Leon Bond III arrives in Ames with a profile that should look awfully familiar to anyone who likes their wings aggressive, physical and unafraid of contact. He spent two seasons at UNI, settled in quickly in the Missouri Valley Conference and put together a junior year that made him hard to ignore.
That season, Bond averaged 11.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 46/37/75 splits. He earned a spot on the MVC All Defense team, landed on the Lou Henson Award watchlist and made the All MVC Tournament team. For a player still early in his college run, that’s a pretty loaded resume.
The game that really jumps off the page came on Dec. 16 against Montana. Bond scored 37 points on 12 of 15 shooting, hit 4 of 5 from deep and went 9 for 9 at the free throw line.
That total stands as the third highest single-game scoring mark in UNI program history. The box score reads like a typo, but it’s real.
That free throw number matters. Bond’s ability to get downhill, absorb contact and finish is the kind of thing that usually travels.
He does not need a perfect offensive setup to make an impact. He can create his own pressure on the rim, and when he gets there, he converts.
That’s the part that should fit in Ames. Bond is a slasher who brings a physical edge Iowa State’s offense was missing last season.
At 6’5 and 200 pounds, he also has the size to defend multiple spots, which lines up neatly with what Otz asks for on that end of the floor. He can guard, create and finish, and that’s not a common package.
There’s also a little more to the background than just the UNI years. Bond was a top 64 recruit nationally and spent time at Virginia before settling in at UNI.
The leap from the Missouri Valley Conference to the Big 12 is real, but Bond’s game is built on things that don’t disappear when the level rises. Getting to the rim and getting to the line still count.
In some ways, they matter even more.
In Other News...
Josiah Harrington Keeps Proving Iowa States 2027 Class Is No Fluke
Josiah Harrington keeps adding to the case that Iowa States 2027 recruiting haul is more than just a rankings win. The Cyclones already sit atop the national class list at 247 Sports with Harrington alongside four-star teammates Jack Kohnen and Donovan Davis, and the Iowa-raised wing has continued to back up that buzz with his play for Brad Beal Elite on the Nike EYBL circuit. His summer run has fit the profile Iowa State wants from a future cornerstone: a prospect who can hold his own against elite competition and keep trending upward.
Harringtons showing at Peach Jam only reinforced that momentum, giving the Cyclones another reason to feel good about the group they have assembled. He was productive across the event and had one of his better outings against PG Elite, the kind of performance that helps explain why Iowa State sees him as a major piece of what comes next. The broader question now is how much more he can add before he gets to Ames, because for a class that already looks loaded, the ceiling still appears to be rising. [Read more 🡒]
Cyclones Fans Have Plenty To Watch In NBA Summer League
If you were looking for familiar names while flipping through NBA Summer League box scores in July, there was no shortage of them for Iowa State fans. Several former Iowa collegians and Iowa natives popped up across the California Classic, Salt Lake City and Las Vegas events, giving Cyclones followers a reason to keep an eye on a handful of different rosters while the league was in full summer mode.
The list included Hason Ward, Josh Dix, Keshon Gilbert, Brendan Hausen, Payton Sandfort and Bennett Stirtz, all of whom found ways to contribute in games that mattered more for evaluation than for standings. For a fan base that tracks talent well beyond Ames, it was a useful reminder of how many familiar faces are trying to carve out NBA footing, even if the most eye-catching performance from that group is still tucked inside the July results. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa State Faces A Familiar QB Pressure In This Next Transition
Iowa State is heading into another season with a familiar kind of quarterback reset, and Jaylen Raynor is the next man asked to step into it. When he starts against Southeast Missouri on Sept. 5, he will become the Cyclones 14th different opening-game quarterback since 1999, a reminder of how often this program has had to hand the keys to someone new and ask him to settle things quickly.
Raynor takes over after Rocco Becht, one of Iowa States best quarterbacks, and he inherits the usual early-season burden of leading a roster with plenty of new faces around him. The opener also comes with a little historical backdrop, since Iowa State has seen a few quarterbacks make a strong first impression in this spot before, including Hunter Dekkers in the 2022 opener against the same Southeast Missouri team. [Read more 🡒]