Fred Hoiberg to be Chicago Bulls next coach

Jeff Zillgitt | USA TODAY Sports

Show Caption Hide Caption What Fred Hoiberg to the Bulls means Fred Hoiberg excelled at the college level? Can he do the same in the NBA, where he was a highly-accurate long-range shooter?

The Chicago Bulls have reached a deal with Fred Hoiberg to be their next coach, and Hoiberg, who has been the coach at Iowa State since 2010, will be introduced officially at a news conference Tuesday afternoon, a person familiar with the development told USA TODAY Sports.

The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the hire until it was announced by the team.

Hoiberg took a private plane from Ames, Iowa to Chicago on Monday and told reporters at the Iowa airport that a deal had not been finalized. But finalizing it was a mere formality.

"This is one of my life goals is to coach in that league," Hoiberg said.

The Bulls have long had their eyes on Hoiberg, who played for them from 1999-2003 and is close with Bulls general manager Gar Forman.

Forman was an Iowa State assistant when Hoiberg played there, and he bought Hoiberg's Chicago area home a few years ago. It's no secret the Bulls planned to pursue Hoiberg once they dismissed Tom Thibodeau. The Bulls fired Thibodeau last Thursday.

Forman said the Bulls were looking for a coach "who's a leader, who's got great communication skills, who's got excellent knowledge of the game of basketball, someone that's an open and creative learner."