Georges Niang, Naz Mitrou-Long, Monte Morris weigh in on overhauled Iowa State basketball roster

AMES - When Georges Niang and Naz Mitrou-Long arrived five years ago, they wanted to leave their marks on Iowa State basketball.

The wins, of course, would take care of their legacy. But they wanted to leave a living legacy. Through time, that living legacy manifested in the way guys embraced the gym culture. It was cool to practice on your own.

Monte Morris and Matt Thomas were two more key pieces of the puzzle, and the results speak for themselves. The Cyclones were 147-63 the last six years - including one year before Niang and Mitrou-Long - with six NCAA tournaments, two Sweet 16s and three Big 12 tournament titles.

Now they're handing over the program to a lot of new faces.

'They're going to be all right,” Niang said. 'They're still keeping the culture intact with getting in the gym as much as we did back then. They have a great outlook on the community and what it means to be part of this community.

'I'm excited to see them get out there and show what they can do.”

Niang, Mitrou-Long and Morris, who signed a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets, were all in Ames recently while sorting out their next professional endeavors. All three got to play pickup games with the next crop of Cyclones and gave scouting reports on the old, and new, faces.

'They're eager to get better, they want to get better, the guys have asked me questions, the young guys like (Terrence Lewis), (Solomon Young), Jakolby (Long), I could go down the line, Nick (Weiler-Babb), Donovan (Jackson), Lindell (Wigginton),” Mitrou-Long said. 'They want to get better. They work hard and they're ready to continue the legacy, that's what they came here for, so we'll find out here soon.”

Jackson, Weiler-Babb and Young are the key returners who bring the most experience while much anticipation has surrounded Wigginton. The 6-foot-2, 184-pound freshman guard averaged 12.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists for Team Canada this summer while winning gold at the FIBA U19 World Cup.

Wigginton was asked to play off the ball in high school at Oak Hill Academy, but could have a more balanced mix of point guard and shooting guard at Iowa State alongside Jackson. In the handful of days Morris got to be around Wigginton, he sees glimpses of himself at that age.

'Lindell is a freak athlete, man,” Morris said. 'He's going to be really, really great. The stuff he does reminds me so much of me in how he has a feel for it. Me and him worked out together for about two hours. I was just showing him little things I learned thus far in the NBA that can definitely help him at his level.”

Iowa State's schedule isn't busting with marquee matchups, but a number of games could be a measuring stick for the youngsters. The Cyclones open at Missouri, which added 6-foot-10 freshman Michael Porter Jr. - the potential No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft - after Cuonzo Martin was hired.

Home tilts against Iowa (Dec. 7) and Tennessee (Jan. 27) are other non-Big 12 matchups to look at for signs of progress. Similar to Iowa State's ascension under former coach Fred Hoiberg, reloading the roster into a cohesive unit won't happen in one game or even 10 games. The advice Niang, Mitrou-Long and Morris give is to stay the course.

'They're young and are going to take their bumps and bruises early on like any young team would, but I feel like once Coach (Steve) Prohm and those guys; they'll learn and keep learning,” Morris said. 'They'll be fine.”

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