Where Iowa State basketball stands as big offseason begins
As soon as one might think they have a handle on what next season’s roster may look like, it changes.
It is, after all, the transfer-portal era.
Still, it’s worth taking time to evaluate where things stand and what might need to change in a landscape that is ever shifting.
Iowa State basketball finds itself in an enviable but incomplete position as it looks to build off the best season of three under coach T.J. Otzelberger.
The Cyclones have gone to three straight NCAA Tournaments, appeared in the Sweet 16 twice and appear to be returning a formidable core for 2024-25.
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No team is ever static in college basketball, and the transfer portal could still hit the Cyclones with a significant loss, but after some immediate departures it at least appears the roster has found its level.
While there will undoubtedly be changes – Iowa State has a number of scholarships to fill – now is as good a time as any to get a feel for where things are at for the Cyclones.
Known departures
Tre King, F, Exhausted eligibility
Robert Jones, C, Exhausted eligibility
Hason Ward, F, Exhausted eligibility
Omaha Biliew, F, Transfer portal
Kayden Fish, F, Transfer portal
Jackson Paveletzke, G, Transfer portal
Jelani Hamilton, G, Transfer portal
Current returners
Tamin Lipsey, G, Jr.
Demarion Watson, Wing, Jr.
Curtis Jones, G, Sr.
Keshon Gilbert, G, Sr.
Milan Momcilovic, F, So.
JT Rock, C, Fr.
Incoming
Nojus Indrusaitis, G, Fr.
Dwayne Pierce, F, Fr.
Nate Heise, F, Sr. (Northern Iowa)
Dishon Jackson, C, Sr. (Charlotte)
There are two headlines in the roster breakdown above. The first is that Iowa State will have an experienced, talented and dynamic backcourt. The second is that the Cyclones’ frontcourt will need to be largely rebuilt.
Let’s start with the construction project.
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The frontcourt
Losing Robert Jones, Hason Ward and Tre King creates a significant void up front for the Cyclones. Jones’ development over three seasons was as strong as perhaps any Cyclone in recent years, while both Ward and King came into their own as critical contributors this past season.
The good news is that Iowa State already has 7-foot-1 center JT Rock waiting in the wings after the South Dakotan skipped his senior year of high school to redshirt in Ames. The Cyclones have also added 6-foot-11 Dishon Jackson from Charlotte.
Iowa State still probably has another spot for a center, but the bigger area of concern is power forward.
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Milan Momcilovic and Demarion Watson can play for spells there, but Otzelberger hasn’t shown an inclination for playing either there for extended minutes. Maybe that changes after another summer in the weight room, but let’s for a moment assume Iowa State is in the market for a 4.
And for as many strides as Iowa State made offensively – and it was considerable – one of the Cyclones’ issues is they routinely played two inconsistent or non-shooters in most lineups. Adding a power forward – or even a center – that can reliably pick-and-pop and provide a threat outside should be a priority.
The issue, of course, is that’s a priority for just about all of the 362 Division I programs. The good ones aren’t easy to get.
The backcourt
The incredibly good news for Iowa State, though, is that whatever the Cyclones are able to assemble in the frontcourt will be there to complement its backcourt.
Depending on how the rest of the roster comes together, it’s easy to imagine a starting lineup of Tamin Lipsey, Keshon Gilbert, Curtis Jones and Momcilovic (if Iowa State wants/needs him at the 4, as mentioned above). Or even if Jones continues to come off the bench – a role in which he’s thrived – that's still four all-Big 12 caliber players to build around.
And while Lipsey, Gilbert and Jones all have big offseasons ahead of them, none is likely to match what awaits Momcilovic.
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The 6-foot-8 Wisconsin native had a big freshman season in which he averaged 10.9 points while shooting 42.4 percent from the floor, 35.9 percent from 3 and 80.9 percent from the free-throw line. He displayed the ability to be a big-time shotmaker with some unguardable shots from the mid- and high-post.
And it feels like he’s hardly scratched the surface.
Momcilovic is good at a lot of things that are hard – specifically that fadeaway jumper from the post – known by most as The Dirk – but some of the easier stuff, he’s not quite as good as you’d imagine from such a talented shooter and offensive player.
A summer of shooting off screens, letting it fly in transition and working on being a facilitator and playmaker could elevate Momcilovic to another level.
An NBA Draft pick level.
With his size and talent, just some refinement will go a long way.
The bottom line
While the losses of the bulk of the frontcourt and the departure of Omaha Biliew, the program’s first McDonald’s All-American in a generation, certainly create work for Otzelberger and his staff, the Cyclones actually enter the offseason in the best shape of Otzelberger’s tenure.
In Year 1, Otzelberger inherited a program that was 2-22. In Year 2, the only returners of significance were Gabe Kalscheur and Jaz Kunc. This past season, it was Lipsey and King (and to a lesser degree, Robert Jones).
Next season, it’s not hard to envision Iowa State returning three starters and two important bench pieces. While also welcoming Rock off his redshirt, a well-regarded recruiting class and, given the coaching staff’s track record, a transfer group that will over-perform expectations.
The Cyclones will almost certainly begin the 2024-25 season ranked, and it could be quite high. Expectations will be there for really the first time in Otzelberger’s tenure.
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All of that can change, of course, given the ephemeral nature of roster management in this age of college basketball, but for now Iowa State should have the most talented roster – by far – since Otzelberger took over and probably the best Cyclone roster since the 2018-19 team that produced four NBA players.
That’s a pretty good place for a program to find itself, even if it is just the first week of April.
Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What comes next for Iowa State basketball after Sweet 16?
