Ames Tribune
Five stars raises one-and-done question for Wigginton Page 2 Culture consistency key for Cyclones Page 4 Lard ready to return to the court Page 5
Sunday, November 5, 2017
2017-18 ISU MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW
ISU MEN’S BASKETBALL
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Ames Tribune 2017-18 IOWA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW TABLE OF CONTENTS Five stars raises one-and-done question for Wigginton PAGE 2 Culture consistency key for Cyclones PAGE 4 Lard ready to return to the court PAGE 5 ISU Men’s Schedule PAGE 6 BIG 12: Best and worst case scenarios PAGE 8-9 ISU Men’s Roster PAGE 10
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Sunday, November 5, 2017
Five stars raises one-and-done question for Wigginton By Travis Hines, Sports Editor thines@amestrib.com
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indell Wigginton’s life didn’t change in April, but the conversation about it
did. The Nova Scotia native went from a well-regarded basketball recruit to a premier one when the scouting service Rivals rocketed him up its rankings, pegging him as the 24th-best player in the 2017 class with a five-star status. Fair or not, real or manufactured, such a designation changes the perception of a player and what he’s capable of. Immediate high-level contributions become part of the discussion. Most notably, jumping to the NBA after a single season seems plausible. “It’s been a big conversation ever since the five-star ranking,” Wigginton said. “Obviously, a lot of five stars get projected in the mock drafts, but I’m really not focused on that. “I wouldn’t say it changes (perspective of what’s possible), but obviously, it’s going to be in my mind because before, a couple months ago, I was a top 50 player, a top 100 player. Now it’s, you could be one and done. It’s
obviously changing in my mind, but I’m really just focused on this program and getting wins. “Whatever happens after that, happens.” That’s the approach the whole program is attempting to take. Get Wigginton to his best, and figure out the rest later. “I’m not putting any undue expectations on him,” ISU coach Steve Prohm told the Ames Tribune. “I just want him to play. Right now, all right, what do you need to really work on now that we’re in live practice action? You need to work on how you play in pick and roll, do you need to work on your decision-making more, do you need to work on your shooting more? “So long-term, we can get him really in a good place at Iowa State and obviously help him down the road. He can do some really good things.” • • • Wigginton’s situation is unique, but not altogether unprecedented at ISU. The Cyclones have rarely attracted top-level talent, but have reeled in the likes of Marcus Fizer, Craig Brackins and Royce White, all of whom were high-level prospects coming out of high school.
White joined first-year coach Fred Hoiberg and ISU after transferring from Minnesota, and inherited huge expectations. Despite never playing for the Gophers, there was speculation White, who was ranked No. 19 in the Class of 2009, could go on to be the best player of all-time at ISU once his career was finished. “The pressure (of being highly-ranked) only comes from there being this backdrop of there being a pothole in the street that is you not living up to the expectation,” White told the Ames Tribune. “That’s what creates the pressure. “There just was none of that for me. (Fans’ message was), ‘There’s no potholes here. We’re just excited that you’re here. We don’t usually get players (that highly ranked). We’re just excited about that.’” When White arrived in 2010 and eventually began playing for the 2011-12 season, though, there was a different landscape than exists today. “The internet still wasn’t as big as it is now,” White said. “It wasn’t the beast it is now.” ISU has also grown accustomed to success, having been to six-straight NCAA tournaments
and two Sweet 16s while capturing three Big 12 tournament titles. It’s, without a doubt, the most successful stretch in program history. “The program that I helped rebuild and Fred helped rebuild,” White said, “and the new, more recent Iowa State program has a new expectation because of the continued success over the years since I’ve been there. “In recent years, there have been players that have (set) a substantial standard of playing at high level on the national scale, on the biggest stage. I would be aware of that, but I think Cyclone Nation is more of the school of thought that it’s not that if you don’t live up to Royce or Georges (Niang) or DeAndre (Kane) or Abdel Nader, any of these players, it’s not you versus them.” White, who played one year at ISU before becoming a firstround NBA draft pick, believes ISU fans’ expectations are tinged more with hope and optimism than something more sinister should a player not immediately rise to his recruiting ranking. “We have some of the best fans in the world,” he said. “Anywhere in the world and they were just great toward me coming in my first year being supportive. They were excited more than, ‘If he doesn’t do well, X, Y, Z.’ “I don’t know what it’s like at Kentucky, but my experience at Iowa State, it was never that energy.” • • • Whatever the reaction may
