Excited about next year's team?

  • After Iowa State won the Big 12, a Cyclone made a wonderful offer to We Will that now increases our match. Now all gifts up to $400,000 between now and the Final 4 will be matched. Please consider giving at We Will Collective.
    This notice can be dismissed using the upper right corner X button.

JackCyclone

Active Member
Jan 31, 2013
206
73
28
May have already been a thread similiar to this, but there have been so many its hard to keep track. I have gotten a feel that most people think next year will be another bubble year and just a middle of the road big 12 team.

I gotta disagree with this mindstate. With Niang and Ejim underneath, and talent like Thomas and Morris coming in as well as SDW bein ready to go, add on the transfers with experience I don't see why we cant be a ranked, top 3 big 12 team. Maybe I'm being too optimistic after this year's exciting season?
 

cyclone101

Well-Known Member
Oct 19, 2009
4,564
4,292
113
Dez Moinz
What I'm worried about is the lack of proven guards we will have. Yes, we have a lot of talent coming in at guard, but Morris and Thomas are both unproven. College basketball, in my opinion, is dominated by good gaurds. A team with great guards will do better than those with great big men.

With that said, I'm sure CFH has something up his sleeve to be succesful.
 

Gunnerclone

Well-Known Member
Jul 16, 2010
68,676
68,574
113
DSM
What I'm worried about is the lack of proven guards we will have. Yes, we have a lot of talent coming in at guard, but Morris and Thomas are both unproven. College basketball, in my opinion, is dominated by good gaurds. A team with great guards will do better than those with great big men.

With that said, I'm sure CFH has something up his sleeve to be succesful.

Our best guard is going to be Georges Niang. I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing him with the ball in his hands running the offense moreso than any "guard" we have.
 

GoSTATE71

Well-Known Member
May 19, 2008
3,723
79
48
Im really excited to see Thomas and SDW. Mainly SDW, he is very athletic and has a fantastic jump shot. We know that Niang and Ejim are going to be very good and pretty unstoppable in the post but I think guard play is the key to winning 20+ games again next season.

PG worries me. Bubu can run the offense but he's not a scoring threat at all (can get into the lane) and the offense was just slower when he was in the game compared to KL. Also, I'm really looking for Okoro to be a good defender. I've heard thats his persona and he's built like a tank. Could be another Chris Babb minus the 3 pt ability.

Excited nonetheless!
 

jbindm

Well-Known Member
Dec 2, 2010
13,073
7,604
113
Des Moines
Our best guard is going to be Georges Niang. I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing him with the ball in his hands running the offense moreso than any "guard" we have.

Nailed it. Look for the offense to more closely resemble the 11-12 team with Niang playing the point forward position for most of the season, or at least until Bubu, Morris or Long can prove they can handle initiating the offense.
Yeah, I'm excited for next season. Two trips to the Big Dance in as many years with an up and coming coach will do that to a fan.
 

cyclone101

Well-Known Member
Oct 19, 2009
4,564
4,292
113
Dez Moinz
Nailed it. Look for the offense to more closely resemble the 11-12 team with Niang playing the point forward position for most of the season, or at least until Bubu, Morris or Long can prove they can handle initiating the offense.
Yeah, I'm excited for next season. Two trips to the Big Dance in as many years with an up and coming coach will do that to a fan.
I'm not convinced this will be the case yet. Niang is definitely no royce white.
 

jbindm

Well-Known Member
Dec 2, 2010
13,073
7,604
113
Des Moines
I'm not convinced this will be the case yet. Niang is definitely no royce white.

Yeah, RW is a unique talent. But we saw plenty of Niang out at the high post and top of the key, and he was effective out there. With his high basketball IQ and ability to drive into the lane against bigger, slower defenders it makes sense to get the ball in his hands and run the offense through him. Especially with three unproven PGs on the roster.
 

InAWord

Member
Nov 16, 2010
472
17
18
After three years of watching Hoiberg coach I can honestly say I am excited for next year regardless of who is leaving. Fred has found a way to move the piece around and make us competitive in nearly every game we play. So while finishing in the bottom half of the conference is where I think we end up, it wouldn't surprise me if we are in the top 3 either.
 

ISUonthemove

Well-Known Member
Jan 31, 2007
3,810
106
48
41
Altoona
I have no idea what to expect out of our jucos? I think Hogue will be a great player, just based off his recruiting. Edozie, Amardi and Bluford will hopefully find their role. But I am really pumped to see SDW, Thomas, Okoro, Long and Morris. I think they all get playing time next year.

