'This feels poetic:' After 4 years apart, twins Sam and Charlie Hoiberg are together again

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'This feels poetic:' After 4 years apart, twins Sam and Charlie Hoiberg are together again

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Nostalgia transports Fred Hoiberg back to Ames, Iowa.

This is how he remembers his youngest children, identical twin boys Sam and Charlie — ditching their basketballs for impromptu combat sports.

As second-graders, Sam and Charlie were the last two standing in a knockout game during one of Fred’s Iowa State basketball camps. After both made more than 10 shots in a row, Charlie finally missed an attempt — and Sam’s arms shot up in celebration. His prize for winning? Charlie threw a basketball at his head.

Fred remembers the ball hitting Sam in the back of the head. Sam remembers Charlie chucking the basketball at him, but couldn’t remember if he’d been hit or not. Sam did remember, though, that the thrown ball incited a fist-fight and that Charlie had to be taken to Fred’s office to sit in timeout. Charlie swears he remembers none of it, suggesting that Sam could be making the entire thing up.

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“They’re best friends and biggest enemies,” Fred said with a laugh. “They love each other, but man, when they competed, you just hoped it ended in a tie.”

Charlie Hoiberg, left, and Sam Hoiberg, snuggle while sleeping in an undated family photo.

Carol Hoiberg, Courtesy Photo

As children, the two were inseparable — forming their own gibberish language as babies. As teenagers, they shared a bedroom until their sophomore year of high school — because they chose to. They didn’t spend a single day apart until they were juniors at Pius X.

But they needed to carve their own paths — with Charlie heading to TCU for his undergrad years and Sam remaining in Lincoln to play for Fred.

Four years after going their separate ways, they’re together again.

Charlie joined Nebraska’s staff over the summer as a graduate manager, and Sam is in his final year of eligibility — becoming his father’s first-ever fifth-year player at either Iowa State or Nebraska.

“Everything feels like a last,” said Paige, the oldest of the four Hoiberg children. “We’re all going to be pretty emotional when it ends. That’s why it’s so special for Sam and Charlie — being together for their last year. This feels poetic. It’s Sam’s last year playing for Nebraska. Charlie’s there. My dad’s coaching. It just feels right.”

Charlie Hoiberg, graduate manager, left, and Sam Hoiberg, Nebraska men's basketball player, before a college men's basketball exhibition game against Midland at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.

NIKOS FRAZIER,THE WORLD-HERALD

— THE HOIBERGS —

Sam Hoiberg is two minutes older than Charlie.

Sometimes, even now, Sam holds it over Charlie. Charlie boasts that he’s taller and that he’s a better golfer — even though Sam’s handicap is currently lower.

The two brought out the worst in one another.

Everything was a fight. Everything was a competition — even things as mundane as walking down the driveway. Both had to be right. Both had to be the best. If one was playing better, anger from the other followed, which resulted in thrown golf clubs or basketballs and/or punches.

Fred knew from the beginning that his sons possessed his competitive spirit.

Sam Hoiberg, left, and Charlie Hoiberg smile for a photo as infants in 2003.

Carol Hoiberg, Courtesy Photo

When the twins were 5, Fred received a phone call from his wife, Carol. She, through tears, explained that Charlie had either punched or karate-chopped Sam during or after a basketball game — the specific details blur. Their coach ran out and separated them. Fred was embarrassed for his wife, but he admits he gave a little fist pump in celebration of the boys finding their spark.

“It was very challenging as a mom and parent to channel that,” Carol said, “but it has driven them to places I don’t think they’d get if they didn’t have each other pushing each other.”

The two brought out the best in one another.

If one did push-ups in their room, the other would join in — making sure they did the same amount so one twin wouldn’t be stronger than the other. They were each other’s biggest cheerleaders and loved rooting for their dad’s Iowa State teams together.

“We probably have a little more understanding to each other than most other sibling relationships would have,” Charlie said. “It’s just like to another level than others, because, I mean, we shared the womb together and spent every waking second together our entire lives.”

Of all their shared lived experiences, their favorite is Iowa State’s back-to-back Big 12 Tournament championships in 2014 and 2015. Sam and Charlie cutting down nets with Fred after both titles are treasured memories.

The photo from the second championship game is proudly displayed in the Hoibergs’ basement.

“Having the twins up on that ladder and then they sat in the press conference with me,” Fred said, “that was a pretty special moment.”