ISU MEN’S BASKETBALL
be if Wigginton isn’t spectacular right from the tipoff, there’s no doubting he will be stepping on to the Hilton Coliseum floor to a fervor of anticipation. “There’s a lot of expectations,” Wigginton said. “I’ve really got to stay humble and do what I’ve got to do on the court. I can’t buy into what other people say. I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do.” What will allow Wigginton to excel early in his career is, in no small measure, an athleticism that his coaches rave about. “When he attacks the rim,” Prohm said, “he’s not attacking to shoot a layup. In practice, he slips the ballscreen, he’s trying to dunk on somebody. “He has explosiveness. He has great strength and size.” That makes Wigginton an intriguing player on both ends of the floor, but it’s offensively where he may be able to contribute most, earliest. “I’m a scorer,” Wigginton said. “I like scoring the ball. I’m not going to say I don’t like scoring the ball for a point guard. I like scoring the ball.” Wigginton’s challenge will be to refine the technical and mental aspects of his game at the collegiate level while playing one of the more tasking positions. “Needs to continue to learn and grow, learn how to play pick and roll, the best read, not picking up your dribble,” Prohm said. “Just the little things.” Putting it all together is what will ultimately decide what the conversation about Wigginton’s
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Sunday, November 5, 2017 3 Rivals rocketed Iowa State recruit Lindell Wigginton up its rankings, pegging him as the 24thbest player in the 2017 class with a five-star status. PHOTO BY NIRMALENDU MAJUMDAR/ AMES TRIBUNE
future becomes by March. “Athletically, he’s very gifted,” ISU assistant Neill Berry, who recruited Wigginton, told the Ames Tribune, “there’s no doubt about that. I think the best thing with him is he wants to learn, he wants to get better. He knows that it is a progression and he knows coming here, it wasn’t just going to click. “It doesn’t just happen that way. I think he is very humble and very eager to earn and get better. If you’ve got that, you’ve always got a chance.” • • • Wigginton’s outlook about his future is no doubt influenced by the fact that future didn’t seem so immediate and apparent throughout his prep career. He’s been a steady riser in the class, but it wasn’t until the very end
when he gained elite status. “I’m glad it came later,” he said. “I don’t want all the pressure on me at the beginning because sometimes players don’t live up to the hype. I’m glad it came late in my (prep) career.” His progression as a prep player accelerated the summer before his senior year at the prestigious Oak Hill Academy. “You knew he was athletically, he was really gifted,” Berry said of his initial evaluation of Wigginton. “When he was playing in the spring and summer, the AAU team was good. They weren’t a nationally dominant team, but there was flashes of, ‘Man, he’s got a chance. If he puts it together, he’s going to be really good.’ “Then you watched him, we saw it more on tape off the under18 championships (with Team
Canada), he played well down there. Then getting back with Oak Hill, I don’t know if the Team Canada thing gave him a lot of confidence, but he just had a different swagger about him going into that last year.” The “why” of things came together for Wigginton are rather simple, he says. “My game kind of elevated to another level because I got more confident as the days and weeks went by,” Wigginton said. “I got more confidence. I think my game got better. “Really just shooting the ball with more confidence, being a leader with more confidence. Just my overall game, I think it upped another level.” • • • That next level means a new level of expectations and possibilities that are rare at ISU. Prohm has coached three point guards who were NBA draft picks in Isaiah Canaan and Cameron Payne at Murray State and Monte Morris at ISU. Canaan and Morris considered going pro early, but ultimately returned. Payne left after his sophomore season and was selected 14th overall. “When it happened with Cameron,” Prohm said, “I knew I had to address this at some point. I knew with Isaiah and Monte, you had to address it.” For Prohm, the discussion about early draft entry isn’t one that’s had in October or November. It’s not a conversation, though, he’s concerned about having.