SDW is who I'm most excited to see. His HS tapes are unreal. Kid can put the ball in the hoop from anywhere.
 

vortex

Active Member
Jan 30, 2010
776
53
28
Our best guard is going to be Georges Niang. I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing him with the ball in his hands running the offense moreso than any "guard" we have.

If Niang ends up being the best guard next year, that spells trouble. Niang does several things well but quickness and being able to create off the dribble are not at the top of his list. The Cyclones won't be able to spread the floor as much and give Niang so much room to operate next year.
 

CTTB78

Well-Known Member
Apr 7, 2006
9,540
4,518
113
I can't wait to see the next step in development of Iowa State basketball in the era of the Mayor. It's great to look forward to a program that we know is on the rise vs. what we saw with GMcD. We might be better next year than anyone expects, and we will be great the following year. What is not to like about that!!
 

acgclone

Well-Known Member
Feb 21, 2007
12,037
3,769
113
I have no idea what to expect out of our jucos? I think Hogue will be a great player, just based off his recruiting. Edozie, Amardi and Bluford will hopefully find their role. But I am really pumped to see SDW, Thomas, Okoro, Long and Morris. I think they all get playing time next year.

SDW is who I'm most excited to see. His HS tapes are unreal. Kid can put the ball in the hoop from anywhere.

I think our Juco's will be a huge factor in how successful we are next year. I also think that we'll be surprised with 1-2 of them. From the video that I've seen of Hogue and Amardi, they seem to be very athletic.

Regardless of how unimpressive some of their stats have been, I think they will thrive in Hoiberg's system. Hogue I think will challenge for a starting role. Amardi has a high ceiling, if he's willing to put the effort in. The rumor at the time was that Amardi played with our squad and did very well against our bigs. Hence the quick offer from Fred.
 

cyclone101

Well-Known Member
Oct 19, 2009
4,564
4,292
113
Dez Moinz
Niang won't be primary ball handler. There is zero reason to put him there over Bubu.
I agree. People think since the point-forward game plan worked with Royce White, it will work with Niang. Royce White was an athletic freak. He was 6'8" 270 and quick. He also had unreal handles and terrific passing ability. Niang isn't quick or athletic or strong. I really hope he isn't handling the ball up top next year. I'm fine with him stepping out and hitting the three, other than that I hope he uses his abilities to score down low.
 

Go2Guy

Well-Known Member
Mar 18, 2006
8,859
1,043
113
Houston, TX
Please excuse my lack of knowledge on SDW's status - the roster does not list him as a redshirt; did I read that correct?
 

Cydkar

Well-Known Member
Apr 12, 2006
26,468
11,849
113
May have already been a thread similiar to this, but there have been so many its hard to keep track. I have gotten a feel that most people think next year will be another bubble year and just a middle of the road big 12 team.

I gotta disagree with this mindstate. With Niang and Ejim underneath, and talent like Thomas and Morris coming in as well as SDW bein ready to go, add on the transfers with experience I don't see why we cant be a ranked, top 3 big 12 team. Maybe I'm being too optimistic after this year's exciting season?

I have NIT expectations but I think by the end of the year we will be an NCAA caliber team without the resume. I'm excited about watching the team improve.
 

MartyFine

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2009
13,644
19,901
113
Warren Co., IA
I recommend checking the guys out in the Cap City League this summer for anyone who is worried. That should do a lot to assuage your anxiety.
 

Dryburn

Well-Known Member
Apr 3, 2006
10,027
515
113
Somewhere in the U.S.
Sorry, I just don't see the point-forward thing working with Niang. He is going to be a great forward, but he does not have the same ball-handling skills of Clyburn, or even Royce.

I am looking forward to next year as much as I looked forward to this year. I'm curious to see just how all of the new Juco players fit in, and just how ready Monte and Matt are for college play. One thing I know is that both of those two appear to be very coachable players, and with their natural talents, I think they will adjust pretty quickly. I also am really looking forward to seeing what KO, SDW, Long and the others can do. I don't think any of us really know their skills yet and how they will fit in.

By now, we should all know that CFH will take the pieces he has and develop a very efficient offense that will cause problems for opponents. I hope that with some of the incoming players, ISU can develop a little better defense that is capable of getting critical stops when needed.

I think next year may be a slight step back, but I'm not so sure it isn't going to be just more of a "re-loading" year rather than a "re-building" one.
 

Help Support Us

Become a patron