Iowa State Fred Hoiberg with his sons Sam and Charlie cut down the net after winning an NCAA college basketball game against Kansas in the finals of the Big 12 Conference tournament Saturday, March 14, 2015, in Kansas City, Mo. Iowa State won 70-66. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Charlie Riedel

Three months after the 2015 season, the Chicago Bulls lured the Mayor out of Ames. While Paige was off to college that fall, Jack was about to enter his junior year of high school. Sam and Charlie were in middle school.

When Fred’s Bulls tenure ended on Dec. 3, 2018, Sam — a son protective of his father — was ready for that chapter to end. It almost came as a relief because he no longer had to worry about hearing overwhelmingly negative things about his dad.

“You had to detach,” Sam said, “or else you would have been pissed off all the time. That taught me a lot growing up — not to be too attached to it because it’ll literally ruin your week if you lose a couple of games. That’s been good for me, as a player now, not to get too emotional over losses and move on quicker.”

Two silver linings came from Fred’s ouster.

One: A new dog, Louie, came into the picture. Two: Fred helped with the twins’ AAU team, Breakaway.

“That was fun, because he was never able to coach us before,” Charlie said, citing NCAA regulations. “It was nice because he wasn’t our actual coach. He would come in during practice and put in the system. It was really cool just having him there and seeing the genius of his game.”

Fred Hoiberg (center) poses for a selfie with his family after winning the Big 12 Tournament in 2014, along with sons, from left, Jack, Charlie and Sam; daughter Paige (center) and wife, Carol.

Carol Hoiberg,Courtesy Photo

Before Fred drew up new offensive concepts for Breakaway, the team was either 0-4 or 1-4 — depending on which twin you ask — through the first two tournaments.

After? They won 40 games in a row.

“It was fun to see the success that team had,” Fred said. “They weren’t the most talented, most athletic, tallest, but they played together and it was a lot of fun to see the success those guys had.”

But Fred’s respite didn’t last long. On March 30, 2019, he was named Nebraska’s next men’s basketball coach.

— FRED AND SAM —

This wasn’t the plan.

Sam Hoiberg knew from a young age that he wanted to play either golf or basketball in college. Basketball became the focus after his sophomore season went well, and coaches from smaller Division I programs began reaching out.

The Hoiberg twins transferred to Pius X for their junior year, and Sam had a breakout season — averaging 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Sam was primed for a standout AAU season, but COVID-19 shut everything down, effectively ending his recruiting process.

Lincoln Pius X's Sam Hoiberg (left) celebrates his three-pointer against Lincoln North Star with Charlie Hoiberg during the first half of a Heartland Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal game Thursday at Northeast.

JUSTIN WAN, Journal Star

He had one FaceTime visit with Concordia. Colgate, a small Division I program in New York, was also interested, but the Raiders’ head coach never got to see Sam play. An offer never came.

While Charlie decided on TCU quickly and was accepted on early decision, Sam entered his senior year undecided. Eventually, Sam asked his mom if he thought his dad would be interested in having him on the roster. Fred was open to the idea, but he wanted Sam to wait a little longer to see if any schools would jump in late. That didn’t happen.

“I ended up not getting any offers, so I was like, ‘This is what I want to do,’” Sam said.

Sam made up his mind in late March, before announcing in April, just before he went to golf practice. Afterward, he returned to thousands of notifications.

Initially, Sam came to Nebraska thinking that he’d be a scout-teamer for two seasons — working on his game and practicing against Big Ten-caliber athletes. After that, he planned to transfer to a smaller program that was better suited to his size and skill set.

“And then, obviously, things changed,” Sam said.

Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg and his son Sam cut down the net after Iowa State won the Big 12 men's tournament with a 74-65 victory over Baylor in an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, March 15, 2014, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Charlie Riedel

— PAIGE AND CHARLIE —

Sam and Charlie were in disbelief.

How could their older sister, Paige, go to the University of Kansas?

They’re an Iowa State family. Why would she do this — especially since a loss to Kansas once moved a young Charlie to tears, and his reaction was shown on SportsCenter?

“We did not like that Paige was going to Kansas at all,” Sam said. “We weren’t happy with it. We were like, ‘Why? Why Kansas? Of all places?’” Charlie added, “The initial reaction was, ‘KU sucks.’ I was like, ‘Why would she go to Kansas? It’s so weird.’”

Ten years later, Paige laughs.

Her dad was actually the one who encouraged her to visit Kansas in the first place.

“They were so angry at me,” Paige reflected. “But the reason I went to Kansas was because I was like, ‘I need to get out of this bubble of being Fred Hoiberg’s daughter. I need to meet new people. I need to create my own path.’”

For all the flak Paige received from her little brothers and the Iowa State fan base, charting her own course helped pave the way for her siblings to do the same.

