Favorite Iowa State men's basketball team

[ISUChippewa]

Forgot about Bayless. I was a kid so don't remember everything but was at the Iowa game that year when Fred dunked on Earl.

That's also the season I referred to earlier in the thread where this happened.

I still get goose bumps just watching that snippet of that game.

Bayless and Thigpen, in my mind, are two of the most underrated players in ISU basketball history. Thigpen is a sleeper pick for being on my all-time favorite Cyclone player list; I remember once, after we lost a game at Hilton we had no business losing (maybe to Colorado or Nebraska, one of those type of teams) he stormed out of the locker room and went right past the local press. The Register quoted him as saying, "I'm so mad I don't even want to talk about it!" Once I read that I became a fan for life.

 

[NYCYFan]

'95-'96 Iowa State was my first real introduction to Iowa State basketball on a national stage. Willoughby, Cato, Pratt etc. Those guys will always be my fondest Cyclones team, a nostalgia trip.
The Hoiberg-led teams were the first group of Iowa State teams I watched but I felt more of a connection with the '95-'96 team.

The Fizer-led Clones were the best Iowa State team I've seen. I've had a blast watching this current team the last two years (surprised the current group hasn't gotten more mention), this team has the highest ceiling of any Iowa State I've seen with the most well rounded roster, on paper.

'13-14 deserves a big mention now that I think about it. Probably the most fun Iowa State team to watch. I remember Hilton being particularly raucous that year.

 

[kevdiv48]

I've never lived and died with the team in quite the way I did during Hoiball and the first couple Prohm seasons.

I'm not sure what it was about those teams, but every game felt like a drama filled emotional roller coaster. Watching Otzball is a much different experience. I'm calmer. I'm drink less. I'm less frustrated when we lose, but not as jubilant when we win. Everything about the experience seems far more stable, and that the program isn't on the verge of combusting.

There was this excitement coming out of the McDermott era that we were back and it clung around for a long time. Something about the way TJ immediately right the ship from Prohm made it feel like the program's foundations were truly rock solid, and any given loss wasn't going to break the whole thing apart.

The stakes feel lower night in and night out, although they've arguably never been higher.

The '14-'15 was 100% this. felt like majority of the games they dug themselves into 15 -20 point holes only to roar back for the W. That team flies a little under the radar with the early exit loss to UAB.

 

[ScottyP]

I've never lived and died with the team in quite the way I did during Hoiball and the first couple Prohm seasons.

I'm not sure what it was about those teams, but every game felt like a drama filled emotional roller coaster. Watching Otzball is a much different experience. I'm calmer. I'm drink less. I'm less frustrated when we lose, but not as jubilant when we win. Everything about the experience seems far more stable, and that the program isn't on the verge of combusting.

There was this excitement coming out of the McDermott era that we were back and it clung around for a long time. Something about the way TJ immediately right the ship from Prohm made it feel like the program's foundations were truly rock solid, and any given loss wasn't going to break the whole thing apart.

The stakes feel lower night in and night out, although they've arguably never been higher.

I feel like TJ has built the program for sustainable success. With Hoiball and Prohm, it felt like we were just holding on. We were always worried about Fred and the NBA and we could tell pretty early with Prohm that he wasn't going to be able to sustain the success (at least it was fairly obvious to me).

 

[CPG4ISU]

Sometimes, it's difficult to separate favorite from "most successful favorite." If that makes sense. Like, if all the best teams were similar record/conf standing/tournament success, then think of "favorite to follow."

At the top end, it's easy to like 99-00. I think I may have liked 2013-14 slightly more. That could depend on the day.

I have a soft spot for 2012-13, although there were rough spots and the first month or so looked like a mess.

That 2012-2013 always comes mind for me as well. Tyrus McGee was such an electric player as a senior, and The Clyburn/Luscious duo was a blast. They were a few shots away from being one of the truly great Cyclone teams. It was fitting a team that had so many tough breaks lost on the Aaron Craft dagger like that.

Another team that I always have a soft spot for is 2016-2017. Everyone had buried them after Niang/Nader/McKay graduated, and they really struggled for the first half of the season. But once the small ball line up of Monte, Matt Thomas, Donovan Jackson, Naz, Burton got rolling; they were almost unstoppable the second half of the year. Winning at the Phog and the Big 12 tourney run was so much fun. By far Prohm's best coaching job.

 

[Cloned4Life]

That 2012-2013 always comes mind for me as well. Tyrus McGee was such an electric player as a senior, and The Clyburn/Luscious duo was a blast. They were a few shots away from being one of the truly great Cyclone teams. It was fitting a team that had so many tough breaks lost on the Aaron Craft dagger like that.

Another team that I always have a soft spot for is 2016-2017. Everyone had buried them after Niang/Nader/McKay graduated, and they really struggled for the first half of the season. But once the small ball line up of Monte, Matt Thomas, Donovan Jackson, Naz, Burton got rolling; they were almost unstoppable the second half of the year. Winning at the Phog and the Big 12 tourney run was so much fun. By far Prohm's best coaching job.

I would respectfully disagree. A team with seniors Monte, Matty Ice, Naz, and Burton should NEVER have lost that many games, and the Purdue game was absolute coaching malpractice. I’ll never forgive Prohm for that sh*tshow. The universe deserved Deonte Burton in the Sweet 16 and beyond. He would be been the star of the tournament. God damnit I’m mad thinking about it.

Deonte Burton is my second favorite Cyclone of all-time, next to Dedric Willoughby. I saw a Twitter poll comparing best Iowa State shooters and it reminded me how fuggin insane Dedric was as a shooter and scorer. Tyrus led the NCAA in 3pt% (at 46%) his senior year with 96 makes - off the bench no less. An AMAZING feat. An absolute stud shooter with a picture perfect release. But in comparison, Dedric went 45% on 102 makes his senior year - and he was the singular focus on the defensive game plan. If Tyrus had a globally elite release, Dedric’s was universal. Just absolutely lightning quick with every movement, and yet he was somehow just so fluid both with and without the ball. Such an elite all-around college guard he was. RIP Dedric!

 

[NoCreativity]

But once the small ball line up of Monte, Matt Thomas, Donovan Jackson, Naz, Burton got rolling; they were almost unstoppable the second half of the year. W

This isn't really what happened. The small ball lineup was getting killed on the boards and on D. The season flipped when he decided we needed at least 1 big and put Solomon Young into the lineup.

 

[CYCLNST8]

Chalk me up as another fan of the 95-96 squad. Nobody expected anything of them and they won the Big 8 Tourney for the first (and last) time. Conquering Kansas in their own back yard seemed impossible at the time. That was the beginning of Hilton South.

 

[ScottyP]

Chalk me up as another fan of the 95-96 squad. Nobody expected anything of them and they won the Big 8 Tourney for the first (and last) time. Conquering Kansas in their own back yard seemed impossible at the time. That was the beginning of Hilton South.

That KU team had a lot of talent too.

Paul Pierce
Jacque Vaughn
Raef LaFrentz
Scot Pollard