NCAA Basketball 10: The Iowa State Cyclones

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20 Min Halves
All-American difficulty

State of the Program
In his fourth year Greg McDermott looks for his first postseason experience with the Iowa State Cyclones. With junior forward Craig Brackins returning for another season in Ames expectations are higher than ever. Newer additions such as freshman point guard Chris Colvin and senior forward Marquis Gilstrap; the Clones are a much more athletic team than in recent years.
With the departures of veteran point guard Brian Petersen and several transfers the Clones are young in the guard court. Returning starting guard Diante Garrett is back for his third campaign with the Cyclones and transfer from Marquette Scott Christopherson is looking to make his first appearance for the Cyclones.
In the post Brackins and sophomore Justin Hamilton return to the starting lineup. Hamilton, who averaged just over four points and three rebounds last year, is ready for a more productive role. Brackins returns as the leading scorer in Big XII contests last year and All Big XII first team honors. Brackins averaged 21.8 points per game last year along with 10.3 rebounds.
Impact Player: Craig Brackins
Brackins led the Cyclones in both points and rebounds, and is hungry for an NCAA tournament berth. With a more athletic team and different style of play the Cyclones are looking to use their athleticism against their opponents. With a stronger, deeper roster Brackins will not need to carry as much of the load for the Clones. The forward from Palmdale, Ca is looking for Iowa State’s first tournament berth since the 04-05 season.
Brackins, a 6’ 10” 240 forward has an excellent range stretching to three point distance. Along with his shooting ability is great footwork in the paint. Brackins is in the top 10 in four categories: field goals, points, rebounds, and double-doubles. His teammates will rely on him for much of the offensive output this season.

Needs to Step Up: Diante Garrett
Junior point guard Diante Garrett needs to control the tempo of the Iowa State offense. Garrett is starting at the point guard spot for the second straight season for Greg McDermott. Garrett is looking to improve his jump shot along with his court vision to give the cyclones a more complete offensive attack.

Important Newcomer: Marquis Gilstrap
JUCO small forward Marquis Gilstrap is stepping into the spotlight in Ames. The senior is finally a division-1 basketball player and is much needed for the Cyclones success. His ability to get to the hoop and generate attention on the offensive end will give Brackins some relief. At 6’ 7” Gilstraps’ length will be needed on the defensive end as well.


Projected Big XII Finish- 10th

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Team Roster-
#1 Buckley, Dominique G 6’2” 200lb. Soph. Romulus, Mich.
#2 Colvin, Chris G 6’3” 195lb. Fr. Chicago, Ill.
#3 Gilstrap, Marquis F 6’7” 215lb. Sr. Covington, Ga.
#4 Boozer, Charles G 6’3” 205lb. Jr. Raleigh, N.C.
#10 Garrett, Diante G 6’4” 190lb. Jr. Milwaukee, Wis.
#11 Christopherson, Scott G 6’3” 200lb. R Soph. LaCrosse, Wis.
#12 Dorr, Alex F 6’7” 210lb. Fr. Norwalk, Iowa
#15 Oliver, Antwon F 6’6” 175lb. Fr. Racine, Wis.
#21 Brackins, Craig F 6’10” 230lb. Jr. Palmdale, Calif.
#22 Dendy, Laron F 6’9” 230lb. Jr. Greenville, S.C.
#23 Vanderbeken, Jaime F 6’11” 250lb. Sr. Belleville, Ontario, Can.
#25Palo, Bubu G 6’1” 170lb. Fr. Ames, Iowa
#41 Hamilton, Justin C 6’11” 260lb. Soph. Alpine, Utah
Red - Denotes Redshirt

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Ames, Ia (AP)- The Cyclones of Iowa State ended their first week of the season as expected, with a win over Big Sky member Idaho State 77-66. “I expressed to my team that this would be an ugly game, and that the first one is always a tough one. I’m extremely pleased at how they responded.” – Greg McDermott

As expected Craig Brackins was the leader in points, shots, and minutes played. Brackins finished with 36 points on 13 of 25 shooting and an an 8 for 8 effort from the charity stripe. Marquis Gilstrap followed Brackins with 16 points in 32 minutes. 3-year starting point guard Diante Garrett returned as the floor general for Iowa State and contributed 6 points of his own, to go with 7 assists and 7 rebounds.

The Cyclones got hot early with Brackins scoring their first 7, from right out of the gates the Clones took the lead and never relinquished it. However, after the early lead by the Cyclones the Bengals responded well keeping it close before the Cyclones ended the half on a 6-0 run.

In the second half the Cyclones showed much of the same, not clearly pulling ahead of the Bengals but controlling every aspect of the game. Deep into the second half, with the help of a Charles Boozer 3 pointer and the much improved free throw shootin gof Craig Brackins, the Cyclones were able to capture their first win of the season.

[huntt26]

Sweet thread!! Go State!

Wish they had success in real life this year...