Iowa State Basketball: Cyclones season review

A season filled with headaches left Iowa State basketball fans in a tizzy, but the team rallied to a respectable finish in the Sweet 16.

New Iowa State head coach Steve Prohm inherited a roster brimming with talent, but the former Murray State head man had no time to integrate to the job after taking over in June.

The Cyclones lost its starting shooting guard eight games into the season and had two different incidents where players didn’t follow his lead and were suspended. Even with multiple struggles such as these, Iowa State still finished 23-12 overall and 10-8 in Big 12 play (fifth place).

The team’s best wins outside of tournament play were over then-number one Oklahoma at home and Kansas at home a week after that. Unusual home losses to West Virginia and Baylor kept ISU from sticking with KU and Oklahoma in the regular season race, but the Cyclones still beat 10 tournament-bound teams. They also didn’t lose to a single opponent outside the RPI top 100.

For postseason accolades Georges Niang led the way with First Team All-Big 12 nomination and was the Karl Malone Award winner for the nation’s top power forward. Monte Morris was Second Team as one of America’s best point guards. Jameel McKay, Matt Thomas, and Abdel Nader rounded out Honorable Mentions, and Deonte Burton was ISU’s fourth Newcomer of the Year in five years.

Overall, the record wasn’t what fans wanted given the talent in stock, but a Sweet 16 finish and numerous awards coming to Ames mean that this season was, at minimum, a moderate success.

Final Season Grade: B+

So, what’s next in Ames?

Players Gone:

G – Jordan Ashton (1.0 ppg)

F – Abdel Nader (12.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.1 spg)

F – Georges Niang (20.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.3 apg)

C – Jameel McKay (11.1 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 1.7 bpg)

There is no way to overstate how much the graduating forwards take with them. Niang was truly un-guardable this past year from any position. Nader doubled his production going into his senior year and became one of the Big 12’s most versatile perimeter players.

McKay had some conflicts with coach Prohm and was briefly benched on two separate occasions, but was still a quality interior player when he stayed within himself. Rounding out the departures for now is eighth-man, Ashton. The former JUCO All-American never found a place among ISU’s guard corps and will be transferring out as a graduate. Every one of these guys had a following and will be missed next year.

Players Returning:

G – Monte Morris (13.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 6.9 apg, 1.8 spg)

G – Naz Mitrou-Long (12.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.9 apg)

G – Matt Thomas (11.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.7 apg)

G – Hallice Cooke (2.6 ppg)

G – Deonte Burton (9.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg)

Morris and Thomas are the biggest consistent returners from this group after being among the Big 12’s steadiest guard duos. Mitrou-Long’s hips shut down his season after just eight contests, so a medical redshirt for ISU’s most dynamic sniper is huge.

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Even Cooke showed some splash in limited minutes and could be in line to play a bigger role after a full offseason with the coaching staff. Burton is a bit of a wildcard right now while he tests the NBA waters, but otherwise the Cyclones will transition from versatile forwards to a loaded perimeter.

I will also mention forwards Simeon Carter and Brady Ernst from last season’s team as the only big men left.

Neither saw much action, but each has potential after a summer in the weight room to help the guards.

Who’s new:

G – Jakolby Long (6’5″, 210 lbs, ESPN 100 #100)

G – Donovan Jackson (6’2″, 175 lbs, transfer from Iowa Western [IA] CC)

G – Nick Weiler-Babb (6’5″, 201 lbs, transfer from Arkansas, sat out 2014-15)

F – Solomon Young (6’6″, 215 lbs)

F – Cameron Lard (6’9″, 210 lbs)

F – Emmanuel Malou (6’9″, 209 lbs, transfer from DMACC [IA] CC)

F – Darrell Bowie (6’7″, 220 lbs), transfer from Northern Illinois)

Before I talk about this group’s potential, I must first mention the pieces in motion. Malou is testing the NBA waters in case the NCAA doesn’t like his academic progress from junior college. Jackson is rethinking his commitment after his lead recruiter took the head gig at South Dakota State. Those are both developing situations with big repercussions for next year, but there is a strong likelihood they both go to ISU.

There is still a lot of unpack with so many fresh faces (and too few scholarships to share). Bowie jumps in after shoulder injuries derailed his career at NIU and will look similar to former forward Dustin Hogue. Weiler-Babb (brother of former Cyclone Chris Babb) slots in as a bench player, but has good size to back up the wings.

Jackson is a rock star of a point who broke his wrist at IWCC, but will play a lot of two point guard lineups next to Morris. Malou is a legitimate NBA prospect as a stretch center.

And these are just the guys coming in with college experience!

The three freshmen rounding out the group, Long, Young, and Lard, all come with high praises as well. Long and Young were among their state’s best players in Oklahoma and California, respectively. Both will push the other newcomers and even some incumbents for playing time starting day 1. Lard had some eligibility issues down in Louisiana, but is a good-looking prospect at forward.

Only time will tell how this group will shake out, but there is a lot to like for the moment.

ISU is also aggressively pursuing graduate transfer forwards L.G. Gill from Duquesne and Merrill Holden from Louisiana Tech. Someone will probably transfer at this point, so ISU continues to work college basketball’s “free agent” market as they’ve done over the past six years.

Final Numbers to know:

59 – The number of traditional frontcourt minutes returning, not counting Burton’s time as an emergency forward. Between Young, Lard, Carter, Malou, Bowie, Ernst, and any new names, someone will have to take control of the four and five spots. This is the single biggest question mark for the team next season.

57 – Monte Morris’ turnover number last year. This was nearly double his total from the previous two season combined thanks to over 200 more minutes played in ’15-16 than in ’14-15. The presence of Jackson and Mitrou-Long will help bring that number down with more guys on hand to handle the ball.

Next: Top 15 offseason transfers

39% – The combined three-point percentage of returners Morris, Mitrou-Long, Thomas, Burton, and Cooke. If anyone can draw attention away from the perimeter, it’ll be bombs away in Ames with so many quality shooters.

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