Ames’ Tamin Lipsey goes by Marshalltown’s Dalen Huston for a layup during the fourth quarter of the No. 1 Little Cyclones’ 65-48 victory over the Bobcats Tuesday the at Ames High gym.
A smile spread across Tamin Lipsey’s face as he considered the question posed.
The 6-foot-2 Ames High point guard and Iowa State signee had just wrapped up another standout performance in a 78-44 Little Cyclones win over Des Moines Lincoln. Being the best player on the state’s best team is cause for smiles alone, but I’d just asked Lipsey about something else.
What has it been like to see Hilton Coliseum rocking again with Iowa State winning and expectations for the program’s future rising again?
“It’s been really exciting,” Lipsey, a lifelong Iowa State fan, said. “I went to one of the first games, not a bunch of fans. Then, once they kept winning, all the fans just kept coming back. I know they’re great fans because I’m one of them. It’s just exciting to go and watch those guys, get to meet them and build relationships.”
While the idea of soon joining this group of Cyclones is exciting and the possibility of Lipsey’s pairing alongside Iowa State point guard Tyrese Hunter is tantalizing, the three-star floor general’s mind is focused elsewhere for at least the next six or seven weeks.
Ames has the best boys basketball team in the state of Iowa, sitting at No. 1 in the Class 4A rankings and considered the best team in the state overall in The Des Moines Register‘s Super 10.
That status is primarily due to the presence of Lipsey, who is averaging 17.1 points, 6.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game during the Little Cyclones’ 10-1 start to the season. Ames already holds wins over fellow Class 4A state title contenders Waukee Northwest and Ankeny, while their only loss came against Christian Brothers Academy, a prep school outside of St. Louis.
“It’s been going good,” Lipsey said. “It’s been really fun just having that senior year to go out and play with my best friends on the court and get some wins and look for a state championship.”
Lipsey’s talent allows him to control the game on both ends of the floor. He’s a dynamic defender, especially on the ball, with quick hands and a knack for finding his way into passing lanes. He’s a tough cover offensively with a lightning-quick first step, a high-level ability to navigate traffic off the bounce, elite court vision and creativity as a finisher through contact.
While everyone else on the floor is playing checkers, Lipsey is the chess master manipulating pieces around the floor and living two moves ahead of his opponents. His skills as a playmaker have allowed teammates Trevion LeBeaux and Corey Phillips to thrive, with each averaging in double figures this season.
Lipsey’s talent alone would make Ames a state title contender regardless of what surrounds him. The contributions of his teammates and what Lipsey does to put them in good situations offensively are what makes the Little Cyclones the favorites to win their first state title since the program’s legendary back-to-back run behind Harrison Barnes and Doug McDermott in 2009 and 2010.
“We’re just gonna have to play hard,” Lipsey said of the road to winning a state title. “We have a lot of talent on our team. When we play our best, I don’t think anyone in the state can beat us. If we go out there and play our basketball, we should be fine. That’s what we’re going to try and do.”
As this team plays its basketball on a night in and night out basis, their confidence grows. Developing that confidence has been crucial for Lipsey as he tries to become the best player he can be before joining Iowa State’s program this summer.
Lipsey told me last summer his biggest goal between then and when he joins Iowa State was to showcase his abilities as a three-level scorer. Those abilities have indeed shown through at the first two levels — near the rim and in the mid-range — but he’s struggled shooting the 3-pointer to the tune of 25 percent on 7-of-28 shots.
That’s a sharp contrast from the nearly 73 percent mark he posts on every other shot in his repertoire and this is where the confidence comes into play.
While many young players might completely shy away from shooting 3-pointers with percentages like that, Lipsey remains confident in his ability and calmly sank the only one he attempted on Tuesday against Lincoln.
“I feel like it’s still progressing,” Lipsey said. “I feel like I’m still working on my confidence. Because I know I can do it. It’s just what do you get into that game, you have to have that confidence, and it’ll happen easily. So I feel like I’m improving on it every day and it felt really good tonight.”
Lipsey’s fit alongside Hunter will be one of the most significant talking points surrounding Iowa State men’s basketball during the 2022 offseason. They’re both true point guards who thrive with the basketball in their hands, making plays for themselves and others.
There’s no doubt they’ll be a menacing duo defensively, with each capable of being elite collegiate defenders. This summer, finding that fit will be T.J. Otzelberger’s task once Lipsey gets on campus.
“(Otz) has really preached to me about just being healthy,” Lipsey said. “Just working on my mechanics. That’s posture because it translates to the basketball court with all the moves you do, so I’ve been working on that a lot. Because he’s told me that he knows I’m a great player. He just wants me to be healthy when I get there.”
Until he does get there, he’s focused on one thing — proving he’s the best player on the best team in the state of Iowa.
