Niang popularity as a Cyclone

[CYdTracked]

I give Niang the edge over Fred and it's more because Fred by default has to have allegiance to his employer so you aren't going to see him actively involved withbour fan base and Ames while he's receiving a paycheck from another university. Gary Thompson may not be as well known by the younger crowd but I still smile every time I see him leaving Hilton after a game and he's helping his wife put her coat on. Guy is a legend and still coming to games as long as his health allows him.

 

[BringbackOmalley's]

Niang ripping the ball out of the "JERK" Iowa ball retriever was epic! After Iowas second fg.

 

[SouthJerseyCy]

I think this is a pretty silly debate, but gave me an interesting thought. At the time Fred left for the Bulls, no one could really blame him for taking his shot at the NBA. I don't think very many thought he was 'abandoning' ISU. If he would have had success with the Bulls would have gave us a lot of publicity and I have no doubt he would have embraced that. The fact that he flamed out with the Bulls is really the catalyst for all the hate here.

 

[qwerty]

Dumbest comment of the year. Sorry.. but true.

I@ST1 probably thinks it is Adam Hulaska . . .

 

[farm85]

What was Fred up to today? Tailgating at the game? Have you seen him around Ames lately? Dude couldn’t give two ***** about ISU.

I believe that he was tailgating at Boulder with Ralphie...

 

[CyberJJJ]

I think an argument could be made Niang is the most popular cyclone right now.
But it isn’t fair to compare him to Fred right now.

My question is what was Fred like as a 30 year old? Did he come back to Ames often for games? Did he make put on basketball camps or golf outings?
I honestly don’t know.

Of course some will put Fred down for leaving for the Bulls and now being at Nebraska.
How would fan perspective change if Niang gets into coaching and ends up at Kansas?

To quote Carnac the Magnificent, "May the flees of 1,000 camels infest your sister's armpits!" for even suggesting Georges at Kansas.

 

[SCNCY]

I think this is a pretty silly debate, but gave me an interesting thought. At the time Fred left for the Bulls, no one could really blame him for taking his shot at the NBA. I don't think very many thought he was 'abandoning' ISU. If he would have had success with the Bulls would have gave us a lot of publicity and I have no doubt he would have embraced that. The fact that he flamed out with the Bulls is really the catalyst for all the hate here.

No, there were plenty of people who were upset that he left his alma mater for the Bulls. Additionally, a lot of hate also went towards Jamie and Leath for not doing anything to stop him from going to the Bulls. Despite, Hoiberg probably letting them both know his aspirations. This was also the same seasons where someone from the Des Moines Register wrote that hit piece about how Hoiberg left because he was upset over things that Jamie had done; in the hit piece, I remember that when the team was in Hawaii that the team had all their bags by the pool hanging out checked out of their hotel until their shuttle arrived rather than paying for an extra night in a hotel until their shuttle arrived while not even staying the night.

 

[4theCYcle]

I say Niang for sure. Cyclones wrote to him and he wrote back. The love that he has given Ames from the time he stepped foot on campus and still to this day are hard to beat. The dude gave it his all, embraced us fans and he'll definitely be an all time favorite. This is why he's still my CF thumbnail. Fred is up there, but the thing with him is yeah he was well liked, he came back and resurrected the program, but did decide to leave. While I don't hold that against him and understand career paths, it happened so Georges is the icon in my book.

There was something about those guys - Niang, Monte, Naz who just represented the team with class and did everything they could with and for fans and the school. It was a fun time and so enjoyable to watch and experience. Brock, Lazard and DM is kind of up there for football the way they gave it their all, brought the team back, and still carry the ISU torch to this day in the NFL. They're just really good dudes who seem to love life and have fun while not forgetting Ames in the process. Had Haliburton stayed longer and/or didn't get hurt I think based on his likeability and representing ISU, he'd be up there too. They just have a charisma about them that bring a positive attitude to others and are well liked.

 

[LtRaczack]

He will always be very popular unless he comes back, coaches with success and leaves.

 

[carvers4math]

Throw me into the old people voting Niang.

 

[TitanClone]

He was friends with a girl I went to high school with. Got plenty of free drinks at Paddy's due to him, that on top of the obvious put's him in a special place in my heart.

 

[cyco2000]

Older than 35. Right now, Niang. Goes in waves. For a while it was Thompson. Then Hercle, then Grayer, then Fizer, then Hoiberg (yes, I'm skipping some). Haliburton could get there some day...some of the currents hopefully get into that conversation.

 

[Cyclonepride]

I don't really think I could rank favorites other than to say who is among them (Georges, Fred, Johnny, Monte, etc). Georges just has a fantastic personality that I think fans can really relate to.

 

[t-noah]

Most popular before Fred too. He embraced Iowa State and Fred ran from it.

Agree... Niang is more popular than Fred at this point.

Dumbest comment of the year. Sorry.. but true.

No. Your wrong there. Hoiberg is still popular, and did a lot for Ames and ISU, but he did chose to move on. Fans can also choose.

So you disagree, that's fine.

 

[Jer]

There is typically a recency bias to these sort of discussions - or just a general younger generation online.

I think Melvin Ejim gets overlooked a lot. He was an amazing student, person, and athlete. He was maybe too quiet to develop that bond with many.

If it was more recent, I think people would remember Dedric Willoughby in a unique way. As I've described before, he's as close to the charisma and smoothness to MJ I've ever seen at Iowa State. Man it was hard to watch him and not fall in love with his style of play and his overall atitude.

 

[NorthCyd]

There is typically a recency bias to these sort of discussions - or just a general younger generation online.

I think Melvin Ejim gets overlooked a lot. He was an amazing student, person, and athlete. He was maybe too quiet to develop that bond with many.

If it was more recent, I think people would remember Dedric Willoughby in a unique way. As I've described before, he's as close to the charisma and smoothness to MJ I've ever seen at Iowa State. Man it was hard to watch him and not fall in love with his style of play and his overall atitude.

I think it's some recency bias, but I also think there is more of an opportunity to get to know players these days. Georges has a great personality and he had more media outlets for people to get to see that. Heck, we got to talk to his mom on this message board. That kind of access just didn't exist until the turn of the century.

 

[CoKane]

How much NIL cash would Georges have made here if it was legal his entire time? My professional estimation is a metric **** ton

 

[Jer]

I think it's some recency bias, but I also think there is more of an opportunity to get to know players these days. Georges has a great personality and he had more media outlets for people to get to see that. Heck, we got to talk to his mom on this message board. That kind of access just didn't exist until the turn of the century.

That's a great point.

 

[CyNews]

Saw Georges at the Cy-Hawk game today, got a discussion among our group about most popular Cyclone basketball player AFTER Fred Hoiberg. Niang was a an almost unanimous choice.
-4 year player
-successful tams while he was here
- related well to the community then and now.
Ejim and Morris were others mentioned but we agreed Georges was it.
Thoughts?

He’s above Hoiberg.

 

[0u812]

Niang had a swagger and charisma that most successful Cyclone athletes either do not have or naturally do not exude. Classic moments during press conferences, trolling other teams, and backing it all up is the reason Cyclone fans love the hell out of Georges.

I think Haliburton would have been in the conversation if he stayed 4 years, but obviously he left on good terms early for a million reasons.....

Hoiberg was the Ames/ISU darling until he went to the Bulls. Cant fault his path, but the way it all turned out with the Bulls being a mess with him there, just about as bad as Tim Floyd, hurt his legacy a bit. Made even worse when he went to Nebraska........