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4. Any thoughts on Iowa State enrolling Minnesota's Royce White?
It's the latest sign that Fred Hoiberg understands he must take risks to succeed at Iowa State, and that he's willing to use his can-do-no-wrong reputation around campus to make things happen, which is why I like the move. Let's be honest: Iowa State is a difficult job, and there's probably no way for the Cyclones to get a prospect the caliber of White unless that prospect is flawed (and by flawed I mean a convicted criminal who is, best I can tell from his actions of the past year, a little crazy).
I can't promise this will work for either side, or that White won't end up kicked off the team before ever playing a game. But too often guys like Hoiberg think they can rely on their NBA background and celebrity to succeed; they don't understand the grind or what it takes to jumpstart a career. Clearly, Hoiberg is different. He recognizes his administration isn't going to stand in the way of "The Mayor" trying to make Iowa State relevant again, and so he's doing what he thinks is necessary to make the program relevant again.
It could backfire, as I'm sure Hoiberg knows, and he probably doesn't need to fill his roster with criminals (See: Gonzalez, Bobby). But taking White is a move that suggests the first-year coach at least understands the risks required to push the Cyclones to the top half of the Big 12 and that's something I can respect because I like people who "get it." Hoiberg seems to "get it." It's an approach that won't guarantee success, but it should at least give him a chance.
