Mason Williams commits to ISU

[Cloned4Life]

Well, today’s news lines up with what was said when we started recruiting Nelson again. I’ll leave it at that.

I think folks are forgetting the staff wanted another guard even WITH Williams. That was the goal all along. Yes, the timing lines in that “oh look we got Nelson AFTER there became concerns about Williams..” but no, the plan all along was to get “another guard”. Obviously the Portal turned out to have a boatload of unfore$een concerns….

 

[Cloned4Life]

There is enlightening information about this situation back there.

But information that was VERY specifically asked not to leave those confines.

TJ and this staff tends to be about ten steps ahead and given the landscape of men's college basketball and college sports generally right now are pretty much maxing out on what Iowa State can do.

You’re not wrong but it’s really, really hard to be “steps ahead” right now in the NIL era, when quite literally everything (and all plans) can change in an hour. Not an exaggeration.

 

[Sigmapolis]

That was about why an injured Gilbert couldn’t travel with his team to the tourney….

I don't think there's any information on the premium board re: Gilbert that CW and BB haven't disclosed on the podcast several times there. It was just an unfortunate situation with a injury that is hard to treat outside of an extended period of rest and inconsistently inflicts pain and affects performance.

That was all.

I think folks are forgetting the staff wanted another guard even WITH Williams. That was the goal all along. Yes, the timing lines in that “oh look we got Nelson AFTER there became concerns about Williams..” but no, the plan all along was to get “another guard”. Obviously the Portal turned out to have a boatload of unfore$een concerns….

Nelson went from a "nice to have" to a "must have" without Williams from what I saw.

 

[clonedude]

How many schools play every scholarship player? There’s no enough minutes for everyone every year. Nothing wrong with having guys develop, even if they end up dropping down a level later. Still need body’s.

Sorry, but what does that have to do with anything I posted??

 

[Marcelason78]

I don't think there's any information on the premium board re: Gilbert that CW and BB haven't disclosed on the podcast several times there. It was just an unfortunate situation with a injury that is hard to treat outside of an extended period of rest and inconsistently inflicts pain and affects performance…

Nobody questioned the injury, just why he didn’t travel with his teammates and support them from the bench.

 

[Sigmapolis]

Lol, this is very junior high and borderline creepy. I guess it's highly classified.

Dumb comments like this one are why you're best left on ignore.

Any houseplant can figure out why the program (via its conduits to true insiders who share some tidbits on the premium boards) might not want certain pieces of information to leak out.

I'm gonna stop there. I'll just say from what I've seen...

The Williams situation isn't sketchy or an own-goal. What happened is completely prudent.

You can insist something is bad or some obvious mistake was made here as much as you want even though you admit you have less information than me. But you'll just look like even more of an idiot and an eyesore in the process. I'll trust you'll make the wrong decision as you usually do.

You’re not wrong but it’s really, really hard to be “steps ahead” right now in the NIL era, when quite literally everything (and all plans) can change in an hour. Not an exaggeration.

I think you are being overly literal about a figure of speech.

TJ being "ten steps ahead" doesn't mean he goes into each offseason and each season with a literal ten-point checklist he can see before he even starts and he's going to nail all of them.

No. It means he's good at seeing the optimal pathway through a situation (more than most coaches) and going out and executing that path and when things change, as you properly note they very much can very quickly, either dealing with it or coming up with a contingency that works almost as well.

Jumping on Buchanan as the new starting center after Jackson left and Purdue decided to splash some cash on Cluff is a perfect example of this effect. We "missed" but had a soft landing.

TJ and this staff are always thinking ahead as much as one can in this environment.

That was about why an injured Gilbert couldn’t travel with his team to the tourney…. Nobody questioned the injury, just why he didn’t travel with his teammates and support them from the bench.

Gilbert traveling with the team to support his teammates from the bench would have probably been fine. But it sounds like a mutual decision was made: Gilbert was going to stay behind so the team could put the chatter about shutting their starting SG down for the year behind them. Concentrate on the men about to play. Gilbert was going to stay in Ames to concentrate 100% on his recovery in time for the pro scouting process. He wasn't much on an NBA radar, but he was still going to have some chances to showcase his talents to professional scouts and who knows maybe he can land in the D-League or get a nice contract to play in Europe.

Much easier to do that when the groin is better and he can be at his best.

Different than traveling with the team? Sure. Reasonable, though? Yes.

There just isn't any "there" there.