“As (Wigginton) gets better, good things happen for everybody,” Prohm said. “He’s been great. I think he’s handled this really well. Even with Team Canada this summer, he said, ‘Coach I’ll stay here if it’s best for the team.’ I said, you need to go. You can’t miss out on that opportunity. I think he’s a team-first guy. He wants to win.” Wigginton’s potential is also paramount for ISU this season. As a team replacing four all-Big 12 starters, including the All-American Morris, getting Wigginton playing at a one-and-done level might be what’s needed to extend ISU’s NCAA tournament streak to seven years. Him being great would answer many of the questions that this new-look team is facing. “I just want whatever is best for those guys,” Prohm said. “We need to do what’s best for them. If I don’t agree with it or think they’re putting themselves in a bad situation, I’ll let them know that, but when I know it’s time for me to do as much research to help them, I’ll do that. “That’s a great thing. If these guys have an opportunity to be a lottery pick, I use Cameron Payne as an example, we need to be happy and enjoy that. I want what’s best for those guys.” Wigginton is embracing what’s coming. “I just have to live up to the five-star rating,” he said. “I don’t want people to say, ‘Oh he’s fallen off.’ I just have to live up to it, my expectations.”
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Sunday, November 5, 2017
Culture consistency key for Cyclones The Cyclones have just one starter back in soft-spoken sophomore Solomon Young, left, and two reserves offlast year’s Big 12 tournament championship, Donovan Jackson, right, and Nick Weiler-Babb, center.
By Travis Hines
Sports Editor thines@amestrib.com
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here have been a few constants for the Iowa State men’s basketball program throughout its six-year NCAA tournament run. There has been an abundance of talent, no doubt, as the Cyclones have put together this school-best streak. There’s been shooters and stars. Unsung heroes and quality coaching. The through line for much of the success, though, has been a culture of professionalism that began nearly immediately under coach Fred Hoiberg and continued under Steve Prohm. ISU’s amateur athletes have largely treated basketball as their job, putting in extra hours in the gym and film room that have helped separate them from much of their competition. “I was blessed my last school that guys worked like that,” Prohm told the Ames Tribune, “and you come in and guys are working like that, you’re like, this is perfect. They’ve already got it, and that’s why they’re winning. That’s why those programs won.” That culture, though, probably has never been challenged like it will be this season. Not because of some character flaws or lack of work ethic on the part of its players, but simply because there are fewer players returning, none of whom are stars, than any season since ISU’s first NCAA tournament season of this streak in 2011-12. The roster has three returning contributors and eight newcomers. Turnover at that level makes continuity — in Hilton Coliseum and the Sukup Basketball Complex — a difficulty. “For us to maintain that level, especially with young guys, we’ve got to do that,” Prohm said. “That’s got to be a major emphasis. It was great in the summer, but now when you’ve got a lot going with school and everything, now you’ve got to, really as coaches, we’ve got to help them
PHOTO BY NIRMALENDU MAJUMDAR/AMES TRIBUNE
because some of them are really young. “We’ve got to make sure they’re budgeting their time the right way.” In previous seasons, ISU not only had strength in numbers returning, but also typically all-Big 12 calibre players. Guys such as Chris Babb, Melvin Ejim, Georges Niang, Monte Morris, Matt Thomas and Naz MitrouLong. One roster flowed into the next, with talent and experience rarely taking even a minor dip, especially with the influx of transfers brought in to augment things. This team though, has just one starter back in soft-spoken sophomore Solomon Young and two reserves off last year’s Big 12 tournament championship, Donovan Jackson and Nick Weiler-Babb. The burden will be on them to keep and cultivate a culture that has brought ISU to never before realized heights. “Us three, we have to be real big on trying to get everybody on the same page,” Jackson said, “just because we’ve been in the big games and the Big 12 tournaments and won it. Everybody
is going to look up to us to teach them the ropes. “It’s a big responsibility because you have to hold everybody accountable, and they hold you accountable. It’s us being on top of our game every single day.” The challenge is a welcome one for Weiler-Babb, who has seen the last six years for multiple vantage points. He’s the younger brother of Chris Babb, one of the members of that vaunted first Hoiberg transfer class, played a year at Arkansas, transferred to ISU and redshirted Prohm’s first season and spent last year as a reserve behind Morris, Mitrou-Long, Thomas and Deonte Burton. “I was ready for (a leadership role),” Weiler-Babb said. “The guys last year prepared me for it. Coach Prohm had to sit me down and tell me what he wanted me to do and how he wanted me to do it. That helped a lot. “Naturally as an older guy, you want to take over and make sure the young guys are always understanding, that they’re never left behind in anything we do.” Managing a leadership position for the first time is no easy task, though, especially when it comes