Paige could have played college basketball. At first, she wanted to. She had the talent. Of all four of his children, Fred says that Paige was the most athletically gifted. But AAU didn’t work out, so she chose to attend college as a student rather than a student-athlete.

Sam Hoiberg, left, and Charlie Hoiberg, pose for a photo while wearing Iowa State football gear.

Carol Hoiberg,Courtesy Photo

So, years later, when Charlie toyed with the idea of going out of state for college and not playing basketball or golf, Paige knew what to say.

It’s OK not to play a sport. I know it’s all we’ve known, but you can be a regular student. You have permission to be your own person.

Paige encouraged Charlie to go through rush, just like she had. Paige found her place in Chi Omega, and Charlie landed with TCU’s chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon.

“I wanted him to know that he could go out there and do his own thing and make his own friends and pave his own life without basketball,” Paige said.

Charlie missed basketball. The revelation didn’t hit him at first. But once Sam carved out a role for himself in 2023, Charlie’s longing for the sport washed over him like a tidal wave. Watching Sam succeed made the game fun for him again — even if Charlie resided more than 600 miles away.

As Nebraska continued to win in February, coaching began to enter Charlie’s mind.

“‘I feel like I’d be stupid not to try it,’” Charlie reflected. “‘If I don’t like it, I don’t like it. But I’ll at least give it a go.’”

Using family and fraternity connections, Charlie reached out to TCU coach Jamie Dixon — notably in the infamous Infinity Coaches Charity dance-off commercial alongside Fred — to see if the Horned Frogs needed another manager.

Both Fred and Paige had the same reaction to Charlie’s career pivot: “Are you sure?”

“Paige wasn’t convinced that I would like being a manager, because being a manager isn’t the most glorifying job, right?” Charlie said. “It’s not fun, but I knew that too. She was like, ‘Don’t throw away your college social life for that. Make sure you have a balance.’ She gave me good advice on it. ‘These are four years that you’re not going to get back.’

“But if I wanted to get into coaching, it was something I had to do.”

Charlie Hoiberg, Nebraska men's basketball graduate manager, passes the ball during a basketball practice in Lincoln on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025.

NIKOS FRAZIER,THE WORLD-HERALD

— JACK AND SAM —

Sam Hoiberg began to shake.

The Nebraska guard couldn’t remember how to tie the red laces on his white Adidas sneakers. While Sam knelt at the scorer’s table ahead of checking in for Nebraska’s game against Northwestern in January 2023, he couldn’t think straight — as if he were having an out-of-body experience.

After checking in for Keisei Tominaga, he tried to tuck in his white jersey. His jittery hands couldn’t get it adjusted right.

“I didn’t know what I was doing for a moment there,” Sam reflected, watching the film back. “I remember running around in there, and I didn’t touch the ball for the first couple of possessions. I was just out there. I was like, ‘Oh my God. What’s going on?’ I really didn’t feel like I was playing basketball.’”

Two minutes later, Sam took advantage of an errant left-handed hook shot from teammate Wilhelm Breidenbach. The ball sailed long — missing the rim — and Sam grabbed the offensive rebound before the ball hit the ground and laid it in for the second field goal of his career.

Nebraska's Sam Hoiberg (right) drives toward the rim past Northwestern's Brooks Barnhizer on Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

LARRY ROBINSON Journal Star

How did Sam end up in this position? Playing meaningful minutes in a Big Ten game?

Devastating injuries in quick succession to culture-bearing starters Juwan Gary and Emmanuel Bandoumel. Gary sustained his shoulder injury against Illinois on Jan. 10, and Bandoumel sustained a serious knee injury at Penn State on Jan. 21.

When Bandoumel went down, Sam went over the depth chart in his head. Fred did, too.

Fred wasn’t planning on saying anything to Sam, but when his son walked near him on the plane ride back to Lincoln, Fred called him over.

“I said, ‘Be ready. You’re going to be in a role, potentially,’” Fred recalled. “I still didn’t know if I was going to play him.”

Upon landing in Lincoln — well after midnight — Sam headed straight for the practice gym and put up what he estimates was 1,000 shots.

“I just got in a groove thinking about playing,” Sam said. “I was like, ‘I’m gonna be ready to go if I’m gonna get this chance. It’s do or die. If I don’t do well, I’m not gonna go back in. If I do, I’ll keep getting opportunities.’”

Charlie Hoiberg, left, smiles at his older brother, Jack Hoiberg, while playing basketball as Sam Hoiberg looks on from the background in an undated family photo.

