Iowa State has wrapped its final summer practice, and the countdown is on for T.J. Otzelberger’s sixth team to get back together for the push toward the regular season in early November.
This group brings back four key pieces from last year’s squad, the one that earned a top-three seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season. Killyan Toure and Blake Buchanan return as starters, while Jamarion Batemon and Dominykas Pleta are back as reserves in the core four.
The transfer portal also brought in a fresh wave of help. JaQuan Johnson, Ryan Prather Jr. Leon Bond III and Tre Singleton are all in the mix as potential impact additions.
“The unity, guys enjoy being together,” Otzelberger said during the last week of summer practices. “Times at the meals, team activities, on the court.
All the time that we spend together, the guys have really enjoyed being around one another. You can tell they're a very cohesive group.”
Once the Cyclones return for fall practices, the schedule ramps up quickly. Iowa State will host Creighton in a public exhibition on Sunday, October 18, at Hilton Coliseum, then travel a week later to face Northwestern in an exhibition on October 25 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. It marks the second straight year Iowa State has taken on both the Blue Jays and Wildcats in preseason games open to the public.
The real thing begins November 2, when the Cyclones meet Penny Hardaway and Memphis at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Memphis is expected to lean heavily on transfer-portal additions, and Iowa State should have the crowd advantage with plenty of Cyclone fans on hand.
“I think everybody understands the standard of the way we do things in our program and how we set that standard every day,” Otzelberger said. “And now when they come back in the fall, everybody knows exactly what it is and what it needs to be to be successful.”
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