Iowa State began the season with a coach who'd never coached before and few players anyone outside of Ames had ever heard of.
If only every struggling program was as lucky as the Cyclones.
New coach Fred Hoiberg has pushed all the right buttons in leading his team to an 12-2 start after every one of his peers picked Iowa State to finish last in the Big 12.
The Cyclones might still wind up in the league basement, but Hoiberg looks like the rare coach whose transition to a new gig has been seamless - so far.
''I've enjoyed it. I'm loving what I'm doing,'' said Hoiberg, who left a cushy job in the Minnesota Timberwolves' front office for his alma mater after Greg McDermott jumped to Creighton. ''Anytime you have a group of guys that buys into what you're trying to teach them and go out and play the right way and play unselfishly ... it's a fun group to be a part of.''
Most of Hoiberg's rookie peers aren't having nearly as much fun.
The 56 Division I coaches in their first season with their current school are a combined 310-353 through games played Tuesday, according to STATS LLC.
Wake Forest's Jeff Bzdelik (6-7), DePaul's Oliver Purnell (6-7) and Oregon's Dana Altman (7-5) are mired in the early stages of rebuilding efforts. Auburn's Tony Barbee has his hands full trying to fix the Tigers (5-7), and Alan Major is in a similar boat with Charlotte (6-6).
There have been some early successes, such as Hoiberg, Boston College's Steve Donahue (10-3) and Central Florida's Donnie Jones, who's led the Golden Knights to a 13-0 start and a No. 19 ranking.
But many new coaches face a harsh reality.
New Iowa coach Fran McCaffery jumped from Siena to take over a team that slipped from the middle of the Big Ten pack to a doormat in three seasons under the fired Todd Lickliter. Iowa (7-6) enters Big Ten play with the worst record in the league.
After losing to No. 23 Illinois on Wednesday night, the Hawkeyes host second-ranked Ohio State before a trip to No. 12 Purdue.
''Our players have really bought into what I've asked them to do, and they're battling,'' said McCaffery, who is playing as many as three freshmen in late-game situations. ''I just am proud with how they're fighting for me. I think it bodes well for us as we move into Big Ten play. We're going to need all of that, as good as the Big Ten is this year.''
Wake Forest beat Iowa in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge but has dropped games to the likes of North Carolina-Wilmington and Presbyterian. DePaul got a nice boost when Purnell left Clemson to tackle its rebuilding effort, but started 1-4, including a loss to Cal State-Northridge.
Oregon, which is set to move into the sparkling new Matthew Knight Arena, finished non-conference play with a home loss against Idaho.
In contrast, Hoiberg, Donahue and Jones have made a difficult task look easy.
Donahue inherited a veteran group that had underachieved under Al Skinner. The Eagles have already knocked off Texas A&M, Cal and Maryland, and look like they'll be a factor in the ACC.
Jones made a move within his conference when he jumped from Marshall to Central Florida to replace Kirk Speraw. The Knights have taken off under Jones, beating instate rivals South Florida, Florida and Miami to move into the rankings for the first time.
Central Florida has risen behind a suffocating defense and figures to challenge No. 21 Memphis for the Conference USA title
''These guys have really bought into the day-to-day work ethic as a team,'' Jones said. ''It's really been a lot of hidden stories behind our whole team.''
Hoiberg took over a program rocked by attrition and has molded it into a confident bunch.
Point guard Diante Garrett has blossomed in Hoiberg's quicker offense, transfer Jake Anderson has become indispensable and freshman Melvin Ejim appears on the cusp of big things in the Big 12.
But bear in mind that Iowa State has only played five games against teams on their level: Creighton, Northern Iowa, Iowa, California and Virgina - and finished 3-2.
Still, Hoiberg has the Cyclones off to their best start in 16 years.
''I look at those two losses and I think those are games we should have won. But it keeps us going and we're going to keep fighting,'' Hoiberg said. ''Hopefully that gives us a chance on any given night.''
