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The book "Freedom of the Huddle" has been out of print for 35 years, but NBA coach Nick Nurse credits it for "laying the foundation for his coaching success and NBA Championship title," according to a news release from Dog-Eared Books. Nurse is relaunching the book, updated to include a forward and chapter he wrote, at Dog-Eared Books, the independent bookstore in downtown Ames, at 4 p.m. Saturday.
“Me and my family have been banking there for two decades,” Barnes said, who grew up in Ames, Iowa. He added banking is “very conservatively run” with confident management teams, “but it’s also the ability for me to able to promote financial literacy for young people.”
With the Raptors locked with the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 and a trip to the Eastern Conference finals at stake, the Carroll, Iowa, native called up a play he discovered from a DVD he bought in Ames and used a number of times while coaching the then-NBA Development League's Iowa Energy. And like it did so many times with the Energy, the play worked, this time on an even bigger stage: Toronto star Kawhi Leonard knocked down a buzzer-beating jumper that gave the Raptors a stunning 92-90 win.
Harrison Barnes’ travels the past few weeks have taken him across the globe to India and back to his hometown of Ames, Iowa, where he helped his high school team win a state championship. His goal on both trips has been to help youth participating the Jr. NBA Global Championship, a program that aims to teach game fundamentals, as well life skills and values that can be used in basketball and away from the game.
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“I am very excited and thankful for the opportunity to coach the Chicago Bulls. Everyone back in Ames knows what Iowa State means to me and my family. I am closing a special chapter in my life and beginning a new one here in Chicago,” said Hoiberg. “Being a head coach in the NBA has always been a goal of mine and to be able to do it at this time with the Bulls was the right fit for me. Having played in the league for 10 years, and then worked in a front office of an NBA team for four years, I am ready to begin this next phase of my career and help this team win an NBA Championship.”
Luring Hoiberg out of his beloved Ames, Iowa, and the tremendous comfort zone he has in the college game doesn't figure to be so simple. Especially not after Hoiberg so recently found himself hospitalized to undergo his second major heart procedure in the span of a decade. But the Bulls are said to like their chances, presumably thanks to the fact that Hoiberg and Forman -- in stark contrast to Thibodeau's relationship with management -- are said to be good pals. Friends to the point that, as legend has it, Forman bought Hoiberg's old house in Chicago.
If Thibodeau and the Bulls, indeed, parted ways, it would set off shockwaves in the coaching business. Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg is widely believed to be the Bulls' preferred replacement, but who would replace him in Ames, Iowa? There's a growing belief that Iowa State would try to lure another Cyclones great from the NBA: Suns coach Jeff Hornacek, currently making less than Hoiberg's average salary with less security than college jobs offer.
The NBA is coming to Wells Fargo Arena for the first time, and it's bringing one of the state's biggest superstars. The Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors will play an NBA preseason game at 7 p.m. on Oct. 16 in downtown Des Moines. The announcement will be made during a Thursday morning press conference at the Iowa Hall of Pride. Among those expected to be in attendance is Ames native and Golden State forward Harrison Barnes.
Hoiberg elaborated about his bond to Iowa State and his hometown of Ames: "I'm really happy here," he said. "That's what I've said all along. I love that (Iowa State athletic director) Jamie Pollard took a chance on me and gave me an opportunity to get into this business. It's obviously a very special situation for me here, with my parents and my in-laws being in Ames ... It's great to have family in town. It's so unique that we have that. It's a special situation here. My kids are able to see their grandparents every day if they want to." "I do get asked about (coaching in the NBA) a lot. It's hard to hide from some of it with social media the way it is now. But the thing I'll tell you is that I am really happy here right now."
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Fred Hoiberg will remain the symbolic Mayor of Ames a while longer. The highly successful Iowa State men's basketball coach and the university agreed to a new contract Thursday night, a 10-year deal worth a total of $20 million through 2023. He has a record of 62-39 in three seasons as a head coach. "I wanted to be here," Hoiberg said in a telephone interview after the contract was announced Thursday night. "I'm thankful this deal got done. I'm excited to be the coach of the Cyclones for a very long time."
North Carolina freshman forward Harrison Barnes told Yahoo! Sports he is still undecided on whether to enter the draft. The deadline is April 24. The 6-foot-8, 210-pounder plans to return to his hometown of Ames, Iowa to speak in-depth with his mother before making a decision. Barnes, who had a strong showing in the NCAA tournament, is widely considered a top five prospect after averaging 15.7 points and 5.8 rebounds in the regular season. But a potential NBA lockout would be a big reason for him to stay put in college.
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