 

[Dgilbertson]

No thanks, I don't care enough about the situation to pay for it. It's more out of summer boredom.

Does summer boredom differ much from winter, spring and fall boredom? Maybe get some healthy hobbies

 

[hoosman]

Trying to understand the sequence of events. Please clarify if possible.

1. Williams was injured last season.
2. Williams was offered while injured.
3. Williams was given NIL payment.
4. Williams is electing surgery and will miss the season.
5. NIL money is gone.
6. ISU loses 3 centers and couldn't get top choice of replacement center (cluff) due to lack of NIL funds.

 

[Clone95]

Trying to understand the sequence of events. Please clarify if possible.

1. Williams was injured last season.
2. Williams was offered while injured.
3. Williams was given NIL payment.
4. Williams is electing surgery and will miss the season.
5. NIL money is gone.
6. ISU loses 3 centers and couldn't get top choice of replacement center (cluff) due to lack of NIL funds.

You’re missing where ISU got the WAC player of the year and upgraded, athletically at the 5. Buchanan was immediately targeted by this staff and it sounds like he’s going to be a great pickup for what we need from the 5 man.

We don’t know Cluff or Rohde were lost due to NIL. Cluff went to Purdue as a 5 man (not dumb) and Rohde went to his home state team. We do know that we had enough NIL to keep Jefferson and get Nelson after Williams was signed.

 

[CycloneVet]

This Buchanan kid is exactly what we want out of a 5, if he can switch on Defense. Jackson really struggled in this aspect.

 

[RustShack]

Trying to understand the sequence of events. Please clarify if possible.

1. Williams was injured last season.
2. Williams was offered while injured.
3. Williams was given NIL payment.
4. Williams is electing surgery and will miss the season.
5. NIL money is gone.
6. ISU loses 3 centers and couldn't get top choice of replacement center (cluff) due to lack of NIL funds.

At least half of those aren’t true.

 

[pourcyne]

Since I don't know anything about how it really happened which ones are true and which aren't.

 

[Letterkenny]

Since I don't know anything about how it really happened which one's are true and which aren't.

I'm not trying to be a ****, but join the premium board if you want to know.

 

[pourcyne]

I'm not trying to be a ****, but join the premium board if you want to know.

So, money guarantees facts? <sarcasm> First I've ever heard of that. </sarcasm>

What does Good Old AI have to say? AI would never lie, but if it did, it would do it for free.

1. Yes, Mason Williams was injured last season. He played for Eastern Washington and had a pre-existing hip injury that required surgery, which he underwent earlier this week. He also missed five games earlier in the 2024-2025 season due to the injury.

2. Mason Williams officially joined the Iowa State Cyclones on Friday, March 28th, when he committed to the program out of the transfer portal. He committed shortly after taking a visit to Iowa State, according to 247Sports. The official signing of Williams was announced by Iowa State University Athletics on April 29th.

3. Williams' last game for E. Washington was on March 8, 2025. He played 36 minutes and led the EW scoring with 20 pts. No mention of injury during that game. He made a 3-pt jumper at the 50 second mark in the last half. Injury report from Feb 28, 2025 does not list Williams. https://news.sportsinteraction.com/ncaab/eastern-washington-eagles/injuries?season=2024-2025

4. AI sez: It's important to note that specific details of individual athletes' NIL deals are often not publicly disclosed. While Mason Williams is an incoming player for Iowa State and could potentially have NIL opportunities, the search results do not confirm any payments from the university itself or its associated collective for him. Pourcyne sez: In other words, can't say it's true or it's false until someone comes up with an official document, perhaps written on a hunk of gum stuck under the table. (see what I did there?)

5. NIL money is gone. Whut? The statement is unclear. Does it mean any money possibly paid to Williams has magically disappeared, or does it mean that ISU has no NIL left in the till? Because of that, it could be true or it could be false, sort of like Schroedinger's cat. He could have been fed Meow Mix and he ate it or maybe Erwin never gave the cat Meow Mix at all. Both and/or neither could be true.

6. Word on the street is that Cluff got 1.7 million smackeroos to go play for Purdue. Even if he had the much to parlay, I can't see TJ blowing all his nest egg on one player. Not his style. Also, Cluff is busy waiting for his visa to come through so he can come back to the U.S.

There. As the French say, "On n'est jamais mieux servi que par soi-même" meaning that when someone tells you to have a nice day, you actually have to go out and make it happen yourself.

Have a nice day.