Topics addressed during Steve Prohm’s press conference

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Korrie Bysted/Iowa State Daily

Steve Prohm talks about his new position as head coach of the ISU men’s basketball team at a press conference on Tuesday, June 9 at the Sukup Basketball Complex.

Chris Wolff

Below are some of the topics discussed during Steve Prohm’s introductory press conference.

Pollard asked Big 12 referees for their opinion

You read that correctly. ISU athletic director Jamie Pollard reached out to Big 12 referees about potential coaches. Pollard said he wanted to learn a little more about the coaches sideline demeanor, how they act, how they treat the refs and so on.

Recruiting in Murray versus Ames

One of the questions about Prohm is his ability to recruit at the high-major level, because his experience has been recruiting at a mid-major level. Pollard put those concerns to rest by saying, “If you can recruit to Murray, Ky., I think you can recruit to Ames, Iowa.”

Replacing The Mayor

The Mayor is a tough act to follow. As far as Ames, Iowa, is concerned, it’s probably impossible to truly replace Fred Hoiberg. Prohm apparently recognizes this.“I’m not here to replace [Hoiberg],” he said. Instead, Prohm plans to learn from Hoiberg and use him as a resource.

Hilton Magic

The idea of coaching at Hilton Coliseum is exciting to Prohm. “That place is unbelievable,” he said. Prohm also added that Hilton is one of the top-five places to play in the country.

Beyond basketball

Curios to know what Prohm enjoys beyond basketball and his family? The answer: not much. When asked what he does outside of basketball and his family, Prohm joked that his wife would say “nothing.”

NBA Finals

Prohm and the team will continue to familiarize themselves with one another this week. Prohm said he wants to spend this week focusing on the team and getting to better know everybody. That will happen tonight when the team watches game three of the NBA Finals.

What about T.J. Otzelberger?

Pollard said Otzelberger was one of the seven candidates who interviewed for the job. Per the Des Moines Register’s Tommy Birch, when Pollard was specifically asked about Otzelberger, Pollard said: “In the end, there were other candidates that were better prepared to take this position at this time.”