Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg to have pacemaker replaced

Iowa State basketball coach Fred Hoiberg is scheduled to have his pacemaker replaced after he says the device started to act up. Hoiberg, 41, was forced to

Iowa State basketball coach Fred Hoiberg is scheduled to have his pacemaker replaced after he says the device started to act up.  

Hoiberg, 41, was forced to retire from the NBA in 2005 after learning he had an aortic root aneurysm, which required open-heart surgery and the insertion of a pacemaker.  

He will have surgery Tuesday morning at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Hoiberg said he was working out Monday with his wife when his heart rate would not elevate. On the advice of his wife, he sought medical attention. 

"I have it checked every six months, and (in) January, the doctor told me I had 14 months left,"

Hoiberg said to USA Today

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"It's not a big surgery," Hoiberg said. "It's very routine for people with pacemakers." What's not routine is that it's his first pacemaker replacement. "It was going to happen eventually," Hoiberg said. "I hope to be released hopefully (Tuesday) or Wednesday." 

Last season, Hoiberg led Iowa State to a 28-8 record, a Big 12 tournament title and a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament, where the Cyclones lost to eventual NCAA champion Connecticut. In four seasons at the school, Hoiberg has a 90-47 record.

-Scooby Axson