The leaders for Iowa State basketball are well-established, but who will lead in the future is a small mystery.
As most of you are no doubt aware, Iowa State will have a top-tier guard rotation and a solid group of transfer forwards taking up the majority of the rotation in 2016-2017.
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As it stands right now, ISU will take the floor this year with six seniors on roster, meaning that six scholarships will need to be filled at some point. For right now, though, we are focusing on who will be backing up the Cyclone stars in 2016-17.
There are seven new faces that will wear cardinal and gold for the first time in Ames this year. Of those gentlemen, two are graduate transfers, one is a traditional sit-out transfer, one is a junior college guy, and three are freshman. Even though head coach Steve Prohm has insisted he only likes to go six or seven deep, he could get a much bigger rotation with the talent many of these players have shown in offseason workouts.
Most important to the team’s success will be who plays center/power forward. Even if ISU relies on small-ball a great deal, they will still need big bodies to get out there and knock opponents around in the paint.
That job will likely fall to graduate transfers Merrill Holden and Darrell Bowie, who previously played at Louisiana Tech and Northern Illinois, respectively.
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Holden should get first crack at the job after averaging 8.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game as a junior. The 6’8″, 215 pound forward will be a tough customer, but he will have to tone down the 3.4 fouls per contest if he wants to consistently make an impact.
Holden’s primary competition at center will probably be the 6’7″, 220 pound Bowie from NIU. In his last campaign, which was cut short due to shoulder trouble, Bowie averaged 9.8 points and 5.4 boards per game.
He isn’t the most imposing physical presence and might not be the enforcer that Holden is, but the former Husky is a more versatile player overall with 1.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
And even though he shot just 26 percent from the outside as an injured junior, there is a chance that Bowie could be an occasional stretch center like former Cyclone Dustin Hogue.
The next major contributor is junior college transfer Donovan Jackson. I’ve mentioned him before, but to recap: He was tearing up Iowa Western opponents to the tune of 13.6 points, 2.3 assists, and 40 percent shooting from three-point range before breaking his wrist.
He will be star Monte Morris’ chief backup and lead the second unit, or play next to Morris and give ISU a deadly two-point guard look that could terrorize opposing perimeters. A lot of hype surrounds Jackson right now thanks to his offensive potential and with good reason.
The last new non-freshman is former Arkansas Razorback Nick Weiler-Babb. His stats at Arkansas aren’t worth mentioning due to his role as a deep reserve during his freshman year, but Weiler-Babb could be a major steal.
He is listed at 6’5″, 201 pounds, which is a perfect frame for a swingman. I don’t know what his offensive output could be, but I love his potential as a perimeter defender, whose only jobs are to lock down an opponent and hit the occasional three-pointer.
He also has a strong connection to Iowa State as the brother of former Cyclone standout and NBA player, Chris Babb.
Now, onto the first-year players!
First up is guard Jakolby Long from Edmund, OK. The 100th player in the class of 2016 according to ESPN, Long stands 6’5″, 210 pounds. He has plenty of guards ahead of him, but he did sport multiple offers from high-profile programs and was one of the best players in Oklahoma in his final year of high school.
Right now, I don’t see him playing a lot, but he has the potential to get moderate playing time every night if Coach Prohm wants to expand the rotation and keep his stable of guards fresh.
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The final two guys are two power forwards: Cameron Lard from Natchitoches, LA and Solomon Young from Sacramento, CA.
Of the two Lard has a higher rating in many services, but Young had a tremendous final year at Sacramento High School.
Focusing on the California product for the moment, Young is an undersized forward at just 6’6″, 215 pounds, but has excellent strength and instincts in the post to make up for the lost height. His total physical ability has the Iowa State staff very excited about his development. He is a strong candidate to backup both Holden and Bowie.
On Lard’s end, there is a bit less to take from his high school years. He didn’t play as a senior due to eligibility concerns stemming from transferring between schools, but overall there is a tremendous amount of potential.
The 6’9″, 210 pound freshman has good size and can rebound at a high level. He also has tons of athletic potential on the fast break and can block shots. His offensive game will likely keep him on the bench, but his developmental potential is what has Cyclones are most excited about.
Overall, ISU’s newest recruiting class is a true hodgepodge of basketball talent acquired from across every possible level of play not including the international scene. The combination of grad transfer forwards, perimeter players from multiple levels, and three talented freshmen have many Cyclone fans salivating over what could be if they all mesh with what should be the best offensive guard rotation in the Big 12.
Special mention should go to Holden, Bowie, and Weiler-Babb, who have a great opportunity to help the team improve upon its 102nd adjusted defensive rating from the end of last year.
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Only time will tell if this group can help keep Iowa State on its upward trajectory, but there is a great deal of potential that could see ISU challenge Kansas for Big 12 dominance.