ISU’s top three highly touted busts of all-time.
- Thread starter mjhavlo76
- Start date
I wouldn't list players that actually had good careers away from ISU. Taggert and Hamilton were actually really good at their next stops. I think of players like Theo Davis, who was just not close to what he was billed, Jerome Harper, who didn't do anything after being a McD AA. Tim Barnes, who couldn't remember how to solve a defense after arriving on campus. Brian Alexander, who moved like a glacier on the court. Those busts.
Tim Barnes...now there's a pull. One decent season and then he bounced. Don't think he ever played college ball again. Was it academia related? Not sure now.
Most that I recall were in the Wayne Morgan era...
Ross Marsden
Mike Evanovich
Aaron Agnew
Robert Faulkner
Morgan was so desperate for a big and reached on so many. Thank God for the farm kid from Remsen.
Prohm stacked them up as well...
Jakolby Long
Terrence Lewis
Zion Griffin
Ross Marsden
Mike Evanovich
Aaron Agnew
Robert Faulkner
Morgan was so desperate for a big and reached on so many. Thank God for the farm kid from Remsen.
Prohm stacked them up as well...
Jakolby Long
Terrence Lewis
Zion Griffin
The title is ISUs biggest busts, I dont care what they did after.
Steve Prohm's 2019 and 2020 recruiting classes were mostly hot garbage.
2019
Caleb Grill (exception)
Tre Jackson
Luke Anderson
Mardecus Leech
Rasir Bolton
Javan Johnson
2020
Xavier Foster
Dudley Blackwell
Darlinstone Dubar
Jaden Walker
Tyler Harris
Blake Hinson
Jalen Coleman-Lands
2019
Caleb Grill (exception)
Tre Jackson
Luke Anderson
Mardecus Leech
Rasir Bolton
Javan Johnson
2020
Xavier Foster
Dudley Blackwell
Darlinstone Dubar
Jaden Walker
Tyler Harris
Blake Hinson
Jalen Coleman-Lands
Steve Prohm's 2019 and 2020 recruiting classes were mostly hot garbage.
There were some good pieces in there. Some absolute duds too, but a better coach probably could've got more out of those 2 groups. The 2019 Freshman class was perhaps the worst in Iowa State history, but Bolton was a serviceable Big 12 player and Johnson has been killing it at DePaul this year. Prohm was just never going to get enough out of these groups, and had too many misses at the high school level to overcome.
Barnes was academics. He was a pretty decent player when he did play. Just could not get the grades.
john culbertson jerome harper brad dudek would be my 3 with xavier foster not trailing far behind
I would say Terrance Lewis and Zion Griffin were. Pretty highly regarded 4 stars. Both overall just bad players.
Would have to go back and check the recruiting rankings for some of these but IMO some of the lesser known ones are a reach to consider a "bust" when they weren't highly sought after and not 4 star recruits. Transfers are kind of a beast of their own because maybe they were or weren't highly rated coming out of HS too and already had some college experience. To me a 3 star recruit is not "highly touted" so let's take the 2020 class and Xavier Foster was a 4 star and top 15 recruit at his position so I would consider him a bust. Guys like Blackwell, Dubar, and Walker were 3 stars and were anywhere from 4th to 18th ranked players in their state and 35-51 at the position so I would not consider them highly touted by any means.
The first guy that came to mind when I saw this was Ricky Morgan as there was all kinds of hype around us signing him over Michigan State then he was just a huge bust. Someone mentioned Thomas Watkins, not sure there was a ton of hype around him but I remember someone telling me Larry once told him in practice something like he was a huge waste of talent and could be a better player if he would just put the work in. Apparently said something similar to Tyray Pearson his first season at ISU too and it lit a fire under him where he took a big step up in production the next year.
The first guy that came to mind when I saw this was Ricky Morgan as there was all kinds of hype around us signing him over Michigan State then he was just a huge bust. Someone mentioned Thomas Watkins, not sure there was a ton of hype around him but I remember someone telling me Larry once told him in practice something like he was a huge waste of talent and could be a better player if he would just put the work in. Apparently said something similar to Tyray Pearson his first season at ISU too and it lit a fire under him where he took a big step up in production the next year.
Yeah, some have a problem with me. That’s alright, I’m an acquired taste you could say..
1 Jerome Harper (Mcdonalds All-American) 5* never played but sat out a year I think
2. Ivan Chiriaev (Biggest Fraud from a rankings perspective i've ever seen) unbelievable the scouting services never actually saw him play and giving him a 5* ranking
2. Xavier Foster
3. Chris Colvin
4. Terrance Lewis
5. Zion Griffin
2. Ivan Chiriaev (Biggest Fraud from a rankings perspective i've ever seen) unbelievable the scouting services never actually saw him play and giving him a 5* ranking
2. Xavier Foster
3. Chris Colvin
4. Terrance Lewis
5. Zion Griffin