with a major change in your own role, as is the case for certainly Jackson and Weiler-Babb and, to a lesser extent, Young. “Your evaluation, looking at those kids differently now because this is their time to take the next step,” Prohm said. “You can’t have good day, average day; good day, average day. We’ve got to cycle more consistent, good days. “You can’t have the ups and downs because we’re going to have some up and downs with the younger guys. So these older guys have to be consistent in their work every day. You’ve got to challenge those guys to give you more because we need that leadership.” How Weiler-Babb, Jackson and Young embrace their leadership roles will be paramount in how the program moves forward with so many new faces. “I think the great programs, the next guys, this is their opportunity, this has been what they’ve been waiting on,” Prohm said. “When they were frustrated last year about not playing because you’re playing behind three really good senior guards, this is their opportunity now to step up and not necessarily to make a name for themselves but this is their
opportunity to do something special. “Now you’ve got to see them take the next step for us to max out. They have to take the next step, but I think ability wise and character wise, they’ve got that in them to do that and that’s the biggest thing.” Culture is often a fragile thing. It takes years of hard work to create, but just moments of slippage for the cracks to begin to spread. Understanding its importance and how to sustain is critical for any program, but especially one that doesn’t have some of the pillars it is accustomed to in the locker room to keep things standing. ISU’s returners — and certainly its coaches — seem to know the score. “It’s not something that happens overnight,” Jackson said. “It takes time to understand what’s going on here. You see the fans at football games. You see the culture just there. “That’s going to carry over to the basketball season. I think everybody wants to be prepared for that moment when the lights are on and you’ve got thousands of people watching you.”
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Sunday, November 5, 2017 5
Lard ready to return to the court By Travis Hines, Sports Editor thines@amestrib.com
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t’s been a long two years for Cameron Lard. Ruled ineligible to play his senior season after a transfer in his native Louisiana in 2015, he headed west to Houston to finish his high school career at Pro Vision Academy. What was supposed to be a short stay, though, extended when Lard had additional academic work to complete that delayed his arrival in Ames until the second semester of last year. Essentially, it’s been two years since Lard played meaningful, competitive hoops. “It was kind of crazy,” the 6-foot-9 freshman told the Ames Tribune, “but I’m just blessed with the opportunity to be here and finally be able to play. “The toughest thing I’d say was having to sit out. They could have used me in certain different areas (last year). That was the toughest thing.” There was discussion and consideration of using Lard last year despite his tardy eligibility. The Cyclones were talented last year, but relied on a 6-foot-4 Deonte Burton to play power forward, 6-foot-8 freshman Solomon Young at center and inconsistent graduate transfers Darrell Bowie and Merrill Holden as reserves. “It was just a unique situation,” ISU coach Steve Prohm said. “You’re going full-go, it’s January, you’re trying to get your team right, he’s trying to get situated academically and get adjusted to Ames that you didn’t spend a lot of time with him.” Ultimately, ISU decided to have Lard redshirt, allowing him to preserve a full year of eligibility while getting his feet underneath him. Lard, though, was mostly on his own as ISU completed its Big 12 tournament champion and NCAA tournament season. “We’re full-scale going so you can’t slow down for him,” Prohm said. “He was really just trying to get his academics in order here, get adjusted to college life. We really didn’t get invested in Cameron until really this summer.” That put Lard in limbo in his first months on campus. “He was kind of in the middle of nowhere,” junior Nick Weiler-Babb said. “He couldn’t travel. He couldn’t do much. We were in the middle of practice, so even throwing him in practice, he didn’t know what was going on.” Lard has seemingly watched more basketball than he’s played over the last two years. “That was even tougher,” he said, “and then to get here and watch again. But you don’t do anything but learn from it.” That, he says, is the silver lining.
