Some Cyclones hoop thoughts..........

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cyclo120

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Apr 11, 2006
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The roster as is will grind and stay in games defensively, but will need people to really step up offensively i.e Brockington to really move to next level. Being honest this team really need to add shooting to the roster. Either way trust Otz to make us competitive.
 

ForeverIowan

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Feb 23, 2013
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Can't help but wonder if Tyrese is second guessing his decision at all. TJ and staff absolutely went to work in the transfer portal. I have my reservations concerning the PG position but otherwise couldn't be happier with they way the roster is taking form.
 

tomar1

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Good analysis. I agree with you that our front court is much improved this offseason. Eli King and Osun O. are massive upgrades over our big guys from last year. That improves rebounding, offensive efficiency, and our overall defense.

If we get Green from UNI I think we are primed for a run out of the first weekend of March Madness, without him, still a solid team and probably dancing.
You know Eli is A 6’3” guard?
 

dafarmer

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Mar 17, 2012
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Meh...

The team last year played many games way above their heads. They were pretty lucky to be as successful as they were. The simply out worked a lot of teams that were more talented.

I realize it is a new team, but let's see what we have in the fall before we start talking about a top 4 seed in the spring.
Who put a cocklebur in your underwear?
 

qwerty

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A match of the +wins from last season would be nice . . . . ;)

Although, I don't think that is even possible.
 

cyclones12321

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Feb 21, 2009
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I think 2022-23 is going to be a special season for many reasons and the NCAA has possibly set us up well.......I believe the Clones will be a 1, 2, 3, or 4 seed in the tournament next year.....I know some will think I'm crazy but if we get AJ Green, this team will be very special.....as in can win the Big 12 special..........as in can make a deep run in March special......

So how has the NCAA possibly set us up come March??......well one of the site's for the 1st and 2nd rounds is in Des Moines, IA which would make it very difficult for any team trying to beat us........massive fan advantage + GREAT TEAM usually means two wins and on to the Sweet 16......well if we get to the Sweet 16 in the Midwest Regional next year it's in Kansas City and Hilton South would be rocking in what could be a chance at a Final Four.......I know some of you think I'm getting ahead of myself but let's break down this roster:

UP FRONT:

I have watched as much Tre King film as possible and the kid can just flat out play......he's going to be really good at the four spot.......he can score, rebound, block shots, and he is also physical......likely starting next to him will be Osun Osunniyi, who is a MASSIVE upgrade over Conditt.....I love George and he was a solid Cyclone for the 12 years that he spent in Ames but he is not in the same class as Osun.........our defense will be very tough to score on with him in the middle but it gets even better because when he comes out of the game, Hason Ward comes in and is also a great shot blocker (think poor mans Hakim Warrick).......he's long and erases a lot of shots from the weakside......Jaz Kunc will be our do-it-all guy playing the 3, 4, or 5 off the bench.......and if Robert Jones does return, he provides tremendous depth.....Demarion Watson is not talked about by hardly anyone on this board but down the road he's going to show Cyclone fans that he's essentially Melvin Ejim with a little more dribble game........he's a keeper who should be impacting the team in 2023-24.

Overall, this front court is way better than last year as it's not even close

Losing Brockington and Tyrese obviously hurts but when you bring back Kalscheur and then add Jeremiah Williams, Jaren Holmes, and likely AJ Green, you are actually putting yourself in a better position......those four rotating with Caleb Grill provide all we need but as the the season progresses, I expect Lipsey and King to be pushing them as both are very talented and have a very bright future in Ames

Overall, this team is one of the deepest Cyclone teams ever and if AJ Green does in fact head to Ames, I truly feel this is a Top 10/15 team easily

Some people are surprised by TJ Otzelberger and how fast he has the program rolling but I'm not at all......that's because years ago I published the ISU scout page and got to talk with TJ on a weekly basis and there are three things about him as a recruiter that jumped out at me over the years:

1)He's a tremendous judge of talent.......he would constantly see guys at AAU tournaments that no one was talking about and then a month or two later, these players would fly up the rankings yet he had noticed them way before anyone else......some of the guys we would land but others kept rising and ended up at Duke, Arizona, KU, etc.......

2)He recruits guys who have a chip on their shoulder and who have some mental toughness........he brings in winners that will come in and practice hard and that are team oriented......

