Iowa State is staring at a major offensive reset, and Jamarion Batemon is the name that jumps to the front of the line.
With Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson and Nate Heise out of eligibility, and Milan Momcilovic also gone after entering the transfer portal so the Cyclones could make the necessary additions, there are real minutes and real production to replace for the 2026-27 season. Momcilovic’s departure is the biggest swing of all. He just put together a historic shooting year, leading men’s college basketball with 137 made 3-pointers while hitting 48.7% of his attempts.
That kind of firepower doesn’t get replaced easily. But Batemon is the player who appears set to get the first crack at it.
The sophomore’s role already started to grow as his freshman year unfolded, and head coach T.J. Otzelberger’s trust in him followed the same path. Batemon said in a recent interview with Cyclone Fanatic that the confidence from both his teammates and the coaching staff is helping him get ready for the jump that’s coming in Year 2.
He had a pretty clear runway last season. Batemon averaged 3.9 3-point attempts per game, tied with Lipsey for second on the team behind Momcilovic’s 7.5 attempts per game. And he made the most of those looks, knocking down 37% of them - second among Iowa State’s rotation players, again trailing only Momcilovic.
At 6-foot-2, Batemon doesn’t bring the same size Momcilovic does, but the shot is real. He showed it could translate right away at the college level, whether he was spotting up or moving into his jumper. Now he gets a full offseason and a bigger workload, which gives Iowa State a chance to see how far that shooting can go.
The comparison to Momcilovic’s own progression is hard to ignore. Momcilovic shot 35.9% from deep as a freshman before climbing to 39.6% as a sophomore. If Batemon can make a similar leap, he could get close to 40% himself - and that would put him in elite company as a shooter.
For Iowa State, that kind of growth would matter. Replacing the team’s top three scorers from last season will take a full collective effort, but Batemon looks like the first player asked to help carry the load.
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