Iowa State Cyclones
2020-2021 Overall Rank: #67
Conference Rank: #8 Big 12
Iowa State has been up and down under Coach Steve Prohm. After back-to-back NCAA Tournament trips in 2016 and 2017, the Cyclones took a big step back in 2017-2018. But they followed it up with another tournament appearance. Yet last year the team fell way down the Big 12 standings and finished with a 12-20 overall record. The hope is this year Coach Prohm can do another quick turnaround and get the program competing for another trip to the big dance.
2019-20 Record: 12-20, 5-13
Coach: Steve Prohm
Coach Record: 95-73 at Iowa State, 199-102 overall
Key Departed Players:
Tyrese Haliburton, 15.2 ppg
Prentiss Nixon, 9.5 ppg
Michael Jacobson, 7.8 ppg
Terrence Lewis, 6.0 ppg
Zion Griffin, 3.0 ppg
Caleb Grill, 2.1 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Rasir Bolton, Junior, Guard, 14.7 ppg
Solomon Young, Senior, Forward, 9.8 ppg
George Conditt IV, Junior, Forward, 7.0 ppg
Tre Jackson, Sophomore, Guard, 4.3 ppg
Key New Players:
Dudley Blackwell, Freshman, Forward
Jalen Coleman-Lands, Senior, Guard, Grad Transfer from DePaul
Darlinstone Dubar, Freshman, Guard
Xavier Foster, Freshman, Forward
Tyler Harris, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Memphis, pending eligibility
Blake Hinson, Junior, Guard/Forward, Transfer from Ole Miss, pending eligibility
Javan Johnson, Junior, Forward, Transfer from Troy
Jaden Walker, Freshman, Guard
Projection:
Iowa State returns four key contributors from last season, highlighted by junior guard Rasir Bolton. He tallied 14.7 points per game and proved to be a dynamic scorer by both attacking the basket and shooting the long ball. Tre Jackson was not asked to score much during his freshman campaign, but he still averaged nearly 22 minutes per game last season. Jackson is a good three-point shooter and he could see a big boost in scoring during his sophomore season. The frontcourt is in good shape with Solomon Young and George Conditt IV leading the way. Young had a breakout junior campaign, averaging 9.8 points and 3.9 rebounds. Conditt added 7.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. That is a solid nucleus to build around. Jalen Coleman-Lands is a grad transfer from DePaul, where he averaged 11.1 points last season. He will be yet another three-point shooting threat. Blake Hinson and Tyler Harris could be eligible this year pending on the NCAA. Hinson really should be eligible immediately after transferring from Mississippi where he tallied 10.3 points per game. Javan Johnson sat out last season and the 6-6 small forward was a solid all-around player during his time at Troy. Coach Prohm has also brought in a decent recruiting class, highlighted by seven-footer Xavier Foster. If all the pieces can come together, this will be a team that can be competitive in the Big 12, but the conference will be tough and Iowa State may not have the experience to get enough wins to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 72.0 (143rd in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 73.0 (273, 10)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.9 (170, 3)
Field-Goal Defense: 45.2 (289, 10)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.1 (193, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 31.6 (270, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 74.6 (65, 3)
Rebound Margin: -1.5 (255, 9)
Assists Per Game: 13.8 (109, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.3 (192, 4)
Madness 2020 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#62 Xavier Foster