“It got me very prepared for the next season,” Lard said. “Working out, that’s what everybody should want to do. I wasn’t really on my own because I was with (assistant) coach (William) Small in the gym every day.” The learning process continues for Lard even if it comes with the opportunity to actually play this season. “He’s got to understand how much you have to put in,” Prohm said. “That’s the biggest thing. What made some of these (former ISU players) great that have been here, it wasn’t just three to five (o’clock at practice). It’s eight o’clock at night. It’s seven in the morning. That’s where he’s got to understand. “He’s doing better with that, watching film, learning. He can defend the basket. He can really rebound. Now you’ve just got to continue to harp on other stuff, the fundamental part of it, the day to day. He’s got a chance to do some things. He’s got a good future ahead of him if he can get it right.” The amount of playing time Lard gets this season remains unknown, but the role Prohm wants him to play is pretty well defined. “It’s going to be motor, it’s going to be running the floor, he can protect the basket,” Prohm said. “He had a couple blocks the other day (in practice) that were outstanding. He’s got a chance to do some really good things, but I think it’s simple. “Rim run. Stay opposite the ball when the ball’s away from you. Sprint to screen. Rebound like crazy and challenge shots around the basket. If you can do that, he can be productive for us.” It may not be a role that covers a player in glory immediately, but it is an integral one, especially for an ISU team that will be looking to create its identity with eight newcomers. “If you can be selfless, at the end of the day,” Prohm said, “you’re going to get rewarded for it. (NBA draft pick) Kenneth Faried, seven years ago, made a lot of money just by rebounding the basketball and running the floor.” Lard says he’s committed to such a role. “I’m a very good defensive player around the rim because my presence is always noticeable,” he said. “Effort plays and not giving up on the team, just staying with it, even if we’re down 20 points. I can be the man on the bench cheering the team up, bringing everybody’s spirit up and they go in and go on a 25-point streak. “Whatever role they give me to help the team win, I’m going to do that.” A simple approach for a simple goal. “To get here,” Lard said, “and keep the legacy that’s been going on, going on.”
Iowa State’s Cameron Lard is ready to play after a two-year hiatus. NIRMALENDU MAJUMDAR/AMES TRIBUNE
PHOTO BY
Northern Iowa Maryland Eastern Shore Kansas State Texas
Hy-Vee Classic Sat. Dec. 16 Wed. Dec. 20 Fri. Dec. 29 Mon. Jan. 1
Hilton Coliseum Hilton Coliseum Hilton Coliseum
Des Moines
Hilton Coliseum
Sun. Dec. 10
Alcorn State
Hilton Coliseum
Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series Thurs. Dec. 7 Iowa
ESPN2
TBA 6 p.m. Cyclones.tv 8 p.m. ESPNU 5 p.m. ESPN2
TBA
5 p.m. Cyclones.tv
7 p.m.
7 p.m. Cyclones.tv 8 p.m. ESPNU
Hilton Coliseum Hilton Coliseum
Sat. Nov. 25 Mon. Dec. 4
Western Illinois Northern Illinois
Myrtle Beach, S.C. 4:30 p.m. ESPNU Myrtle Beach, S.C. 4 or 6 p.m. ESPNU Myrtle Beach, S.C. TBD TBD
TV 5 p.m. Cyclones.tv TBA TBA 7 p.m. Cyclones.tv
TIME
Puerto Rico Tip-Off Thurs. Nov. 16 Appalachian State Fri. Nov. 17 Tulsa/Western Michigan Sun. Nov. 19 TBA
LOCATION Hilton Coliseum Columbia, Mo. Hilton Coliseum
OPPONENT
Sun. Nov. 5 Emporia State (Exhibition) Fri. Nov. 10 at Missouri Mon. Nov. 13 Milwaukee
DATE
Wed.-Sat. March 7-10 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship Kansas City, Mo.
TBA
ESPNU SPN2 ESPNews SPNU ESPNU ESPNU
TV
Hilton Coliseum 6 p.m. ESPNU Waco, Texas 7 p.m. ESPN2 Lubbock, Texas 8 p.m. ESPNU Hilton Coliseum 1 p.m. ESPN/2 Hilton Coliseum 6 p.m. ESPN2 Manhattan, Kan. 12 p.m. ESPNU Hilton Coliseum 7 p.m. Cyclones.tv Morgantown, W.V. 5 p.m. ESPN/2 Hilton Coliseum 6 p.m. ESPNU Norman, Okla. 8 p.m. ESPN2
West Virginia at Baylor at Texas Tech Oklahoma Kansas at Kansas State TCU at West Virginia Oklahoma State at Oklahoma
TBA
3 p.m. 8 p.m. 2 p.m. 8 p.m. 1 p.m. 6 p.m.
