Iowa State guard Curtis Jones poses for a portrait during Iowa State men’s basketball media day at Hilton Coliseum on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Ames. © Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
AMES — A puzzled Curtis Jones shook his head and looked at the basket.
The Iowa State guard’s 3-point shots refused to fall early last season after he transferred in from Buffalo.
It didn’t make sense. So Jones — who shot 21.4 percent from long-range in his first seven games last November — simply kept working, trusting he’d shine when it mattered most.
“I was happy that it came around for me because I work hard, and I felt like it had to come up at some point,” said Jones, who hopes to keep up his sharpshooting ways in Monday’s 7 p.m. season opener against Mississippi Valley State at Hilton Coliseum. “So it felt really good when things started to turn around. In the moment, I just tried not to get too down, and stay confident in myself. I didn’t get this far for no reason.”
Jones shot a sizzling 10-for-19 from beyond the arc in the NCAA Tournament — and scored a season-high 26 points in the Cyclones’ narrow 72-69 loss in the Sweet Sixteen to Illinois in Boston. The 6-4 senior from Minneapolis eventually became one of ISU’s most consistent performers on both ends of the floor last season — even while serving as a sixth man most of the time. So expect more of the same this season as the fifth-ranked Cyclones seek to mount an even stronger tournament run after winding through the winter months.
“He’s probably been the most consistent player in our program over the last two years, day in and day out, so even last year when it wasn’t going his way in games, I saw what was happening in practice, and we had belief in what he could do,” said ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger, who has led his team to two Sweet Sixteens in his first three seasons. “So even though he didn’t shoot the ball great to start the season, he found ways to impact winning; getting assists, getting steals, making plays for teammates.”
That’s the M.O. for the Cyclones’ big three in the backcourt. Tamin Lipsey returns as one of the nation’s steals leaders. Keshon Gilbert will reprise his role as one of ISU’s most dynamic scorers. Add in standout forward Milan Momcilovic’s wide-ranging game and several talented transfers, and it’s clear that this Cyclone team is built to weather the storms that inevitably pop up throughout a long regular season.
“I think we all as human beings, you learn the most when adversity sets in,” Otzelberger said. “When things aren’t going you’re way. When you’re in foul trouble, or your shot’s not falling, (or) maybe you’re not playing as much as you like. How do we come together in those moments? I think that’s one of the big separators from teams that have so-so years, to teams that have great years. That’s something that will continue to build, grow, and do, but it takes a lot of hard work each and every single day and being intentional to do that.”
Jones personified those qualities last season for the Cyclones and plans to showcase them again in his final season at Hilton.
“I’m looking forward to just winning games again,” he said with a smile. “(There’s) really no better feeling than winning big games. College basketball isn’t easy, so that’s the biggest thing I’m looking forward to, just going out there and competing.”
