'I've got a job to do,' Steve Prohm says as speculation about his future increases

Those looking for greater insight about the future of Iowa State men's basketball and coach Steve Prohm did not find it at the coach’s weekly press conference Monday.

Prohm said that he and athletic director Jamie Pollard have had steady communications, but offered little visibility into whether his future has been part of those discussions as the Cyclones head into the final weeks of the season without a Big 12 victory.

“I speak to Jamie all the time,” Prohm said. “Jamie is a good friend of mine. He’s been a great leader and mentor for me. We speak all the time. Nothing different than in the past.

“We just talk. We meet all the time, talk all the time. Whether it’s text, phone. There’s nothing different. That’s the norm when you have communication.”

The job security of Prohm, who has four years remaining on his contract after this season, has become the central topic around the Cyclones program as it endures its third losing season in the last four years.

Iowa State is 2-15 overall and 0-13 in the Big 12 this season. The 0-13 start to conference play is the worst in school history, and the Cyclones are threatening to match or surpass the longest losing streak in school history (14) with its current skid measuring 12 games.

If the Cyclones do not win another game, it will be just the second time in program history they finished without a conference win (1936-37) and would set the mark for fewest wins in a season in modern history.

Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard has not responded to multiple requests for comment about the men's basketball program in recent weeks.

“There’s nothing to say,” Prohm said when asked if he would like Pollard to speak publicly about the situation. “I’ve got a job to do. I’m coaching my team and trying to finish strong, get these guys over the hump. That’s it.”

More:What we learned: No. 10 Oklahoma 66, Iowa State 56

Iowa State plays at No. 2 and undefeated Baylor on Tuesday (7 p.m.; ESPN+). The Cyclones' last scheduled game of the season is Saturday at home against TCU, but it is expected that up to three games previously postponed due to COVID-19 could be rescheduled to next week.

The questions about Prohm’s future come not only as the Cyclones are stumbling through a possible historically unsuccessful season, but through multiple years of disappointing finishes.

The Cyclones are 18-49 (.315) in the Big 12 over the last four seasons. Their best league finish was fifth in 2019, when they won the league tournament and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. They finished last in 2018, ninth last year and are likely to place last again this season.

Those numbers do not rate favorably for coaches in the Big 12 keeping their positions. 

More:Iowa State men's basketball team remains focused on improvement

Three coaches have been fired in the Big 12 since 2015. Rick Barnes was relieved at Texas in 2015 after going 35-37 in the Big 12 with three NCAA Tournament appearances (one win) in his final four seasons. Travis Ford was fired from Oklahoma State in 2016 after going 32-40 in the Big 12 with three NCAA Tournament appearances in his final four seasons. Trent Johnson went 8-64 with no tournament appearances in his final four seasons at TCU before being fired in 2016.

Pollard issued a public vote of confidence for Greg McDermott in 2010 after the team had gone 18-46 in McDermott’s first four years, leading to intense public speculation about his job security. The month following Pollard’s public statement, McDermott voluntarily left for Creighton, where he has led the Bluejays to five NCAA Tournaments.

Iowa State would owe Prohm a buyout of approximately $5 million if his contract were terminated this offseason. It would come at a time when the athletic department budget is under stress due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pollard reported earlier this winter that a $25 million shortfall was expected, with the department taking on debt to cover the gap.

The Cyclones also came to new contract terms with football coach Matt Campbell. The financial terms have yet to be disclosed, but Campbell was previously making a $3.5 million salary, the largest in school history.

More:Peterson: Iowa State has proven it can hang with the the Big 12's best; it's high time to win

Prohm is the second-lowest paid coach in the Big 12, ahead of Oklahoma State’s Mike Boynton, according to the USA TODAY coaching salaries database. 

His contract was last renegotiated in 2019 after he led the program to its third NCAA Tournament in his first four seasons after taking over after Fred Hoiberg left for the Chicago Bulls. The Cyclones reached the Sweet 16 in Prohm’s first season and the second round of the NCAA Tournament in his second. They won the Big 12 Tournament in 2017 and 2019.