TIME
Wed. Jan. 31 Sat. Feb. 3 Wed. Feb. 7 Sat. Feb. 10 Tues. Feb. 13 Sat. Feb. 17 Wed. Feb. 21 Sat. Feb. 24 Tues. Feb. 27 Fri. March 2
Stillwater, Okla. Lawrence, Kan. Hilton Coliseum Fort Worth, Texas Hilton Coliseum Austin, Texas
LOCATION
Hilton Coliseum
at Oklahoma State at Kansas Baylor at TCU Texas Tech at Texas
OPPONENT
Big 12/SEC Challenge Sat. Jan. 27 Tennessee
Sat. Jan. 6 Tues. Jan. 9 Sat. Jan. 13 Wed. Jan. 17 Sat. Jan. 20 Mon. Jan. 22
DATE
2017-18 IOWA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
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ISU MEN’S BASKETBALL
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Sunday, November 5, 2017
BIG12MEN’SBASKETBALL:
BAYLOR
IOWA STATE
KANSAS
KANSAS STATE
OKLAHOMA
RECORD: 27-8 (12-6) POSTSEASON: Sweet 16 BEST CASE: Manu Lecomte and Jo Lual-Acuil blossom into stars to help build past the loss of Johnathan Motley to the NBA, keeping the Bears in the upper third of the Big 12 and back into the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. WORST CASE: Lual-Acuil doesn’t take to an increased offensive workload, and there just isn’t enough scoring on the roster to keep Baylor’s head above .500 in Big 12 play, meaning a stressful Selection Sunday.
RECORD: 24-11 (12-6) POSTSEASON: NCAA tournament second round BEST CASE: Lindell Wigginton is an instant star, scoring in bunches and elevating the play of his teammates. Nick Weiler-Babb and Zoran Talley develop into reliable wing scorers and defenders, Cameron Lard and Solomon Young become a formidable front court duo and the rest of the roster’s newcomers become important role players. WORST CASE: Wigginton goes through freshman inconsistencies and the rest of the newcomers struggle to adjust as the Cyclones mire through a season in which a .500 record is a chore and an NCAA tournament bid is non-existent for the first time since the 2010-11 season, Fred Hoiberg’s first back at his alma mater.
RECORD: 31-5 (16-2) POSTSEASON: Elite 8 BEST CASE: Devonte Graham takes the reigns from Frank Mason and blossoms into a Big 12 player of the year-caliber point guard, Malik Newman reclaims his career after a false start at Mississippi State and Billy Preston becomes a star for the Jayhawks, who win an astonishing 14th-straight conference title. WORST CASE: Graham doesn’t transition into a goplay player while the rest of the oddly-constructed roster doesn’t quite fit together right, especially up front where Kansas is quite thin, allowing a team such as West Virginia, Texas or TCU to snap Bill Self’s remarkable string of conference championships.
RECORD: 21-13 (8-10) POSTSEASON: NCAA tournament first round BEST CASE: The Wildcats’ Kamau Stokes grows into an all-conference player while Dean Wade and Barry Brown take the next steps in their career as well to keep fans engaged on Bruce Weber’s program despite some rising complaints. WORST CASE: There isn’t enough talent on the roster to overcome the loss of Wesley Iwundu, causing the Wildcats to finish near the bottom of the conference and put Weber’s job in serious jeopardy.
RECORD: 11-20 (5-13) POSTSEASON: None BEST CASE: Freshman point guard and McDonald’s All-American Trae Young is a star from Day 1, Kameron McGusty, Christian James and Kristian Doolittle become more than just role players and Khadeem Lattin is a force inside to get the Sooners back near the top of the Big 12 and in the NCAA tournament after last year’s disappointing season coming off a Final Four trip. WORST CASE: Young isn’t quite as good as advertised while the rest of the Sooners’ core struggles to overcome the loss of do-everything guard Jordan Woodard, putting another sub-.500 season on coach Lon Kruger’s resume.
ISU MEN’S BASKETBALL | Sunday, November 5, 2017
BEST/WORST CASE SCENARIOS
OKLAHOMA STATE RECORD: 20-13 (9-9) POSTSEASON: NCAA tournament first round BEST CASE: The ceiling isn’t very high for the Cowboys in Mike Boynton’s first season, but Jeff Carroll is a bonafide NBA prospect, which may be enough to keep Oklahoma State out of the Big 12 cellar. WORST CASE: Not only do the Cowboys finish in the bottom of the Big 12, but the FBI corruption scandal that saw assistant Lamont Evans get arrested widens to cause even more issues for the program, making it miserable on and off the court in Stillwater.
