Secondhand Cyclones

Fred Hoiberg is in his 2nd year at Iowa St.

The Iowa State Cyclones list 15 players on their official 2011-2012 basketball roster. The list includes a decent amount of talent, more than what Cyclones fans have seen in the last few years. However, the Cyclones didn’t come together in the most traditional fashion.

Of the 15 players on the roster, nine of them have arrived in Ames, Iowa by way of transferring from another school. This may not be unusual at a smaller division one program, and even less uncommon in lower divisions of college hoops, but Iowa State plays in the Big 12. The Cyclones are in a conference that assures them two games a year with powerful programs such as Kansas, Texas, Baylor, and Texas A&M.  It seems like it would be in Iowa State’s best interest to recruit freshman.

Not to be mistaken, the Cyclones do recruit freshman. They have recruited talent from as far west as Oregon and as far east as Long Island, New York. But to have a team that is so heavily populated by transfers is intriguing.

Some cases are completely understandable. Austin McBeth was a star high school football player in the state of Iowa, and was the leading scorer on his high school basketball team as well. McBeth spent a year playing football at Iowa Western Community College, where he was named an all-conference performer. McBeth would then transfer to Iowa State, walking on to both the football and basketball teams.

Korie Lucious will suit up next season

Tyrus McGee also came to Ames from a community college, but McGee isn’t exactly a walk-on. The Oklahoma native was a junior college All-American at Cowley County CC, and was ranked as a top 15 junior college prospect. He is one of many talented scoring guards that have flocked to Iowa State since the hiring of former NBA three-point specialist Fred Hoiberg. Coach Hoiberg is a former Cyclone himself and has rejuvenated the basketball program at Iowa State with promises of a fast paced, exciting brand of basketball. McGee is one of the pieces he now has in place to bring his plans into fruition.

In the case of Korie Lucious, you just have to connect the dots. When Lucious was forced to part ways with the Michigan State Spartans under tumultuous circumstances, the dynamic point guard decided to follow an old teammate to Iowa State. A year earlier, sharpshooter Chris Allen had fell out of favor in East Lansing and found sanctuary in Ames. Lucious decided to follow suit a year later, citing his friendship with Allen as one of the reasons why he made the decision. While Allen is starring for this year’s Cyclone team, Lucious is currently sitting out a year before regaining his eligibility.

Scott Christopherson

Scott Christopherson is an example of transfer who has already paid dividends for the Cyclones. Christopherson came to Iowa State after a year at Marquette. Christopherson bailed on the Golden Eagles simply seeking a little more playing time. However he walked into an ideal situation at Iowa State. The Cyclones coach Hoiberg just in time for him to get his hands on Christopherson. “The Mayor”, as he was called during his playing days, was a player somewhat similar to Christopherson during his own years at Iowa State. The tutelage of Hoiberg helped turn Christopherson into a deadly scorer last year. He was recognized for his improvement by being named as a pre-season Honorable Mention on the All-Big 12 team.

Chris Babb, unlike Christopherson, wasn’t lacking playing time at Penn State. Actually, he was in the process of finishing an impressive sophomore season that was locking him into the Nittany Lions starting lineup for the next two years. Unfortunately for the Lions, Babb missed being in the Midwest. Though he played his high school ball in Texas, Babb is from Kansas, and rumor has it that he transferred from Happy Valley to return to the region. Babb settled on Iowa State, and gave Coach Hoiberg another high scoring guard to insert into his offensive gameplan.

Players like Allen and Babb were highly publicized, notable additions to the Cyclones roster, but Fred Hoiberg knew that his 2011-2012 team would be light on inside presence. He managed to solve this problem when Anthony Booker made the decision to leave Southern Illinois. Booker was a top 50 recruit coming out out of St. Louis, and he was the highest rated recruit to ever sign with the Salukis. However, once Booker got on campus, he realized that he didn’t really enjoy Southern Illinois’ plodding style of play. So when a former NBA player, known for his offensive expertise, took over at Iowa State…Booker was all ears. It didn’t take long before Booker was on his way to Ames as well. The Cyclones don’t get many top 50 recruits, so securing Booker’s services for two years was still a major victory for Hoiberg. Now that Booker is in the up tempo offense that he feels fits him best, he could be due for a big season.

Will Clyburn probably wouldn’t have transferred from any of the schools that his teammates came from. Marquette, Michigan State, and Southern Illinois are all perennial tournament teams. Even Penn State managed to win the NIT while Chris Babb was there. After deciding to attend Utah after two years of junior college, Clyburn transferred to Iowa State for one reason…Utah is terrible. The Utes’ struggles cost head coach Jim Boylen his job, and soon after they lost their leading scorer and all-conference player, Clyburn. The skinny 6’7 guard never even bothered making a visit to Ames before he announced he was going to Iowa State this summer. He was quoted as saying, “I know where this program is going.” When asked about his decision to attend Iowa State. It’s an obvious acknowledgement to coach Hoiberg and new image he has painted for the program. Clyburn will not be eligible until next year, when he takes the floor with fellow transfer Korie Lucious.

Royce White is ready to be Iowa State's star player

Of all the transfers that have made their way to Iowa State, no signature has been more important to Fred Hoiberg than the one that he got from former Minnesota forward Royce White. To consider White as a former Golden Gopher is merely a matter of semantics. The former Minnesota Mr. Basketball never suited up for his home state. He couldn’t stay out of trouble. White’s only stats at Minnesota ended up being the charges of theft, disorderly conduct, and trespassing. Royce White would plead guilty to all three of those charges, and be suspended indefinitely before ever suiting up as a Gopher. He would eventually leave Minnesota, setting off a flurry of speculation about where his next stop would be. Royce White is a tad bit more talented than the average troubled athlete. He walked on campus at Minnesota as their best recruit in years, one of their best ever. He was ranked as the second best forward in the country coming out of high school, and many speculated how long he would even stay at Minnesota before jumping to the NBA. When White left Minnesota, Iowa State was a frontrunner. Early in White’s high school career, the Cyclones were actually the first school to offer him a scholarship, and Royce White remembered the gesture. It was all the leverage that Hoiberg needed to land his prized recruit. Though he faced doubt from some at Iowa State, Hoiberg signed White, and Royce has responded by being a model citizen and a rapidly improving player. In his first collegiate game, White scored 25 points, and Iowa State cruised to a victory.

The basketball culture at Iowa State has changed significantly over the past three years. The addition of Fred Hoiberg as a coach has made them a program that people are interested in. Ames has long been one of the greatly underrated college towns of the Midwest, but its dot on the map is getting bigger every season. Many people have questioned if Iowa State can be successful with a team full of transfers, but the concept behind it is endearing. Coach Fred Hoiberg is selling second chances at Iowa State, and it seems like not only the Midwest, but the entire country is buying in.