Iowa State leaders refused to fold, rewarded with Sweet 16 trip

DENVER — Iowa State men's basketball coach Steve Prohm addressed his team through teary eyes and a shaky voice. He spoke of pride.

That pride was all inspired by how his team never gave into the adversity it faced a number of times this season.

A coaching change last June, a number of close losses and the suspensions of two different players on two separate occasions all held the Cyclones' feet to the fire in how they would try to overcome it. Now Iowa State is bound for this weekend's Sweet 16 in Chicago.

'They've had so much pressure on them this year with the expectations,' Prohm said. 'That's why I just said let's do this one game at a time. Let's just get better.

'Let's just get to March and be in a great situation to where we're all about one another and all about the right things and we really are.'

Starting with Prohm's hiring last summer, a foundation of trust had to be built, but wasn't something that could be done overnight. That base level of trust in coaches getting to know players and vice versa started in the only place it could: in the steady hands of senior Georges Niang.

Iowa State had Final Four expectations placed on them by media and fans last summer and after losing eight of its 11 games by seven points or less — and with the two-game suspension and one-game benching of Jameel McKay — doubt started to creep into the locker room.

'In the beginning, it was tough to see (how things would play out),' Niang said. 'There was a lot of frustration up and down. But now you really realize, you know, what he was aiming for. He was really aiming for us to have each other's back, to play for a bigger purpose, and to do something for more than just yourself.'

'We were looking around like, 'Man, is he doing it the right way with suspending Jameel?'' said junior Monte Morris. '(He's) just coming at us with different angles about life and translating it to basketball.'

The day after the Cyclones learned their NCAA tournament destination, Niang met with Prohm in his office. The conversation centered on how neither one wanted to let the other down, but it also came back to the opportunity that laid ahead.

'We wanted to give these guys a special moment,' Prohm said. 'There's been a lot of adversity. That happens with change. Our relationships are so much different now than they were months ago and you just have to get a couple wins to validate what you're doing.'

After dispatching double-digit seeds Iona and Arkansas-Little Rock by 13 and 17 points in the opening rounds, 4-seed Iowa State gets 1-seed Virginia in the Midwest region Friday.

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