Carol Hoiberg,Courtesy Photo

Sam knew he had someone on speed dial who could help him: His older brother, Jack, a former Michigan State walk-on. If anyone knew what Sam was going through, Jack would.

They spent hours on the phone. Their conversations ranged wildly, but Jack’s advice circled back to one core premise: keeping Sam’s confidence high.

“Physically, he’s gifted enough to where that wasn’t going to be a huge issue for him,” Jack said. “But, the main message was, ‘You belong.’ And, ‘You have to act like you belong.’ And, ‘You don’t have to prove anything to anyone.’

“Growing up, a lot of times it was ‘Your dad played in the NBA. Your dad coached in the NBA.’ A lot of times, people think you’re only in this situation because of your father. But my whole message to him was, ‘That’s not true. You’re here because you deserve to be playing. You’re going to play because you deserve to play.’”

Sam played in at least 10 minutes for every game the rest of the season — cresting up to 37 minutes in the overtime victory against Maryland.

Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg watches the game while Sam Hoiberg (right) waits to check in against Rutgers on Jan. 16, 2025, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

KENNETH FERRIERA, Journal Star file photo

In that game, Sam preserved the victory for the Huskers after he scooped the Terrapins’ in-bounds pass with 34 seconds remaining and laid the ball in to give NU a 3-point lead. Sam finished with nine points, six rebounds and two steals.

“We went on that stretch and I played great,” Sam said, referencing how he had 11 points, two steals and six rebounds in the following game against Minnesota. “That was some of the most fun basketball I played was during that stretch. It was fun to play that free.”

In the two seasons since, Sam has been a vital piece for Nebraska.

He knows his stats don’t jump off the page — 3.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 0.9 steals per game in 2023-24 and 3.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game in 2024-25 — but he prides himself in making a difference.

When fans of opposing schools try to use his stats to bring him down, he brushes it off.

“Just look at the record of when I started playing versus before I started playing and you’ll see why I play,” Sam said. “That’s the biggest thing that I can say about why I play at a Big Ten school. I do believe I’m skilled. I know I am. It’s how I impact winning.

“My best skill is playing harder than the other person, getting loose balls and being smarter. That translates to winning.”

It’s been nearly three years since Sam began carving out his on-floor role. While he deserves credit for the work, he defers a lot of the praise to Jack.

“Having him as a resource when I was about to play was probably one of the most important things,” Sam said.

When told of how Sam praised him, Jack gave the love right back.

“I tried to give him the tools,” Jack said. “If I could go back and re-experience this thing, this is the mentality that I would go in with. He took whatever I told him and ran with it. He’s done so much better than I could have ever hoped and imagined for myself and for him. I’m super proud of him.”

— FRED AND CHARLIE —

Charlie Hoiberg has never lost an argument — much to the frustration of his parents and siblings.

That’s why his family members thought law school was the perfect path.

“Charlie’s so argumentative that I would get sick of arguing with him,” Sam said. “I used to be very argumentative too, and I’m not really anymore. And he still is. He broke that down out of me. That’s where I’m like, ‘You need to be a lawyer.’”

But after spending two years as a student manager for TCU’s men’s basketball team, Charlie set his sights on being a graduate assistant. At first, he didn’t want to come back to Nebraska and discussed potential options with his mom.

“One thing I don’t want to do is ride the coattails of my dad,” Charlie said. “I had to think about it like — some people look at it one way, which doesn’t bother me anymore, especially being a coach’s kid. Who cares what anyone says? But I didn’t want it to be like, ‘Oh, well, he’s just here because of his dad.’”

Fred had concerns, but that wasn’t chief among them. Instead, Fred worried about whether this was the path Charlie truly wanted to go down.

For every happy memory like the ones they have together — like cutting down the nets after winning the Big 12 Tournament — there are a host of challenging moments to navigate, like when people would say creepy things about Paige, or when fans sent the middle-school-aged twins direct messages about their dad, or when opposing fans chanted “Fire Hoiberg” at the Hoiberg boys’ games at Hinsdale.

“‘If you want to do this, you have to have very thick skin,’” Fred said of his conversation with Charlie. “‘You’ve seen it on both sides. You’ve seen the highs of it and the lows of it. Are you sure? You’ve seen it now. You’ve seen how tough this thing can be.’ And he said, ‘Yeah. It’s my passion. It’s what I want to do.’”

Charlie convinced Fred and joined Nebraska’s staff as a graduate manager in June.

Even though the season has yet to arrive in full swing, Charlie believes he’s made the right choice.

