Iowa State Loses a Good One

Assistant men’s basketball coach Bobby Lutz lasted just one season at Iowa State. Cyclone fans knew the day would eventually occur but they were hoping it wouldn’t come this soon.

I figured that Lutz would depart for a head coaching job sooner or later. He was successful at North Carolina-Charlotte leading the 49ers to a 218-158 record including five NCAA tournaments and three NIT tournaments. The guy proved he could coach.

The surprising aspect is he left for another assistant job. Reports over the weekend said he had accepted a job at North Carolina State.

Maybe the North Carolina native wanted badly to return home. Maybe the Southerner couldn’t tolerate the Iowa winters. What’s not to dislike like about a foot of snow on the ground and 20-below wind chill factors?

But Lutz will definitely be missed in Ames. He was first-year Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg’s right hand man. Since Hoiberg had zero head coach experience heading into the 2010-11 season, Lutz’s successful head coaching pedigree was vital. You could observe during timeouts Lutz having a large say in the huddle.

Hoiberg hit a home run when he hired Lutz. Hoiberg is now looking for another long ball and it’s important that he find one.