“Let it rain.”
That’s the kind of line Iowa State is hoping to live by with Mya Babbitt in the mix. The 5-8 guard arrives after three seasons at Kent State, and she comes with a reputation that should fit neatly into Bill Fennelly’s plans: she can fill it up from deep.
Babbitt committed to Iowa State on April 9, becoming the first transfer of the window to pick the Cyclones. The Nebraska native said she wanted to be closer to home, and that part of the move checks out on multiple levels. Her parents both played high school basketball in Iowa, and now she’ll suit up in a system that figures to ask plenty of her as a perimeter threat.
The shooting is the obvious selling point. Babbitt set a program record with 83 made three-pointers in her sophomore season and knocked down 41.5% of her threes that year.
That kind of efficiency would pair well with Arianna Jackson’s 43.9% mark from last season. Her percentage dipped this past year, but she also took on more defensive attention while averaging 16.1 points per game, including a 30-point outing against Ohio State.
She also shot 90.5% from the free-throw line, which gives Iowa State another way to cash in if defenders run her off the arc.
There’s more to her game than just the jumper. Babbitt averaged 1.5 steals this past season, giving the Cyclones a guard who can help create extra possessions. That matters on a roster that is relatively small, especially against teams that will own most of the size advantages.
Offensively, the expectation is pretty straightforward: keep her on the perimeter and let the shot work. Against Upper Iowa, Babbitt took only threes and went 2-for-5 for six points. With so many Cyclones willing to attack the rim, she can serve as the outlet when the lane closes or help arrives and the ball needs to swing back outside.
Her role could shift from game to game, especially as Fennelly sorts through rotations and combinations in the coming weeks. Babbitt’s minutes may swing depending on whether the shot is falling, because that’s the life of a high-volume three-point shooter.
She scored 20 or more points nine times, so there will be nights when the offense naturally tilts toward getting her touches. Iowa State may not have a clear every-night go-to scorer yet, but Babbitt has the kind of range that can take over stretches and swing games on her own.
In Other News...
Iowa State's Bowl Push Comes Down To A Defining Final Stretch
Iowa States path to a bowl berth is now down to the kind of stretch that tends to define a season. At 4-4, the Cyclones have banked wins over Southeast Missouri State, Bowling Green, West Virginia and Oklahoma State, while the losses have come against ranked opponents, leaving them in position but not yet secure as the calendar turns toward the finish line.
The final four games will decide whether this group gets back to postseason play, with Baylor, Cincinnati, UCF and Kansas State still ahead. ESPN analytics give Iowa State varying chances in those matchups, but the math is simple enough for the Cyclones: they need two more wins to become bowl eligible, and every one of these remaining Saturdays now carries real weight. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Just Faced A Bigger Problem Than One Opening Loss
Iowa States season opened with more than a frustrating 80-76 loss to Memphis at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls. The Cyclones were beaten in the areas that usually travel best for a T.J. Otzelberger team, with Memphis getting the edge in steals, free throws and three-point shooting, leaving Iowa State to sort through the kind of early-game issues that can linger if they are not corrected quickly.
Otzelberger pointed to the need for more defensive pride and commitment moving forward, a message that carries extra weight after a game like this. For a team that expects to defend at a high level and control the terms of play, the opener was a reminder that the bigger concern is not just the loss itself, but whether the response shows up fast enough. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State's Depth Just Sent An Intriguing Early Message
Iowa State wasted little time showing what its rotation can look like this season, rolling past Grambling 90-61 in its regular-season opener at Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones set the tone early with scoring in the paint and steady production from the bench, while Tjaa Turnek led the way with 19 points and Xiao Zhang added an efficient 13.
The bigger takeaway for Iowa State was how thoroughly it controlled the game on the glass and on the defensive end. The Cyclones finished with a 61-34 rebounding edge and held Grambling to 29.2% shooting overall, the kind of opening-night performance that suggests there may be more than one reliable answer waiting in the lineup as the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]