Cyclones lofty expectations embraced by Prohm, seniors

AMES — Just before the first practice of what would officially kick off a new era of Iowa State basketball, coach Steve Prohm collected his four seniors for a quick meeting.

Prohm made a point to connect on a personal level with each of his new players since taking over as the Cyclones' coach, but this meeting was just a reminder of what he's stressed all along.

This season is for the seniors.

'My biggest focus and my staff's biggest focus is no further than this season and giving these four seniors the best possible senior year they can imagine,' Prohm said at Iowa State's media day. 'It's not something that just happens overnight. It's a process and that's just what I'm talking to them about right now.'

'For a couple other guys and me included, this is our last go-around,' said Georges Niang. 'So we really have to make this work if we want to accomplish what we've talked about.'

When Prohm took over for Fred Hoiberg in June, he did so with the knowledge of the resume of his players.

Niang has the chance to be the winningest player program history and will likely be the first ISU player to play in four-straight NCAA tournaments along with Naz Mitrou-Long.

Jameel McKay and Abdel Nader connect the history of successful ISU transfers to the Prohm era, and have given him plenty of experienced leaders in the first four months. Monte Morris provides a dynamic presence at point guard with a nation-leading 4.63 assist-to-turnover ratio as a sophomore.

Even though Prohm has brought fresh ideas from Murray State — where he was 104-29 in four seasons — he has tried to study the Cyclones playbook, watch film and discuss what made Iowa State a success in recent years.

'That's one thing I like about Coach Prohm is he always says, 'I'm just here to steer the ship as the head coach, but I need you all to be on the ship with me,'' Mitrou-Long said. 'It's a give-and-take type of relationship. He asks us about certain plays and will give us certain plays. That's what's built our relationship great to this point.'

Iowa State players haven't been shy about expectations, either. After a second-straight Big 12 tournament title and No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, a one-point loss to UAB in the opening round has been a constant thorn stuck in their minds for seven months.

Most preseason publications have Iowa State in the top-10 and Niang as an All-American candidate

'(The loss) is still in my head, but that's what drives me every day and drives all of us,' Morris said. 'Now we've got a 'why' for why we're going out there on the court so we're playing with an edge.'

'To make this simple with expectations for us, we know where we want to be,' McKay said. 'If you read things and they're not talking about a national championship, then our expectations exceed theirs' because that's what we expect to be playing for this year.'

Prohm knows his first group of Cyclones has the opportunity to be one that can live up to the lofty expectations. But just like the relationship he had to develop with his players, the work to get to Iowa State's first Final Four since 1944 doesn't happen overnight.

'It's still going to be a journey and still be a process,' Prohm said. 'The way you accomplish special things is by doing special things every single day. That's just what I'm trying to build right now.'

l Comments: montzdylan@gmail.com