IOWA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW
AMES TRIBUNE NOV. 4, 2018
REDEEM TEAM
HOW THE CYCLONES PLAN TO RETURN TO FORM AFTER A SEASON OF STRUGGLE SEE PAGE 5
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IOWA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW
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IOWA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW
TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 5: Redeem Team; How the Cyclones plan to return to form after a season of struggle PAGE 7: 2018-19 Men’s Basketball Schedule PAGE 8: Wigginton seeks bounce-back and a springboard this season PAGE 10: 2018-19 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Forecast PAGE 11: Iowa State Men’s Basketball Roster
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Expectations return for Cyclones after disappointing season T
he good times came to an end last season for the Iowa State men’s basketball team. The Cyclones had been enjoying a golden age of hoops with six-straight NCAA tournaments, three Big 12 tournament titles, two Sweet 16s and a host of all-time program players who doubled as fan favorites. Things were good. Until they weren’t. The Cyclones made what was an inevitable slide back last season with a roster that finally turned over, leaving them young, inexperienced and light on the talent it takes to compete at the Big 12 level. There’s a reason ISU had never before been to sixstraight tournaments. It’s hard. A step back, at some point, had to happen. ISU is hoping to leap back this season, though. Lindell Wigginton is back
TRAVIS HINES Ames Tribune ne after a strong freshman season and a flirtation with the NBA. Nick Weiler-Babb is healthy and should be a triple-double threat for the second-straight season. Cameron Lard returns with all-Big 12 potential, but also some baggage. Talen Horton-Tucker headlines a serious recruiting class and a pair of high-major transfers help with the talent infusion. It’s unclear if the good times have returned to Ames, but the talent certainly has. Steve Prohm has something to prove after two successful seasons to start his ISU tenure, but it was with Fred Hoiberg’s
players. Last year was a thud. Now with a roster that on paper should be able to compete for an upper-half finish, there will be some pressure on him to produce. Kansas looks like a nationaltitle contender, but the rest of the Big 12 doesn’t appear to be overly formidable. That leaves an door open for a surprise — and the Cyclones’ roster makes them a potential dark horse. Excitement never left Hilton Coliseum despite the losing last year, but expectations were largely absent, at least by midJanuary. They’re back this fall. There are questions. How will the 3-point shooting be? Where will the leadership come from? How does the frontcourt shake out? Can they stay healthy? Ultimately, the Cyclones hope the answers make their Selection Sunday meaningful again.
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IOWA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW | Sunday, November 4, 2018
IOWA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW | Sunday, November 4, 2018
REDEEM TEAM
How the Cyclones plan to return to form after a season of struggle
By Travis Hines
From left, Nick WeilerBabb, Lindell Wigginton and Talen HortonTucker look to turn the Cyclones around after their first sub-.500 season since 2010-11.
Sports Editor thines@amestrib.com
Nick Weiler-Babb was there at the beginning. He was in Louisville, watching from the stands as Iowa State basketball began what would become the most successful era in the program’s more than 100 years of history. He was there, too, when it came to an end. He was in Kansas City, watching from the bench, injured and in street clothes, as the Cyclones lost in the Big 12 tournament to end their season shy of the NCAA tournament after a program-best six consecutive berths in the Big Dance. “Seeing when Iowa State was at its highest of the high and one of the lowest points — of my career, especially — it was good to see it,” Weiler-Babb told the Ames Tribune. “We thought we were entitled to a lot of things. Just seeing that, and being a part of something like that makes me want to win more and get back on top.” The bottom dropped out for the Cyclones last season with a 13-18 overall mark and a lastplace finish in the Big 12 with a conference record of 4-14. It punctuated the end of an era that began with coach Fred Hoiberg’s transfer-powered group, including Weiler-Babb’s brother, Chris,
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PHOTO BY NIRMALENDU MAJUMDAR/ AMES TRIBUNE
of 2011 and continued through to Steve Prohm’s second season of 2017, when a quartet of Hoibergrecruited players won a third
Big 12 tournament title and the seventh NCAA tournament win in six years. It was the first sub-.500 season
since Hoiberg’s 2010-11 debut. That season, though, was the last before ISU’s historic liftoff. Knowing what came next serves