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TCU
TEXAS
TEXAS TECH
WEST VIRGINIA
RECORD: 24-15 (6-12) POSTSEASON: NIT champions BEST CASE: It really looks like Jamie Dixon has something going in Fort Worth. Vlad Brodziansky is a borderline dominant big man, Jaylen Fisher is a burgeoning star and the Horned Frogs have the appearance of Big 12 contender. The roster isn’t perfect, but this is a team that can contend with Kansas. WORST CASE: Fisher’s knee injury continues to linger, keeping him from reaching 100 percent this season while TCU’s lack of perimeter shooting keeps it from becoming a part of the league’s elite, forcing them more toward the bubbly center of the league.
RECORD: 11-22 (4-14) POSTSEASON: None BEST CASE: Matt Coleman is the point guard that Shaka Smart has so sorely needed in the first two years of his tenure in Austin, and Mo Bamba, a 7-foot freshman, becomes the consensus choice for the top spot in June’s NBA Draft, putting the Longhorns in position to dethrone Kansas as league titlist. WORST CASE: The freshmen aren’t program changers, meaning the roster is better than last year’s 11-22 team, but the results don’t match it, keeping Texas out of the NCAA tournament and turning up the heat on Smart’s seat heading into his third offseason.
RECORD: 18-14 (6-12) POSTSEASON: None BEST CASE: Chris Beard got Texas Tech pointed in the right direction in his first year in Lubbock, and now with a season under his belt and one of the Big 12’s best big men, Zach Smith, in the fold means the Red Raiders have enough talent and experience to push their way back into the NCAA tournament and the Big 12’s upper half. WORST CASE: The defense, which was solid but not great last year, slides, making the Red Raiders vulnerable on that side of the floor and keeping their ceiling depressed, especially at the slow pace at which they play. If the defense isn’t better, the NCAA tournament selection committee may not come calling.
RECORD: 28-9 (12-6) POSTSEASON: Sweet 16 BEST CASE: Jevon Carter becomes a Big 12 player of the year candidate, Esa Ahmad returns from his academics ineligibility at midseason inspired and Daxter Miles morphs into a major difference maker for Bob Huggins, whose Press Virginia style gets him his first Big 12 title. WORST CASE: West Virginia’s bruising style works well on defense, but offensively, in the half-court, it doesn’t necessarily translate, and the lack of shooting on the Mountaineers’ roster keeps them from challenging Kansas, and gets them surpassed by TCU and Texas in the Big 12 hierarchy.
ISU MEN’S BASKETBALL
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Sunday, November 5, 2017
2017-18 IOWA STATE MEN’S BASKETBALL ROSTER
GUARD
FORWARD
GUARDGUARDGUARDFORWARD
NO. 1 NICK WEILER-BABB JR-R, 6 feet, 5 inches 205 lbs, Arlington, Texas
NO. 2 CAMERON LARD FR-R, 6 feet, 9 inches, 225 pounds, Natchitoches, La.
NO. 3 MARIAL SHAYOK * SR, 6 feet, 6 inches, 201 pounds, Ottawa, Ontario
GUARD
FORWARD
GUARDFORWARDFORWARDFORWARD
NO. 13 JAKOLBY LONG SO, 6 feet, 4 inches, 212 pounds, Mustang, Okla.
NO. 23 ZORAN TALLEY JR. JR-R, 6 feet, 7 inches, 190 pounds, Merrillville, Ind.
NO. 24 TERRENCE LEWIS FR, 6 feet, 6 inches, 198 pounds, Milwaukee Wis.
NO. 4 DONOVAN JACKSON SR, 6 feet, 2 inches, 173 pounds, Milwaukee, Wis.
NO. 30 HANS BRASE SR-R, 6 feet, 9 inches, 229 pounds, Clover, S.C.
NO. 5 LINDELL WIGGINTON FR, 6 feet, 2 inches, 188 pounds, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
NO. 12 MICHAEL JACOBSON* JR, 6 feet, 9 inches, 231 pounds, Waukee, Iowa
NO. 33 SOLOMON YOUNG 6 feet, 8 inches, 245 pounds, Sacramento, Calif.
NO. 55 JEFF BEVERLY SR 6 feet, 6 inches, 242 pounds, League City, Texas * REDSHIRTING
ISU MEN’S BASKETBALL
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Sunday, November 5, 2017 11
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ISU MEN’S BASKETBALL
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Sunday, November 5, 2017