Prohm, Iowa State ready for Spain with simple approach

DES MOINES - Steve Prohm scanned his team itinerary, checking out the dates - and to a lesser extent the opponents - of Iowa State's upcoming trip to Spain. But he's also been pondering about what his group will do away from the court.

Perhaps the Cyclones will try immersing themselves in Spanish culture?

'We may run with the bulls,” Prohm said with a grin. 'I'm not sure if Georges (Niang) can out run the bulls, but we'll do it. I don't need him getting hurt doing that though. Monte (Morris) could probably out run them.”

It's anybody's guess as to how much Iowa State will throw itself into the culture in Spain when it leaves for the trip on August 10, but it's not necessarily about the activities. As Prohm said Monday at the Coaches vs. Cancer Charity Golf Classic at Wakonda Club, it's about building chemistry from the top down.

Halfway through the Cyclones' allotted 10 practices, Prohm has certainly gotten a feel for his group on the court. Niang and Morris were away at Adidas Uprising Basketball camp in California during the weekend, but will rejoin the team Tuesday.

Prohm praised his seniors - Niang, Naz Long, Jameel McKay and Adbdel Nader - and said the workouts and transition has been made smooth by their leadership. He threw Morris into that mix too, but said he doesn't necessarily know what he'll do with the starting lineup overseas.

The Cyclones will play the Venezuelan National Team (Aug. 12 in Madrid), the Valencia All Stars (Aug. 14) and the Barcelona All Stars (Aug. 17 and 19).

'I won't sit here and say names right now, but we've only got seven scholarship players we'll be playing with over there,” Prohm said. 'Five of those guys are probably the most experienced of all of them. Obviously you look to experience right away when you're new.”

Deonte Burton and Nick Weiler-Babb have not been allowed to practice per NCAA transfer rules, but Burton will be allowed to travel to Spain. And with Long still sidelined while he recovers from surgeries on both hips and the status of Greek-born Georgios Tsalmpouris still undetermined, Prohm has looked down other avenues to make sure his team is getting time in five-on-five situations.

'Daniel Edozie and a couple other guys have been coming back to help us,” Prohm said. 'Deonte and Nick can't practice and so that makes it a little bit tough, but when we're able to get three guys coming back - Kourtlin (Jackson), Daniel and Danny - and when we get them back we're able to get going five-on-five, that's good.”

Through workouts, Prohm hasn't tried to throw too much offense into the mix too soon. Running transition offense and simple sets has been the team's bread and butter for success in recent years so the goal has been to have a foundation in place for when the season arrives.

'These guys really know how to play, share the ball and space the floor,” Prohm said. 'It's similar to how we're going to play during the regular season, so we'll play out of transition a lot. We may have a couple sets but not much. I don't really want them thinking, I just want them playing.”

As far as playing in the Coaches vs. Cancer Charity Golf Classic, Prohm stayed modest in how well he can swing the club. He admitted to playing once in awhile as the head coach at Murray State, but said Monday he recognized the impact of what a person in his position can do for the charity's cause.

'As a leader, it's your responsibility to influence people and to impact people,” Prohm said. 'Coming out today and being able to give back and share, that's a requirement, but it's something I love to do.”

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