3)He's not afraid to compete for a recruit......a lot of people thought Osun was heading to Florida but TJ closed the deal and got him

He's currently going toe-to-toe with the big boys in regards to Omaha Biliew and while many sources are saying KU, I still feel we have a chance.......bottom line is he looks at ISU as a team that should be competing for Big 12 titles every year.....his expectations are through the roof and with us continuing to win in 2023 it's only going to enhance our chances to keep building a big time program

Whether we get Biliew or not, the other guy to pay attention to is Milan Momcilovic.......this kid is a flat-out stud (great shooter) from Wisconsin who we have been after for a long time.......he would be a massive get for the program

Overall, next season is going to be a lot of fun and if we do somehow get to the Final Four........it's in Houston......just in case you were wondering......Go Clones!!
I hope youre right. I forgot about hawkim warrick. I hope we get Aj
 

Frak

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I think that IF we get AJG, then we're a likely tournament team and probably upper half of the conference. Without him, we are going to have to grind out games and that looks like an NIT team to me.
 

singsing

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I agree we'll have a lot of talent and depth. TJ's already proven he can coach a team together quickly which I think is going to be very important down the road with cbb the way it is. I'm excited and with Green think we'll have a good shot finishing top 3ish in conference. I seriously can't remember an ISU team with this much talented post depth.
 
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Cyforce

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I agree we'll have a lot of talent and depth. TJ's already proven he can coach a team together quickly which I think is going to be very important down the road with cbb the way it is. I'm excited and with Green think we'll have a good shot finishing top 3ish in conference. I seriously can't remember an ISU team with this much talented post depth.
Gotta be 2000, Fizer, Shirley, Rancik.
 
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ChickenNuggetMan

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I’m glad that we can even have this kind of optimism. I’m not as bullish as you but I think the clones are definitely back in the tourney.
 

Cyforce

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Osun, Ward, Jones, Kunc, King and I still think Watson will be in that mix. Still growing and filling out. I'm excited to see him in a couple years..Any roster with that many though? I can't recollect?
Those 3 combined for 35 & 16 and Stevie Johnson was really solid as our small ball 4.
 

WhoISthis

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Gotta be 2000, Fizer, Shirley, Rancik.
Osun, Ward, Jones, Kunc, King and I still think Watson will be in that mix. Still growing and filling out. I'm excited to see him in a couple years..Any roster with that many though? I can't recollect?

We'll have several options and will be longer than normal. I don't know if I'd say it is one of our more talented. Do we have one go-to guy? Osun is hopefully all-conference level, largely due to shot blocking.

Vroman, Homan, Staple was very good.

Jiri, Brackins, Wes Johnson had a lot of talent (and Alex Thompson was technically a top-100 HS recruit)

Brackins, Johnson, JVB, Hamilton...3 NBA guys plus a shot blocker that was an elite 3 point shooter

Brackins, Hamilton, Gilstrap, JVB, Dendy ... I can't believe that team was that bad

Royce, Booker, Ejim, Gibson arguably had more hype than our frontcourt for next year. Had Godfrey not gotten kicked off, it looked stacked in the sping

Ejim and Georges...having two All-Big 12 guys is hard to beat

Georges, Nader, McKay, and Burton is a talented front court

Lard, Jacobson, Young, Conditt, Tally (and some would include Zion) was supposed to be a very talented and deep frontcourt. It was sidetracked by injuries and Prohm
 

Cyclad

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Osun, Ward, Jones, Kunc, King and I still think Watson will be in that mix. Still growing and filling out. I'm excited to see him in a couple years..Any roster with that many though? I can't recollect?
Only so many minutes to go around. I really like Watsons potential, but I doubt he sees much PT. Too many experienced upper class men. Although I see this group as two subsets: Osun, Ward and Jones. Kunc, King and Watson. Given the roster makeup, I see all the freshman seeing limited time this season. That said, I think they have a bright future. With all of our seniors next year, across all positions, I see another big portal year coming.
 
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Cloneon

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I look at it this way. Being this optimistic until the season starts makes life pretty good up to that point. Then 'adjusting' that optimism as the season unfolds is the key to sanity from there on out. So, thanks for the optimistic outlook. It's certainly better walking around with that than what others will walk around most of the time with.
 

amishclone

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This is exactly what everyone said to me in December. In fact.....many dumb's were thrown my way because I was stating we would win 20 games and make the tourney.

While I understand that many things bounced our way.....if the guys next season can play together like the team did last year, there is no reason to think they can't duplicate the win total and tourney run. Hopefully better.
Like the game at ku?
 

singsing

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Only so many minutes to go around. I really like Watsons potential, but I doubt he sees much PT. Too many experienced upper class men. Although I see this group as two subsets: Osun, Ward and Jones. Kunc, King and Watson. Given the roster makeup, I see all the freshman seeing limited time this season. That said, I think they have a bright future. With all of our seniors next year, across all positions, I see another big portal year coming.
I was looking at the turnover next year too..Good thing for free agency these days. Not sure I've seen a team with this many seniors either. 5 post players with a lot of starting experience is not the norm for ISU. I would love to have had any of them while George was here.
 

Pope

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Assembling all the pieces is half the battle. Getting all of those pieces to play as one and for each other instead of themselves is the other half of the battle. TJ and his staff did an excellent job of accomplishing both last season.

Hopefully, they can mold this year's roster into an unselfish group that plays for the name on the front of their jersey rather than the back. I'm optimistic they can, but it's never a given.