as a retroactive balm for that season. These Cyclones only have the sting from last season. “Last year,” sophomore guard Lindell Wigginton said “it was depressing.” The challenge, then, becomes to find the stride that allowed the Cyclones to go on that unprecedented run. ISU doesn’t have that super-charged transfer class coming in that bouyed Hoiberg. They have an infusion of talent, yes, but their potential success will be built largely by those who suffered through last season. “It teaches you how special winning is,” Prohm told the Ames Tribune, “and how you can’t take that for granted. How hard it really is each and every day, what goes in to winning. We can’t ever take that for granted. “I’ve got to coach these guys better, teach these guys better because you don’t want to let people down. I want to get us back to where we need to be. “Fred laid a great foundation here. We need to carry it on.” While the Cyclones didn’t have the talent to consistently compete in the Big 12 last year, some of their slide to the bottom has to be attributed to not just their youth, but the institutional knowledge — and pride — that is absent in such a situation. See REDEEM on page 9
IOWA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW
2018-19 ISU MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Nov. 6 Alabama State Nov. 9 Missouri Nov. 12 Texas Southern Nov. 19-21 MAUI INVITATIONAL Nov. 26 Omaha Dec. 6 at Iowa Dec. 9 Southern Dec. 15 Drake (Wells Fargo Arena) Dec. 21 Eastern Illinois Jan. 2 at Okla. State Jan. 5 Kansas Jan. 8 at Baylor Jan. 12 Kansas State Jan. 16 at Texas Tech Jan. 19 Okla. State Jan. 21 at Kansas Jan. 26 at Mississippi (SEC/Big 12 Challenge) Jan. 30 West Virginia Feb. 2 Texas Feb. 4 at Oklahoma Feb. 9 TCU Feb. 16 at Kansas State Feb. 19 Baylor Feb. 25 Oklahoma March 2 at Texas March 6 at West Virginia March 9 Texas Tech MARCH 13-16 BIG 12 TOURNAMENT (KANSAS CITY, MO.)
ART BY CARMEN CERRA/AMES TRIBUNE
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Wigginton seeks bounce-back and a springboard this season By Travis Hines, Sports Editor thines@amestrib.com
So much didn’t add up for Lindell Wigginton last season. Yes, the top-25 recruit put up strong statistics, averaging 16.7 points while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range, but when the games were over and he’d return home, he was more often than not faced with something he’d rarely had to confront before. Losing. “I’d never ever lost in my career,” Wigginton told the Ames Tribune. “I was always a winner. Just going to that, it kind of brings you down.” The Cyclones went 13-18 last season with a 4-14 mark in the Big 12. They endured a seven-game losing streak to finish the season. “When we couldn’t get a win in the Big 12,” Wigginton said, “that was a low point. Going to away games and losing, and having to get back on the plane, everybody quiet, nobody talking. That was kind of a low point. “Once you get back to your room, you just want to chill. Don’t talk to anybody. I don’t want that feeling no more, so I’m going to do whatever it takes to win. Last year, it’s something I don’t want to go through again.” Wigginton will go through another season with the Cyclones after considering foregoing his eligibility and turning pro. The 6-foot-2 guard went through the NBA predraft process and did not announce a decision to return to Ames until just hours before the deadline. The NBA wants to see more playmaking, not just scoring out of Wigginton. Can he play point guard, something he struggled to do well last season? His defense needs work,
too. So he’s back with ISU, looking to improve his standing with prospective employers and avoid a legacy of losing at ISU. “I have talked to him about putting those numbers up and win,” ISU coach Steve Prohm told the Ames Tribune, “now your stock and your status goes up a whole other level. I think he does understand that.” It was a lesson that needed learning, however, as Wigginton has always found a correlation between his statistics and team success. That evaporated during his freshman season. “That was strange,” he said. “I’ve never went through that before. Basically, every game I got numbers, we won the game. It was definitely weird because I’d have my numbers, but we lost the game. “I didn’t really care about the numbers. I honestly want to win. That’s all I want to do. Once you win, everybody succeeds.” What Wigginton does care about, he says, was the sinking feeling that would appear after every flight home from cities around the Big 12, with ISU going winless on the road. “It was definitely a realization when you can’t get a win,” he said. “You go to other people’s place, up big at the end of the game and fall short at the end of the game, it’s definitely a realization of how are we going to get this thing done?” So what steps has Wigginton taken? “I think he’s grown in the areas I’ve asked him to grow in,” Prohm said. “First off, he’s really trying to defend, really put pressure on the ball, be a great on-ball defender. I think that’s important. He’s grown in his decision making.” See WIGGINTON on page 9
