Rick Hartzell Quotations

We knew this day would come sooner or later.

When you sit in this chair at this place, you know if you've got great coaches that somebody is going to come in and steal them. It wasn't a shock when I got a call asking permission (to talk to McDermott). It wasn't really a shock when he'd been offered the job. And it wasn't a shock when he took it.

Mac is more of a laid-back, easygoing guy. Pat is the opposite. He's fiery, and pretty excitable. Where they're similar is that they're great people, good family guys. They have gone back to their alma mater and have really enjoyed being there.

We're going to forge ahead with every intention of keeping Mac as our coach.

It might be better. Who knows? We didn't want to lose (McDermott), but everybody acts like we can't move forward, and that's absolutely wrong. I'm energized and excited about this because I think (Jacobson) brings a lot of the same qualities that Mac brought. We just weren't going to blink . . It just felt to me like it was the perfect kind of match for this place.

No one has called me from any place, and that's the absolute truth.

There are a lot of exciting pieces to this game. I think it will be great fun.

It was a little bit of a funeral atmosphere for a day or so. But today is the turning of the page. We wish him well. I love him dearly, he's a great friend and I know (Jacobson) feels the same way. But he's a Cyclone now.

We will not, in this program, take a back seat to anybody. We've had the best basketball program in the state of Iowa over the last three or four years. We have nothing but plans to keep that going.

I don't think with all these people, it's all about the money. I think it's about having a chance to be successful, at a good family place, being paid what's fair and comfortable. And if that's not enough, that's not enough. No hard feelings. I understand.