ISU, Pollard happy Big 12 talk is about adding, not subtracting

CEDAR RAPIDS - Let's put it this way. It might be getting old, but it sure does beat talking about the demise of the Big 12 Conference.

“It wouldn't be a spring tailgate tour if we weren't discussing realignment,” Iowa State Athletics Director Jamie Pollard said Tuesday. “This is the third year running. But what's nice this year is we're on an island and people want to come, too, instead of getting off the island.”

Pollard spoke as part of the sixth-annual Cyclone Tailgate Tour at Veterans Memorial Stadium. He was joined by football coach Paul Rhoads and men's basketball coach Fred Hoiberg, among others.

One of the hot topics ISU fans were discussing Tuesday was Florida State, where school officials have openly talked about the possibility of leaving the Atlantic Coast Conference for the Big 12. The school apparently is not happy with a new 15-year television deal the ACC made with ESPN and is weighing its conference options.

Talk about irony. It wasn't long ago when many were predicting the Big 12's death after the defection of Texas A&M, Colorado, Missouri and Nebraska.

But the league has survived, adding West Virginia and Texas Christian, and now there's all that FSU stuff out there. You'd have to think if Florida State ultimately jumps, Miami wouldn't be too far behind it.

“Right now, we are very committed to a 10-member league for a lot of reasons,” Pollard said. “Our heads aren't buried in the sand. If we need to expand, we'll expand. But we're not looking to expand. It's fascinating to hear all this chatter. It's clearly driven on their end. It's a nice position to be in when somebody is trying to dance with you. But we're fine being just who we are.”

Pollard applauded the recent hiring of Bob Bowlsby as the Big 12's new commissioner. Bowlsby, of course, is a former AD at Iowa who was lured away from the same position at Stanford.

“A great hire,” Pollard said. “He's a great administrator who has good political savvy. He's got a good personality to be an outstanding commissioner.”

Hoiberg said his program received a boost Tuesday when point guard Naz Long officially signed a letter of intent. A 6-foot-4 freshman from Canada, Long signed a financial aid agreement with ISU last October but never made it to campus.

He is expected to back up Michigan State transfer Korie Lucious.

“It's good to have that (process) over,” Hoiberg said. “Naz is a world-class kid, really a team guy. I saw him in a game last summer where he took seven charges. I think he's got great leadership potential, and he'll learn from a good one in Korie this upcoming season.”

Hoiberg said he has had many discussions with teams about star forward Royce White, who is preparing for this summer's NBA draft.

“I've talked to teams all over the board, from teams in the lottery all the way to teams at the end of the first round,” Hoiberg said. “He is getting a lot of buzz right now. I thought he was the best player on the floor when we played Kentucky, a (team) that had all those lottery picks. I thought the same thing with Connecticut.

“He's such a unique player. People ask me to compare him to people. It's hard to do because there's not a lot of guys like that. He does so many things, his versatility will definitely translate (to the NBA). His ability to rebound and pass and get by guys will translate to that league because of the spacing. I'm excited to see what's going to happen on draft night. The next couple months are huge for him.”