ISU’s Mitrou-Long now a ‘coach’

AMES — Naz Mitrou-Long wanted to take each day as its own test.

The pain in his hips was pretty uncomfortable, but Mitrou-Long wanted to give a real shot at playing out this season. But the toll his healing hips were taking on him were starting to be more than Mitrou-Long could put on himself.

Coming to the decision to sit out the remainder of the season and seek a medical hardship brought the senior guard to a low point. But Mitrou-Long is quickly shifting his focus to a new role.

'Just being an extended version of coach,' Mitrou-Long said of what he can do. 'Just try to be the guy who guys can turn to in times of need when adversity hits. Just say the things I was saying on the court, it's just that I'll be on the sideline now. Just try to be a little coach, that's it.'

Mitrou-Long averaged 12.0 points and 31.6 minutes for No. 2 Iowa State and played in eight games, ultimately ending his year after playing 38 minutes against Iowa. He sat out against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sunday and ultimately came to the decision to shut it down for the season Tuesday after a conversation with Iowa State Coach Steve Prohm.

The decision came down to what Mitrou-Long and staff felt was in his best interest physically, but it also increases his chances of receiving a medical red-shirt. Because he played in less than 30 percent of the games in the 2015-16 season, he will be eligible to petition for a medical hardship after the season.

In Mitrou-Long's absence, Matt Thomas will slide into the starting lineup and Hallice Cooke will be the sixth man. Marquette transfer Deonte Burton also becomes eligible Saturday against Northern Iowa. Prohm envisions Abdel Nader playing at the three spot and Burton the four with Monte Morris likely to get more minutes.

'With Naz playing, you have a seven-man rotation that you felt really comfortable about right now then you have to work a mid-year transfer in,' Prohm said. 'In talking to Deonte on Monday, knowing all this was going down, or had the possibility of happening, I told him, 'I can't establish your role until we know where we're going to go.' Now his role is defined.

'The beat goes on. It's got to go on. I'm going to be there for Naz every step of the way, from a team standpoint, I've got to be better. Georges, Jameel, all down the line. We've all got to raise our level.'

Mitrou-Long will be on every road trip with the team and at every practice, though he said he's stepping away from anything related to playing for an indefinite period and will focus on rehab.

'I believe in the guys,' Mitrou-Long said. 'I'm just going to extend what Coach Prohm said and his beliefs and just be there to let guys know every possession I'll root for them. I'll be on every trip and be there every step of the way.'

After it was announced Mitrou-Long would miss the remainder of the season Tuesday, ESPN College Basketball Insider Jeff Goodman tweeted Mitrou-Long would be eligible next season as a graduate transfer. Mitrou-Long is on track to graduate from Iowa State in the spring.

Goodman's comment sparked Twitter rumors, but Mitrou-Long shot down rumors Wednesday afternoon and called rumors he would leave Ames 'crazy.'

'This is how I feel about that: if you haven't lived in Ames and if you're on the outside looking in, there's probably a reason for that, you probably think Ames is a plain place with a bunch of farms and a college community,' Mitrou-Long said. 'But once you're here and if you've been here for as long as I have, you grow an emotional attachment to these people, this community and this school and to Iowa State.

'To be a Cyclone is much more than people think. To everybody on the outside looking in, they don't understand my relationship with this school and these people and what it means to bleed these colors. For people to say that is crazy. I've dedicated myself. If I was thinking about transferring, I would have transferred after my first year when I didn't play a minute. I didn't do that because I'm committed to this place and I'll always be a Cyclone.'

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