. Truth be told, I don’t think he ever understood it. How many times did he call a timeout right after a made three to cut a deficit down? We need a coach that embraces what the crowd at Hilton can bring to the table. Prohm isn’t that guy, and I am not sure he ever was. If you want evidence that Hilton Magic is dead, look no further then home losses to Florida A&M and Milwaukee. Hilton Magic might be dead, but it isn’t buried. We need someone else to revive it.
This quote from TGS member Austin Narber sticks out to me. It fucking pisses me off, and it should piss you off.
“Haliburton being a lottery pick and all the guys he’s coached into the NBA — that is very cool. Turns out that may be a bug and not a feature. I’ll tell you what people in Ames, Iowa, don’t care about when you’re winning half your home games in a two-year span: The NBA Draft. When this 2020–21 nightmare ends, Iowa State will have accumulated one single NCAA Tournament win over Nevada in five seasons. Think about that. We used to make fun of other coaches for this kind of ineptitude. Kansas State has gone to an Elite Eight since then!”
The last road win for Iowa State was Feb 16, 2019!! Both Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker have come out in the theaters, made billions and been released on Blu-ray since then.
You know what is worse than being pissed off at a team you loved? It’s having apathy for them, too. I live in the wasteland that is Cyclone Twitter. I love it. Posting reaction GIFs in my timeline during Iowa State games is one of the only pure loves I have had during the past few years. And when I pull up my timeline during Cyclone Men’s games…I don’t see a god damn thing anymore. Because we as a fan base just don’t care. It fucking sucks.
Who here remembers the Fred vs Prohm debates that filled your group chats and twitter timeline? Those seem like decades ago. No, I am not saying Fred is the answer. Hell, I have no idea who the answer is. All I know is I used to love puffing my chest and saying “I am a Steve Prohm Guy.” But those days are gone.
I take no pleasure in saying this… I am no longer a Steve Prohm guy.
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