“It’s still early, obviously, but I can confidently say that I’ve absolutely loved being here and I’m very happy with my decision to continue with basketball,” Charlie said.

Fred Hoiberg poses for a photo with his children, from left, Paige, Jack, Charlie and Sam, as they celebrate Fred's birthday.

Carol Hoiberg,Courtesy Photo

— FRED, SAM AND CHARLIE —

Carol is making an exception.

She doesn’t like attending true road games. At all. Opposing atmospheres, with everyone else cheering against her husband and sons, aren’t her favorite thing. But for the 2025-26 season, she’s going to do her best to attend as many games as she can.

“This is the last year this is ever going to happen,” Carol said. “Because this is Sam’s last season and Charlie’s there with Fred, I want to take in every moment I can and enjoy every second of it.”

The three of them together? That’s the catalyst behind Charlie wanting to work at Nebraska in the first place.

He gets to live with Sam. He sees his mom often. He’s working with his dad.

He, after all these years, finally gets a front-row seat to what he’s been watching from afar.

“Sam doing what he’s done with living out both of our dreams has been the coolest thing in the world for me,” Charlie said. “I’m his biggest cheerleader, more than anything, with this. I would expect some people to probably be like, ‘Well, don’t you wish you did what he did?’ I’ve never once felt that way. I’m happy with what I did. I don’t regret it. I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

The Huskers have ambitious goals for the 2025-26 season.

After having qualified for the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in a decade two years ago, the Huskers have their sights set on another one. The pieces are there to make it happen.

“I talk about the joy you get from winning for your dad’s team and being a part of it. Now that he’s a part of it, too, I think that’ll be really, really fun,” Sam said. “I’m playing as good as I probably have ever played. And it’s not just me. We have good chemistry and there’s lots of shooting — it feels like a Fred Hoiberg team, that’s for sure.

“I’m not going to be satisfied if we don’t get a tournament win, but that’s what I’m looking forward to – having that overall joy and being able to share it with Charlie.”

Charlie is elated to be with his family, too.

He couldn’t have imagined anything better than this.

“I’m never going to regret this for the rest of my life,” Charlie said. “Down the line, I’ll never be like, ‘God, I wish I didn’t spend two years at home working with my dad and my brother every single day.’ At the end of the line, if I don’t get into coaching, if I quit after my two years as GA, that’s not gonna be something I ever regret.”

Then Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg, right, and his sons Charlie, left, and Sam, look on during practice at the NCAA Tournament in 2015. All three are together again with Nebraska this season.

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Hoiberg story, 10.29

Then Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg, right, and his sons Charlie, left, and Sam, look on during practice at the NCAA Tournament in 2015. All three are together again with Nebraska this season.

Fred Hoiberg poses for a photo with his children, from left, Paige, Jack, Charlie and Sam, as they celebrate Fred's birthday.

Lincoln Pius X's Sam Hoiberg (left) celebrates his three-pointer against Lincoln North Star with Charlie Hoiberg during the first half of a Heartland Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal game Thursday at Northeast.

Charlie Hoiberg, graduate manager, left, and Sam Hoiberg, Nebraska men's basketball player, before a college men's basketball exhibition game against Midland at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.

Iowa State Fred Hoiberg with his sons Sam and Charlie cut down the net after winning an NCAA college basketball game against Kansas in the finals of the Big 12 Conference tournament Saturday, March 14, 2015, in Kansas City, Mo. Iowa State won 70-66. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Sam Hoiberg, left, and Charlie Hoiberg, pose for a photo while wearing Iowa State football gear.

Charlie Hoiberg, Nebraska men's basketball graduate manager, passes the ball during a basketball practice in Lincoln on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025.

Sam Hoiberg, left, and Charlie Hoiberg smile for a photo as infants in 2003.

Fred Hoiberg (center) poses for a selfie with his family after winning the Big 12 Tournament in 2014, along with sons, from left, Jack, Charlie and Sam; daughter Paige (center) and wife, Carol.

Charlie Hoiberg, left, smiles at his older brother, Jack Hoiberg, while playing basketball as Sam Hoiberg looks on from the background in an undated family photo.

Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg watches the game while Sam Hoiberg (right) waits to check in against Rutgers on Jan. 16, 2025, at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Nebraska's Sam Hoiberg (right) drives toward the rim past Northwestern's Brooks Barnhizer on Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg and his son Sam cut down the net after Iowa State won the Big 12 men's tournament with a 74-65 victory over Baylor in an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, March 15, 2014, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Charlie Hoiberg, left, and Sam Hoiberg, snuggle while sleeping in an undated family photo.