Iowa State’s Steve Prohm decides to start Solomon Young moving forward

AMES - When Steve Prohm re-watched last week's loss at Texas, he knew what he had to do.

The Iowa State men's basketball coach walked into his office the next day and made the declaration freshman forward Solomon Young would be inserted into the starting lineup.

Seniors Merrill Holden and Darrell Bowie had chances as starters - 14 and nine games, respectively - but Prohm had seen enough to know he wanted to go in a different direction. This time, he made the decision on his own without input.

'I just need to block out everything and start making decisions on what I think is best,” Prohm said during his news conference Monday. 'I'll talk to players and talk to assistants, but I think I'm better when I just come in and say, ‘Hey, this is what we're doing.'”

At 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, Young got his first career start in the Cyclones' win against Oklahoma and had eight points and two rebounds in 22 minutes. He will remain in the starting lineup, Prohm said, at Kansas State on Wednesday (6 p.m. ESPN2) - and the rest of the season.

Young said he found out Thursday he'd be plugged into the lineup, putting to rest the up-and-down nature of his minutes.

In the last three games he's played 68 of 125 total minutes compared to the eight games previous when he played 32 minutes total - including the loss at Vanderbilt when he didn't see action. Young is averaging 3.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.

'I guess it's tested my patience, but I always stay level-headed,” Young said. 'I knew that it would be up and down, but I'm here now. Now I just want to maintain what I'm doing so I can help us win.”

The change in the lineup came as a slight surprise to Young, but not necessarily his older teammates. They had seen flashes of his skill and athleticism in practice, and knew it was a matter of time before he caught a break.

Young broke a bone in his hand earlier in the season - missing three games in a trip to Florida - which slowed some progress, but is starting to find his niche within the rotation again, providing 'energy and toughness” in the thin ISU frontcourt.

'He's built like a Greek god and he has a great mind and feel for the game,” said guard Naz Mitrou-Long. 'He just needs to understand certain things in certain areas, but he's a freshman so it's acceptable.

'I just gave him my input that I only averaged 1.7 points as a freshman and no one thought that I would stay, but I did. He's definitely going to have a special career if he stays the course.”

Holden and Bowie have shown their value in spurts, but Young's game gives Iowa State a more natural presence on the block. Earlier in the season, there also was the graduate-transfer situation to take into account, and not wanting to upset the locker-room chemistry.

'I think I've given those guys a ton of opportunities and freedom and I think Solomon has just kind of stayed the course and he's in that position now,” Prohm said. 'But we need those other two guys at that position outside of (guard Deonte) Burton to be good in that role when their number is called.”

Young won't have to worry about falling out of the starting lineup. And Iowa State won't have to worry about him getting complacent.

'I think it's a good opportunity for me to get out there and get more time and do more for the team,” Young said. 'So I'm in a good situation right now.”

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