Iowa State’s Deonte Burton: ‘It’s time for action’

AMES - Words only take a team so far.

Deonte Burton wants more than just cheap talk.

'I think it's more time for action,” Burton said. 'We can keep saying things and say all of this, but if we have no action behind it then what is the point of saying it?”

Days after the Iowa State men's basketball team scored its biggest win of the season at No. 2 Kansas, it lost on the road to a young Texas team with a losing record.

As talented as this Iowa State (14-9, 6-5) squad has shown itself to be, its underlying identity has been one of inconsistency. The Cyclones have fallen behind double digits in five of their last six games, going 3-3 in that span - including a double-overtime win at Oklahoma.

The Sooners (8-15, 2-9) make a return trip to Hilton Coliseum on Saturday (5 p.m. on ESPN2).

'It's disheartening in a sense because we should be in a position where we can knock out a couple in a row, which we need to do,” said guard Naz Mitrou-Long. 'With that being said, our backs are against the wall now. We're playing with fire as far as needing a couple big wins in a row, but that's when we play our best.

'It's go time from here on out.”

Iowa State is the fifth-most experienced team in Division I basketball with six seniors on its roster - three going through their fourth or fifth year in Ames. The DNA is well established, but that doesn't mean there can't be tweaks.

The makeup of the roster consists of strong personalities. Burton, Mitrou-Long, point guard Monte Morris and guard Matt Thomas have been around the program longer than the coaches. Accountability starts at the top with Coach Steve Prohm, but players holding each other accountable can be just as vital to eliminate slow starts.

'It's on us four returning seniors to get everybody locked in,” Thomas said. 'Coach Prohm can only do so much and motivate so much. At the end of the day it's on us and everybody to look themselves in the mirror and get yourself prepared for the game. That's what we've got to do moving forward.”

Prohm can often be heard directing the offense and calling out defensive signals during games, but he's not an in-your-face type of coach. There isn't a 'magic recipe” to fix that lack of urgency to start games, Prohm said. The entire system comes down to the second-year coach keeping everybody, one through 15, accountable.

'I think all great players at the end of the day really want that,” Prohm said. 'I think you can still do that without (being) demonstrative and yelling and screaming because they've done it before, and done it at a high level before.

'I've just got to keep trying to figure out the right buttons to push.”

Despite the ups and downs, Iowa State is tied for fourth in the Big 12 standings with TCU with four home games - including last-place Oklahoma - in the next three weeks.

'We've just got to get it done,” Mitrou-Long said. 'It doesn't matter what happened before. It's about now, it's about getting wins at the end of the day no matter what it takes to get those Ws.”

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