Cameron Lard inks with Iowa State men's basketball

AMES — The Iowa State men's basketball team should have no shortage of guards as it prepares for year two under coach Steve Prohm, but it needed to find a way to address its undersized roster.

Signing three-star forward Cameron Lard should give the Cyclones help around the hoop after the exhausted eligibilities of Georges Niang and Jameel McKay.

Lard, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward from New Orleans who is rated as a four-star prospect by 247 Sports and ESPN and three-star by Scout, should provide instant depth to a frontcourt that right now is lacking. He is the fifth player to sign with the 2016 ISU class, joining Donovan Jackson, Emmanuel Malou, Solomon Young and Jakolby Long.

'We are really excited to get Cameron into the program,' Prohm said in a statement. 'We felt that we needed to address size and athleticism down low with the loss of Jameel (McKay) and not having a lot of depth inside this season. We think the addition of Cameron does that and he's a freshman that can come in this summer and develop and will hopefully be ready to help us next season.'

Lard's signing comes after months of uncertainty, largely centered on academics. He committed to Iowa State last November after visiting campus, but transfer issues diminished his opportunity to play during his senior season.

At Natchitoches Central High School, Lard averaged 16 points and 10 rebounds as a junior — helping his team to the Class 5A state title game — before transferring to Landry-Walker High School. He didn't play at Landry-Walker because of Louisiana transfer rules and after he was declared ineligible, Lard went to Pro Vision Academy in Houston.

Lard played in seven games at Pro Vision Academy and averaged 16 points and nine rebounds. He also played AAU basketball for New Orleans Elite.

It's official.April 13, 2016

It's official.

— OhhLard (@ThatD1Boi)

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