September 9, 2008
Iowa State Hopes to Show Improvement in 2008-09
By Hoopmasters Staff

Iowa State hopes to make it to Big Twelve upper division this season.

We continue our look at the Big Twelve by looking at Iowa State. The Cyclones were 14-18 overall and 4-12 in conference play.

Head coach Greg McDermott led Northern Iowa to three consecutive NCAA appearances before taking over at Iowa State. The Cyclones finished 15-16 in his first year, overachieving after having lost Will Blalock and Curtis Stinson, who decided to enter the NBA Draft early and Shawn Taggart, who transferred to Memphis.

The Cyclones return two starters after losing Wesley Johnson, who transferred to Syracuse and Rahson Clark and Jiri Hubalek graduating. Cory Johnson, a key reserve transferred to Valparaiso.

Iowa State welcomes a seven-man recruiting class, which features five freshman, a junior college transfer and a Division I transfer. The team figures to be the deepest team in McDermott's three years with a good crop of shooters. The depth should allow them to play a faster pace after trying to slow down the tempo the past two years to stay competitive.

Iowa State signed freshman guards Dominique Buckley and Wes Eikmeier, forwards Clinton Mann and L.A. Pomlee and center Justin Hamilton. They also added JC transfer Jamie Vanderbeken, who signed with Iowa out of Canadian high school before going to Tayler (TX) CC and Marquette transfer Scott Christopherson, who will sit out the 2008-09 season after averaging 1.3 points per game for the Golden Eagles as a freshman.

Hamilton, who is recovering from a stress fracture, has added 40 pounds to his frame to prepare for college basketball. He packed seven peanut butter sandwiches a day to take to class, eating one after each class as part of a 7,000 calorie a day program.

Iowa State will likely play a three-guard attack as they welcome back returning starters Craig Brackens, who averaged 11.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game as a freshman and Bryan Peterson, a recruited walk-on who was placed on scholarship at the start of the season. He started all 32 games at point guard, averaging 5.9 points and a team-high 2.9 assists.

Sophomore guard Lucca Staiger, who was ruled ineligible by the NCAA last season, is expected to be a starter this year. Staiger played for the German Under-20 national team, which won the FIBA Under-20 Division B European championship in Romania in August. He averaged 10.3 points and led his squad in three-pointers (16) to help his team finish 8-0 in the tournament.

Sixth man Diante Garrett, started four games and played in all 32 games as a freshman. He averaged 6.3 points and was second on the team in assists with 91.

Incoming freshman Hamilton, Mann and Pomlee and JC transfer Vanderbeken will compete for the fifth starting spot and playing time in the frontcourt.

The Cyclones have received a commitment from Marquis Gilstrap, a 6-foot-6 forward from Gulf Coast (FL) CC. Gilstrap had attended Palm Beach (FL) CC three years ago before suffering a broken leg seven games into the season. He has been working out with former Cyclone Kantrail Horton, who is from the same hometown. The Cyclones spotted Gilstrap at the Littlefield JUCO camp in Atlanta.

Iowa State has recruited Gulf Coast teammate Brad Reese last year before Reese decided to return for his sophomore season. Resse is also considering Alabama, LSU, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. Resse, who visited Ames in March, can't make another visit to Iowa State until the end of the season.

Iowa State has received a commitment from 6-foot-9 junior Jordan Dykstra of Rock Valley. They are actively recruiting Ames standout Harrison Barnes, a top ten player in the Class of 2010. His father, Ron Harris, was considered former Cyclone head coach Johnny Orr's first prominent Cyclone recruit. Harris scored in double figures all four seasons at Iowa State. Barnes' mother work at Iowa State. Iowa State's head coach Greg McDermott's son Greg attend Ames High with Barnes. The younger McDermott has a scholarship offer from Albany and interest from South Dakota among other schools. However, they will have to battle many of the top programs such as Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and Texas to land perhaps the state's highest rated recruit ever.

They are also recruiting 6-foot-9 forward Kyle Kelm of Randolph (WI) High, who averaged 14.9 points and 6.8 rebounds, who has offers from Northern Iowa, Bradley, Iowa State, Marquette, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Iowa and guard Chim Kadima, who has offers from Iowa State, Wisconsin-Green Bay and Wisconsin-Milwaukee form the Class of 2010. Kadima missed the 2007-08 season with a broken tibia, but shined this summer for the Wisconsin Playground Warriors. He visited Iowa State this past weekend and could make a commitment soon.

Unfortunately for the Cyclones coaching staff, they do not have another home football game until October 4th as they face rival Iowa this weekend and UNLV the following week on the road with a bye the next weekend.