Dec. 30--Fred Hoiberg hasn't posted on his Twitter account since Oct. 25, which, given the demands of his new job, is understandable. But it's also unfortunate.
That means fewer eyeballs on his profile picture, which features one of the most touching tributes imaginable. And it's one that resonates deeply on a personal level.
Wednesday marks two years since the death of Johnny Orr, whom Hoiberg grew up idolizing in Ames, Iowa, and for whom he later starred. The pride Hoiberg feels in having helped restore Iowa State's program as coach to the levels of success and excitement it enjoyed under Orr is palpable.
It's pride you can see in Hoiberg's profile picture, which captured the energy and emotion of Nov. 17, 2013. With Iowa State set to face seventh-ranked Michigan at Hilton Coliseum in a huge, nationally televised game, Hoiberg ceded the spotlight to Orr, who bathed in the "Hilton Magic" home-court atmosphere he helped create one final time, just weeks before his death.
Orr, who also led Michigan to the 1976 NCAA title game and is the winningest all-time coach for both programs, entered ahead of Hoiberg to the Cyclones band playing "Johnny's Theme" from "The Tonight Show." He gave his trademark fist pump to the crowd.
"I almost get tears watching it," longtime sports information director Mike Green said. "I remember that moment so vividly. It was a protege saying: 'This guy did everything for me. It's his day.' "
Hoiberg remembers the moment fondly too.
"Johnny was like a second father to me," he said. "When I was growing up in Ames, I, like a lot of people, looked up to him. He was a larger-than-life figure. He created Hilton Magic. He's the single most important figure in Iowa State athletics history. And I don't think there's a close second.
"He's my all-time favorite coach, and I played for some great ones. I've tried to take a lot of what he did and apply it to my own philosophy, especially when I was at Iowa State, because I knew how important he was to the fan base there. The day that Johnny passed away, it was like losing a close relative because of everything he meant to me."
Almost anyone who has played team sports can relate to Hoiberg's second-father-figure sentiment. Mine happened to have strong ties to Orr.
Bill Knapton coached at Division III Beloit (Wis.) College for 40 years. Similar to Orr's surprising move to leave Michigan and put down roots in Ames, Knapton shunned the fast track he appeared to be on as a rising Marquette assistant and succeeded the legendary Dolph Stanley at Beloit in 1957.
Orr graduated from Beloit in 1949. He played for Stanley in an era that is almost inconceivable today. With no divisions within the NCAA, Beloit, despite an enrollment of just over 1,000, routinely played -- and beat --prominent larger programs with Stanley coaching and Orr and later Ron Bontemps starring.
Beloit thumped Ray Meyer and DePaul at Chicago Stadium in 1951. And the tiny liberal arts school drew an invitation that season to the NIT, then the more prestigious postseason tournament.
I heard these stories from Knapton while playing for him from 1985 to '89, riding shotgun as he barreled across the Midwest in one of the two vans that carried our team to road games. Some of Knapton's tales centered on Orr, with whom he developed a relationship because of their Beloit connection, their shared birth year of 1927 and associations within the influential National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Already bitten with the journalism bug, I was enthralled.
For my senior thesis, I traveled the Midwest and interviewed principals from this "Bucket Brigade" era at Beloit. I will never forget turning the knobs on my old mailbox in Beloit's mailroom as a green, know-it-all, 21-year-old senior and finding a handwritten note on Iowa State stationery inside:
K.C., Come on out March 22. I have the entire day set aside and am looking forward to meeting with you. Come through Dubuque and then check the map. Good luck and see you soon. Johnny Orr.
And so, on a March 1989 day, when Hoiberg was a sophomore at Ames High School, I found myself inside Orr's office at Iowa State. A natural storyteller and gregarious soul, Orr spoke of Stanley and Beloit, his Michigan tenure and his Iowa State teams.
Orr saved strong words of praise for Knapton, whom he called "a great coach and better man." I knew both to be true.
Knapton ran the same "passing game" offense for decades. Not for lack of innovation; he would always be scribbling new sets and actions on napkins. He ran it because it was that flexible and effective. Pass and pick away. Read the defense. React accordingly with a flare, maybe a back cut or a slipped screen.
Empower the player. Better the team.
Like Orr, this is what Knapton did for wave after wave of players who were willing to listen.
Knapton was a great coach. His 557 career victories and a No. 1 national ranking for five weeks in 1981 speak to that. But his influence off the court on several generations of players is more lasting.
Unlike Hoiberg, I don't have a captive arena in which to honor my second father figure, who will turn 89 next year. This is my platform. So thanks, Coach Knapton, for teaching so many of us about selflessness and competitiveness, about calmness under pressure, about trying to make the best decisions possible -- on and off the court.
The world is richer for coaches who put down longstanding roots such as Orr and Knapton, who surely will be embarrassed when he reads this. Like Hoiberg that day, standing aside for Orr, Knapton likes to cede the spotlight.
But with the calendar set to turn to another year, find a coach who influenced you and shine one on him or her. It's never too late to say thanks in whatever form you can.
kcjohnson@tribpub.com
