Mar 28, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Tamin Lipsey (3) shoots the ball against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the semifinals of the East Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
AMES — Elbows flared and bodies flew. Iowa State’s trademark tough summer practices rolled through June and July as usual, with familiar names joining fresh faces for a Cyclones team expected to be among the nation’s best.
But ISU’s arguably biggest name — all-Big 12 point guard Tamin Lipsey — churned his legs on the sidelines instead, rehabilitating from off-season shoulder surgery, unable to play the game he loves, eager to be back in action with his teammates.
“At first, I was like, ‘OK, I’ll get a little bit of extra rest (and) don’t have to be out there right way at the beginning of June and kill my body,’” said Lipsey, who recently returned to full-contact practice as the summer session wound down. “But once we got to the first week of practice, I wanted to be out there, so it was kind of a difficult balance of realizing my body needed (the rest), but also wanting to be back out there.”
Lipsey — who helped guide the Cyclones to the Sweet 16 last season — enjoyed a stationary biking buddy in transfer Joshua Jefferson. The versatile 6-8 forward from St. Mary’s rehabilitated from knee surgery alongside Lipsey and also recently became a full-go participant in ISU’s practices.
“Tamin’s a great player, a great point guard, and an even better person,” said Jefferson, a fellow junior who averaged 10.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists for the Gaels before suffering the knee injury last February. “So getting to know him off the floor has been real good. He’s encouraged me. Pushed me on the bike. Pushed me in recovery. (Made) me want to go harder, because I see how hard he goes every day. So we just pushed each other every single day through the process and I’m glad we’re both out there now competing.”
Now it’s time for another break — this time, for everyone. The Cyclones’ final summer practice wraps on Friday and the team will enjoy up to three weeks off before returning for more arduous strength and conditioning work.
“I think it is important that they get the time away,” said ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger, who led his team to the Sweet 16 in two of his first three seasons. “We’ve been at this for eight weeks together and now everybody has an idea, if you’re new into our program, of what the demands are, what the standards are, what the daily habits are, how we work, what the fundamentals of our offense and defense are, and how we pour into one another and play for one another. So now you have a great picture of that. We can tell you (about) it in the recruiting process, but until you experience it and go through it every day, (you’re) not exactly sure what that might be.”
They’re sure now — and Lipsey, of course, had already navigated through two grueling summer sessions in his collegiate career. Last June and July, he worked with assistant coach Erik Crawford on reconstructing his jump shot and his long-range shooting percentage climbed from 20 percent to 39.1 percent. This June and July, Lipsey couldn’t even get shots up until recently, but in both starkly different instances, the 6-1 junior simply got better, steeling his mind and body for what he hopes will be another successful season that could end with an even deeper run into March.
“The first couple times I got to work out my shot I was definitely a little rusty,” Lipsey said. “But thankfully last year, I got a good feel for it, a lot of confidence, and it’s right back to where it was.”
