Iowa State’s Naz Mitrou-Long ready for second chance at healthy senior season

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - There are plenty of factors that helped Iowa State guard Naz Mitrou-Long reach his current state of health.

It could be the countless hours of in-season rehabilitation, the hula hooping with guard Matt Thomas in their apartment or maybe it was simply a matter of time.

OK, the hula hooping never actually happened - at least that's what Mitrou-Long said - but the point is he's feeling as good as he ever has.

No restrictions or limitations.

It's a second chance at his senior season.

'I feel like it's been forever since I ran through that tunnel and looked out and realized it's game time,” Mitrou-Long said. 'That nightmare that I've been going through for a year-and-a-half now is almost done.”

After the 2015 NCAA tournament, Mitrou-Long required surgery on both hips and, after attempting a speedy recovery, he played in the first eight games last season. He averaged 12 points and hit 16 3-pointers, but the persistent discomfort he felt was too much to handle.

After opting to shut it down, Mitrou-Long spent all of last year slowly rehabbing. He eventually got in work on the court and has been a full participant in ISU practices this fall, including a three-hour session. He obtained a medical redshirt last spring and is ready for Take II on his Cyclones finale.

'It was like a kid in a candy store,” Mitrou-Long said of returning to the court. 'When something that you love, genuinely love, and your whole life has been built around it is taken away from you; that's your passion and your heart and soul. I was crushed when that happened. But when I got it back, everything was revamped.”

Getting Mitrou-Long back for another year is invaluable for Iowa State Coach Steve Prohm, too.

'Naz is healthy and one of the best leaders and most charismatic people I've been around,” Prohm said. 'It really embodies what a student-athlete here at Iowa State is all about. And really looking forward to him having an unbelievable senior year.”

Mitrou-Long is a career 43.5 percent shooter from the field and 37.7 percent from long range. His offensive skill set has never been in doubt and he has provided some of the biggest shots in recent ISU history - two clutch 3-pointers in two games against Oklahoma State come to mind - but he wants to add another dimension this year.

He's averaged 2.9 rebounds per game as a junior - the same in eight games last year - and wants to see that number increase. Mitrou-Long, 6-foot-4 and 203 pounds, won't lose his prowess on the perimeter, but he knows an increased presence around the rim - particularly on defense - will benefit a team made up of primarily guards.

'You'll see he's putting the ball on the deck better and shooting midrange as opposed to just 3s,” said point guard Monte Morris. 'He's getting to the basket and finishing at a high level, too.”

Mitrou-Long almost lost a chance at finishing his college career the way he wanted last year because of faulty hips. With a new lease on health, he's not taking anything for granted.

'Just bringing a little bit of everything,” Mitrou-Long said. 'I think I'm going to be that guy who's going to be able to just help everybody mesh. That's what I've got to do.

'Whatever it takes to win, take charges, play great defense, anything man. Whatever I've got to do to, man, is what I'm going to do.”

l Comments: montzdylan@gmail.com