Iowa State builds for future by signing 3 guards

AMES — The challenge of replacing six seniors, including three veteran guards, might look daunting.

But the 2017 signing class Coach Steve Prohm has assembled so far softens the blow a bit.

Iowa State signed three players during the early signing period when point guard Lindell Wigginton, wing Terrence Lewis and combo guard Darius McNeill all made it official Wednesday.

The Cyclones were ranked No. 19 by 247Sports, which is the highest-ranked class in school history during the internet recruiting rankings era. Iowa State is second in the Big 12, behind Texas (No. 8) and was given a big lift when Wigginton committed a couple weeks ago.

'When I came on my visit, I loved everything about it and felt in my heart that was home,' Wigginton told The Cyclone Scoop recently. 'I just liked the environment around it and the people.

'The coaches are really real and I can trust the coaches and I feel like they can trust me coming into the situation. It was really about the relationship with the coaches. I had a great relationship with them.'

Wigginton, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound point guard from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, is a four-star point guard playing at Oak Hill Academy and is the No. 53 player in the nation, according to 247Sports. Prohm and assistant coach Neill Berry made Wigginton a priority and were in contact with him just about every day since April when the rules allowed.

With the loss of senior Monte Morris next fall, Wigginton — who was also heavily recruited by Oregon — is primed to compete to become a starting point guard as a true freshman.

'He's a guy that can come on campus day one and that's ready to compete physically, mentally just from the competition that he's used to going against at Oak Hill for the last three years,' Prohm said. 'And he's a guy that if you talk to Coach (Steve) Smith up there (at Oak Hill), has gotten better and better over his last three years and is one of his most improved guys that he's coached.'

Wigginton will continue a recent trend of Canadians playing at Iowa State with Jamie Vanderbeken, Melvin Ejim, sit-out transfer Ray Kasongo and guard Naz Mitrou-Long before him. Mitrou-Long played AAU ball with Wigginton's brother, Rodell, who played collegiately at Buffalo.

'He's one of the best gets for Iowa State, I feel like, in history as far as his ranking,' Mitrou-Long said of Wigginton, who he has known for years. 'He's a hungry kid and he thinks he's nowhere near where he needs to be. He wants to go after everybody that's ahead of him and he's one of the best gets this school could get. He's going to be awesome for the program, is a hell of a kid and person and incredible player.'

Lewis, a four-star wing from Milwaukee, and McNeill, a three-star combo guard from Houston, rank as top-50 players at their positions.

Prohm said it's possible Iowa State could land one more player in the early signing period. Four-star forward Isaiah Stokes is the highest target on the radar.

After the signing of three perimeter players, Prohm said the focus in the spring shifts to the frontcourt.

'We lose some good frontcourt players as well, but to get really the bulk of the recruiting from the perimeter done, we may take a transfer in the spring,' Prohm said, 'but to get the bulk of the recruiting done in that area is big.'

ISU WOMEN SIGN 2

Iowa State women's basketball added two players, both from Minnesota, to its 2017 class Wednesday.

Rae Johnson, a 5-foot-7 guard from Albertville, and Kristin Scott, a 6-2 center from Kasson, signed their letters of intent Wednesday as the No. 1 and 2 prospects in the state of Minnesota.

Johnson has started all 88 games in her career and averaged 16 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.6 steals as a junior. Scott has started all 92 games of her career and averaged 22.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game last season.

Signing Johnson and Scott also continues a trend of Minnesota players ending up at Iowa State.

The Cyclones have forward Seanna Johnson and guard TeeTee Starks, both from Brooklyn Park, Minn., on the roster, but Coach Bill Fennelly said there has been a connection he likes dating back to when he first arrived in Ames.

'It's an easy access and they only have one Division I school in the state and it kind of goes all the way back to Megan Taylor,' Fennelly said. 'Some years on our roster there has been a lot more (from Minnesota), but in the history of our program we've always had good Minnesota players.

'We always go up there and this year we got the two best players in the state. Minnesota has been really good to the Cyclones for sure.'

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