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.  

Beware the Dancing Bear

Over the years, the Midwest has seen its share of unique players.

In the fifties, Cincinnati’s Oscar Robertson dominated college basketball as a 6’5 point guard. He was the first big guard in the game’s history, but he also dominated on the interior, going toe to toe with his era’s best big men. While scoring over 30 points per game, “The Big O” was also one of the nation’s best rebounders. He broke the mold of a conventional point guard by pulling down over 15 boards per game along with being the best playmaker in the country. His unfathomable versatility would lead the Bearcats to two Final Fours.

In the seventies, Earvin “Magic” Johnson starred as a 6’9 pure point guard. He dazzled with his unmatched grace and athleticism, leading his Michigan State Spartans to a national championship in 1979. Slender and sleek with the ball, his height gave him a realm of vision that had never been seen before in a point guard.

In the early 2000s, AJ Moye starred for the Indiana Hoosiers as a 6’4 power forward, amazing fans and shocking opposing players with his superb physical strength and impressive leaping ability. Moye would help the Hoosiers to a Final Four appearance, patrolling the paint as if he was 6’10 the entire way. Moye made up for his lack of height with impeccable positioning and unparalleled hustle and passion for the game.

The Dancing Bear

But just when we think we’ve seen it all, we’re introduced to Michigan State’s Draymond Green…the man they call The Dancing Bear.

A quick glance at the Spartan’s roster doesn’t give Green much justice.

He is listed as a 6’7 forward. There’s nothing all too unusual about that.

He weighs in at about 230lbs. It seems about the right size for one of Spartan head coach Tom Izzo’s typical bruisers.

Well, Draymond Green is one of those players that you have to see to appreciate.

The only thing harder than guarding Draymond Green…is finding someone to compare him to. Green is the size of a forward, and he plays like a forward as well. He bangs with the bigs in the post, and is extremely talented on the low block. So what makes him so different? Just wait until you see the big man in the open floor. That’s when you find out that this grizzly has a mean two-step. The Dancing Bear gives new meaning to the term point-forward. He’s more of a point-power forward. It’s quite typical for Green to snatch a defensive rebound out of the air and take off down the court, weaving his way through defenders before finding an open teammate for a layup.

As good as Green is in the post, he may be just as good operating in transition. His deft ball handling makes him a threat from the moment he controls a rebound, which is pretty often. In the Spartan’s season opener against top-ranked North Carolina, he had 18 of them.

What makes Green so special is that he is the ultimate example of versatility. He is not a guard playing in a forward’s body. He is an All-Big Ten forward…who can also bring the ball up the court like I guard. He plays his position, but has added an unprecedented element to it all at the same time. When Draymond Green is on the floor, there’s no need for an outlet pass, the fast break starts the moment he touches the ball.

At a school that once saw Magic Johnson play the point, one might expect Green’s talents to be less of an anomaly, but remember that while Magic was taller, he didn’t possess nearly the amount of girth that Green brings down the court.

Green has also exhibited the ability to be a facilitator in the half court offense. He is one of the country’s best post passers from both the high post and the low block, and he easily takes opposing forwards off the dribble from the wing position.

This year, The Dancing Bear is the big bear on campus, a senior leader to a group that Coach Izzo calls his least experienced team since he has been in East Lansing.

The Spartans only have one pure point guard on their roster. He is Brandon Wood, an incoming transfer who was most recently a star at tiny Valparaiso University in Indiana. Other guards may walk the ball up for the Spartans along with Wood, but Tom Izzo is probably aware of the fact that his best playmaker resides in the post. With Wood and the rest of the team lacking much experience, this could be a breakout year for Green.

It’s also possible that the breakout may have started last year for Green. In the Spartans’ first round NCAA Tournament loss to UCLA, The Dancing Bear recorded just the seventh official triple-double in tournament history, and the second of his career.

It seems that the secret surrounding Green is out. Don’t be fooled by the menacing physique, or the willingness to mix it up under the basket. As a senior, Draymond Green is a legitimate threat at all positions, and is still in the process of getting better. Green would like to become more consistent with his long range shooting, something that will help his potential as an NBA prospect. If that happens while he is still a Spartan, Green could be more than one of the best in the Midwest. He could be a potential All-American.

The Spartans are currently 0-2 this season, a result of tough opponents and young players, but better days are ahead for this year’s Michigan State team, and Draymond Green will be the reason for it. Just in case the word isn’t already out, The Midwestern Gentleman is putting the Big Ten on notice…

Beware The Dancing Bear.