Iowa State’s Lindell Wigginton drives past West Virginia’s Jevon Carter at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. FILE PHOTO BY NIRMALENDU MAJUMDAR/AMES TRIBUNE
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WIGGINTON: ‘If we win, everything will take care of itself’ Continued from page 8
Decision-making has been one of Wigginton’s weak spots, and the area in which NBA teams will certainly be looking to see improvement. “I spent a lot of time watching film,” he said, “and also a lot
of time getting out here on the court with managers and a lot of our assistant coaches working on my decision making in game-like situations.” Putting up numbers that proved to be empty calories for a team that finished last in the Big 12 has made Wigginton a
REDEEM: ‘It’s tough because we don’t have any four-year guys’ Continued from page 5
Most on the roster simply haven’t won at a high level at this level. Weiler-Babb and Young both were on that 2017 team, but as minor contributors. There was no one really able to connect last year’s team to the success — and how it was achieved — of Royce White, Will Clyburn, DeAndre Kane, Melvin Ejim or Georges Niang. Those players instilled a culture of professionalism and accountability that was the connecting thread year-in and yearout. Winning was important, but the desire and drive to win specifically for ISU was prevailing. That dissipates when there is
not a Niang or Monte Morris to lead the charge — both on and off the floor. “It’s tough because we don’t have any four-year guys in our program,” Prohm said. “It’s hard to imagine. There hasn’t been a guy that’s been here. Solomon is three years. That’s it. “I don’t think people understand how hard it is. It’s extremely hard because I look at the success at where I was before and I look at the success they had here and we were able to piggyback on … when you have great turnover of really good high school kids, and then you’ve got guys like Georges and Matt (Thomas) and Naz (Mitrou-Long) and Melvin Ejim, those guys and
changed player, he says. “It definitely changes my view point,” Wigginton said. “This year, I’m a whole different player. Even coach can tell you. I come with a whole different chip on my shoulder. My mentality every day is just to eat. I want to eat. I want to win. Just win, play in
March Madness. “It’s intense for me, personally. My teammates see it in my eyes every day. When I go up against them, when they go up against me, I’m not a pushover. I know last year wasn’t a good feeling.” If this year produces
something different, the natural question is, will it be Wigginton’s final one in Ames after nearly departing this past spring? “I’m not worried about that right now,” he said. “I just want to win. “If we win, everything will take care of itself.”
they’re turning over and there for extended periods of time and impacting winning, now you’ve really got something special. “Now, these (transfers), they’re coming in and they’re throwing you over the top. They’re getting you from good to great. And that consistency, because you’re not teaching about what Iowa State is. They’ve been here three or four years already. They know. That’s still a process of teaching it.” Maybe the best teacher is Weiler-Babb, who is more connected to ISU’s success than maybe anyone on the staff or roster. He was there at the KFC Yum! Center when the Cyclones knocked off UConn and White gave Kentucky’s Anthony Davis all he could handle in 2012. And just the year before, he watched as his brother sat on the sidelines as ISU bottomed out in
2011, as he, White, Chris Allen and Anthony Booker waited in the wings. There are few who have the perspective that Weiler-Babb has. There are few who understand the stakes of getting the Cyclones back not only to relevancy, but contender status. “It’s kind of holding up to the hype that they created,” WeilerBabb said. “We don’t want to make them look bad. They might have been winning back then, but us now, (people) are going to think, ‘Oh, you went to Iowa State. They’re not doing so well.’ “We want to make them look good. Coach Prohm is the main one telling us that, and I’m kind of relaying it to the guys because I’ve been through it all.” The 2017-18 season was a confluence of roster turnover, internal strife, timing, luck and sometimes just bad basketball. Some
of the factors working against ISU were circumstantial, others were foundational. Did the Cyclones get an education? “I think they learned that if these habits aren’t great, if we don’t play together, if Iowa State isn’t the first priority,” Prohm said, “well, this is what can happen.” The last glory years came after a bottoming out and a quick restock of talent. Can history repeat itself? Or will a slide start? Given how high the Cyclones have been riding, there will be little patience or appetite for a second season of struggle. “I don’t know about pressure,” Prohm said, “but there is, from my mind-set and my personality, I can’t let these people down. They had a great thing going. We’ve got to continue it.”
