According to a source, an immediately eligible graduate transfer from Louisiana Tech will visit Iowa State the first weekend of May. Merrill Holden is a 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward who averaged 8.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game during his junior campaign.
The skinny…
It looks like Iowa State’s top competition is going to be Illinois and West Virginia. Holden recently cancelled a visit to Auburn.
A brief scouting report on Holden looks like this: Think Jameel McKay as far as a comparison that is fresh in the mind of an Iowa State fan. He isn’t as long as Jameel but is probably more of a versatile offensive player. Holden won’t win any 3-point contests but protects the rim and rebounds very well for his size. He’s very athletic.
Expect Iowa State to put full-court press (no pun intended) on Holden as the 2016-17 roster is in desperate need of another big man, especially with questions surrounding the eligibility of incoming JUCO Emannuel Malou.
