Donnie Walsh, the Pacers’ longtime executive had just finished watching Frank Vogel and his coaching staff put six prospects through a pre-draft workout on the practice court at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Walsh, 74, joined me and then sat down at a table in The Locker Room restaurant, which sits between the practice court and main court.
“You want to talk about Freddy,” Walsh said with a grin. “Well, he’s easy to talk about it.”
Freddy, of course, is Fred Holberg, who the Pacers selected 52nd overall in the 1995 NBA Draft. on Tuesday, he was named head coach of the Chicago Bulls after five seasons directing Iowa State, his alma mater.
Hoiberg played for the Pacers from 1995-99.
After four years with the Cyclones, who retired his No. 32 jersey, Holberg was drafted to the Pacers one year after Indiana’s Damon Bailey. Walsh was certain one of them would be really good.
“It ended up being Freddy,” Walsh recalled, “but it was real close.
“He had everything as pro. He worked very hard, he was a great teammate, great guy. I think the coaches really felt confident when he went into the game [because] he was a responsible type guy. Always did the right things. Could shoot the ball, played hard defensively, and he was a good athlete; actually, a great athlete.”
It’s fascinating listening to Walsh, hearing him describe Hoiberg as a young NBA player as well as the Pacers teams of the 1990s.
Like how the players used to throw footballs around at shootaround, an hourlong light practice held in the morning of a game. Hoiberg, Mark Jackson, Reggie Miller, and others participated. When Hoiberg fired it across the hardwood, Walsh was in awe.
“I was then like, ‘Freddy, did you play football in high school?’ Walsh asked. “And he went, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘I could’ve gone to college on a football scholarship.’ I said, ‘Oh yeah, where?’ He said, “Nebraska, Notre Dame.”
Turns out, Hoiberg was a high school quarterback in addition to winning a state title and being named Iowa Mr. Basketball. He did it all and did it well in Ames, Iowa, which is one of the reasons he received the nickname, “The Mayor.” Also because he received write-in votes for Mayor during the 1993 election.
Hoiberg arrived in Chicago (via a private jet, no less) after an extremely successful campaign at Iowa State, turning a .500 win team to an annual NCAA Tournament team. Under his direction, the Cyclones went 115-56 under Hoiberg, and won 23 or more games and advanced to the tournament in four of his five seasons.
Want an indiction of the impact Hoiberg had on his players? Read this. Or this.
They understand the decision and are genuinely happy for him. Much of that is probably because he is a straightforward guy who is, by all accounts, honest and reliable.
Hoiberg, now 42, has had a few personal setbacks, like heart issues that have required multiple operations. His NBA career ended abruptly in 2005 when he underwent open heart surgery to remove an enlargement on his aortic root. Still, he wanted to play.
Walsh remembered a phone call he had in 2005 with Hoiberg, who eagerly wanted to continue his professional career.
Walsh argued against it, saying “Freddy, are you crazy? What are you doing? You can’t have heart surgery like he had and play in the NBA.”
In mid-April, 10 years after his first operation, Hoiberg had to go under the knife to replace his aortic valve.
A Hit With the Players
That brings us to Tuesday, where the Bulls officially introduced Hoiberg as their next head coach. He’s the 19th head coach in the franchise’s storied history.
“I always followed him and always had a real special feeling for him,” Walsh said. He also joked that it’s too bad Hoiberg was coaching in the Central Division, which also includes the Pacers and LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers.
Chicago’s move from Tom Thibodeau to Hoiberg is a clear shift in personalities. Thibodeau, who was 255-139 in five seasons and led them to the postseason every year, is a film guru who loves the game. He eats, breaths, and talks hoops. Hoiberg, meanwhile, has a personality and is a player’s coach.
“He’s going to be very straightforward and the players will never feel like he’ll backstab him,” Walsh said of Holberg’s personality. “I think it’s a great hire, I really do.”
Players around the league respect Thibodeau for his knowledge of the game and successes, but the handful of guys I polled would prefer not to play for him.
For Pacers fans, it’s similar to Frank Vogel taking over after Jim O’Brien was fired in early 2011. Players did not enjoy their time under O’Brien. Roy Hibbert hated it. Paul George said O’Brien’s fired was the highlight of his rookie season. That’s never good.
Part of Building a Winning Foundation
With a quick glance around the NBA, you’ll quickly come up with a list of former Pacers with influence around the league. Some of the most recent hires — Hoiberg, Scott Skiles (Orlando), Byron Scott (Los Angeles Lakers) — all spent time in a Pacers uniform. Just this offseason, Chris Mullin left his advisor role with the Sacramento Kings to become the head coach at St. John’s, his alma mater.
That 1990s teams had incredible success — like making the playoff year all but one year in the decade and reaching the conference finals five times during the Jordan Era, including the franchise’s only Finals appearance in NBA history.
The Pacers’ four-headed monster, including Walsh (in black), evaluating prospects.
“I think we were able to get guys that were like that in the draft or free agency, and then when they got here together, they created a culture that was great because they were great guys,” said Walsh. “And more than just being great guys, they were serious pros. That team ended up with nothing but serious guys that wanted to win, they weren’t kids.
“They had the whole package, and they had it all as a team.”
Walsh traveled frequently with the team back then. That’s where you really get to know the guys. Walsh, who is very deliberate about his plan each day, would go down to the hotel lobby for breakfast and could always count on seeing Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson eating together before catching the bus for shootaround.
The team’s professionalism and dedication to their craft allowed for Walsh to actually relax.
“I always go into games thinking, ‘I hope we can win,’ he said. “And with that team I just got to the point where if we don’t play bad, we’re going to win — and I don’t care if we’re on the road or not.
“I was never nervous about that team at all.”
Hoiberg was part of that culture, and his likable nature should allow a talented Bulls team to succeed even further. Steve Kerr and David Blatt are rookie head coaches in the Finals, obviously both with a lot of talent, and have quickly made an impact in the league.
No reason to think Hoiberg will be any different.