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IOWA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW
2018-19 Big 12 Forecast (Preseason coaches poll) 1. KANSAS 2017-18:31-8 (13-5) POSTSEASON: Final Four FORECAST: The Jayhawks may have a cloud the size of the federal government hanging over them heading into the season, but they also have what looks to be the best roster in America. Coach Bill Self brings back some key components from last year’s Final Four team while adding transfers Dedric Lawson (a potential Big 12 player of the year), K.J. Lawson and Charlie Moore along with a toptier recruiting class. The Jayhawks are the heavy favorites to win their 15th-straight Big 12 title, and one of the frontrunners to cut down the nets in Minneapolis.
2. KANSAS STATE 2017-18:25-12 (10-8) POSTSEASON: Elite Eight FORECAST: Bruce Weber’s team was having a good but rather unspectacular season before it entered the NCAA tournament and rode a favorable draw all the way to the Elite Eight. Now, the Wildcats bring everyone back, including preseason Big 12 player of the year Dean Wade, to build on that March run. The Wildcats have potential all-league guys in Kamau Stokes and Barry Brown, and plenty of proven contributors. The trick for them is to prove they’re
the real deal and not just the product of a team that benefited from UMBC becoming the first 16 seed to win a game.
3. WEST VIRGINIA 2017-18:26-11 (11-7) POSTSEASON: Sweet 16 FORECAST: Jevon Carter is no longer in Morgantown, but the mentality he brought to the Mountaineers lives on as coach Bob Huggins will again lean on the Press Virginia style that’s rejuvenated his program in the Big 12. Sagaba Konate is probably the best shot blocker in the country, Esa Ahmad is motivated to bounce back after a disappointing junior season and West Virginia will again be relying on a deep bench to blitz opponents. This will be one of the biggest tests yet for Huggins’ system.
T-4. TCU 2017-18:21-12 (9-9) POSTSEASON: NCAA tournament FORECAST: The Horned Frogs’ progress under Jamie Dixon has been swift and successful. The TCU coach and alum put his team in the NCAA tournament for the first time in two decades last season, and it looks poised to back it up again this year. The graduations of Vladimir Brodziansky and
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Kenrich Williams are signficant hits, but getting point guard Jaylen Fisher back after he missed much of last year with injury is a major plus. The Frogs were among the country’s best 3-point shooting teams last year, and they’ll likely be among the leaders again this season.
T-4. TEXAS 2017-18:19-15 (8-10) POSTSEASON: NCAA tournament FORECAST: Shaka Smart’s three years in Austin haven’t produced the outsized results that the hype of his hiring brought, but the Longhorns are talented this season and should have a shot to threaten for a top-three finish. Dylan Osetkowski, Kerwin Roach, Matt Coleman and Eric Davis all return while Jericho Sims looks like a potential pro prospect. It’s unknown if Andrew Jones will play this season after being diagnosed with leukemia in January, but the guard has steadily worked his way back to health and is hopeful he’ll play. Smart is under some pressure to start to live up to expectations, and he’s got the roster to do it this year.
6. IOWA STATE 2017-18:13-18 (4-14) POSTSEASON: None FORECAST: The one thing you can say definitively about the Cyclones this year is that their talent level will be vastly improved. Adding one of the school’s bestever recruiting classes along with transfers Marial Shayok (Virginia)
and Michael Jacobson (Nebraska) is a major infusion to a team that already is returning four starters. Lindell Wigginton’s progression and Cameron Lard’s ability to stay on the straight-and-narrow are two major keys as is the team’s health after battling a multitude of injuries in the preseason. The ceiling is high for Steve Prohm’s group, but there are questions — including 3-point shooting and leadership — that the floor could be easier to find than they’d like.
7. TEXAS TECH 2017-18:27-10 (11-7) POSTSEASON: Elite Eight FORECAST: Chris Beard seems to be the right guy at Texas Tech, but this season may be a step back with Keenan Evans gone to graduation and Zhaire Smith off early to the NBA. Still, Beard seems to thrive with under-recruited and underappreciated players willing to grind out wins, so underestimate them at your own peril. Jarrett Culver could be a breakout star for the Red Raiders with a huge increase in role and a whole heap of talent to try to attack the new job. Look for South Dakota transfer Matt Mooney to be a difference-maker, too.
8. OKLAHOMA 2017-18:18-14 (8-10) POSTSEASON: NCAA tournament FORECAST: The Trae Young Show lasted just one season, but his supporting cast is back for another year in Norman, which may not be reason to celebrate. The knock on the Sooners last year was that
they didn’t surround Young with enough talent, so subtracting the first-ever player to lead the country in scoring and assists while returning that group is probably reason to be nervous about how low the Sooners could sink. Lon Kruger is one of the country’s best coaches, though, so expect him to get the most out of his team.
9. BAYLOR 2017-18:19-15 (8-10) POSTSEASON: NIT FORECAST: There was a time when coach Scott Drew and Baylor had the reputation for getting high-level talent and underachieving with it. That seems to have flipped on its head. The Bears now have won without five-stars, and if they hope to not miss the NCAA tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2006-07, they’ll have to do that in a major way this season. Yale transfer Makai Mason could be the key.
10. OKLAHOMA STATE 2017-18:21-15 (8-10) POSTSEASON: NIT FORECAST: That the Cowboys were competitive in Mike Boynton’s first year at the helm in Stillwater was one of the genuine surprises in the Big 12 last season. That shock probably doesn’t extend to Year 2. The Cowboys simply don’t look to have the personnel to repeat last year’s success, and staying out of the cellar will be a major task for Boynton and Co. — Travis Hines
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2018-19 IOWA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL ROSTER
0 Zion Griffin 6-6 205 lbs FR Darien, Ill.
1 Nick Weiler-Babb 6-5 205 lbs SR-R Arlington, Texas
2 Cameron Lard 6-9 245 lbs SO-R Natchitoches, La.
3 Marial Shayok 6-6 198 lbs SR-R Ottawa, Ontario
4 George Conditt IV 6-10 216 lbs FR Chicago, Ill.
5 Lindell Wigginton 6-2 189 lbs SO Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
10 Nate Schuster 6-4 185 lbs FR Menomonee Falls, Wis.
11 Talen Horton-Tucker 6-4 233 lbs FR Chicago, Ill.
15 Carter Boothe 6-0 193 lbs FR Leon, Ia.
22 Tyrese Haliburton 6-5 172 lbs FR Oshkosh, Wis.
23 Zoran Talley, Jr. 6-7, 198 lbs SR Merrillville, Ind.
24 Terrence 25 Eric Steyer Lewis 6-5 170 lbs FR-R 6-6 203 lbs SO Ames, Ia. Milwaukee, Wis.
33 Solomon Young 6-8 243 lbs JR Sacramento, Calif.
Steve Prohm James Kane Head coach, assistant coach Fourth year, 6041 overall, 26-28 Big 12
12 Michael Jacobson 6-9 230 lbs JR-R Waukee, Ia.
13 Prentiss Nixon 6-2 189 lbs SR Bolingbrook, Ill.
Daniyal Robinson assistant coach
William Small assistant coach
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