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Iowa State's Izaiah Brockington declares for NBA Draft
He averaged 16.9 points while helping the Cyclones to historic turnaround
Iowa State's Izaiah Brockington, shooting over Miami's Sam Waardenburg during the second half of Friday’s Sweet 16 game in Chicago, announced Monday he will enter the NBA draft. (Associated Press)
AMES — Iowa State’s Izaiah Brockington capped a one-year odyssey filled with extremely unlikely levels of success with these grateful words: “I’m proud to be a Cyclone.”
Now — three days after ISU’s 70-56 Sweet 16 loss to Miami in Chicago — the talented 6-foot-4 senior guard is ready to pursue a professional career.
Brockington told ESPN Monday he planned to enter the NBA Draft and not take advantage of an extra COVID-19 year. He later confirmed the news with a Twitter post of his own.
It makes sense.
Brockington will be 23 in July. He spent one season at St Bonaventure, then sat out a year while transferring to Penn State. He left the Nittany Lions after a coaching change.
In essence, it’s been a long, strange road for Brockington in college basketball — and why not end it after helping the Cyclones complete one of the biggest turnarounds in the sport’s history?
“I feel like I’ve kind of been an underdog my whole life,” Brockington told The Gazette last Thursday. “I was under-recruited in high school and things like that, and I’ve been pretty much every role throughout college. I’ve been every role except for the main guy and the main leader. I feel like coming (to Iowa State) gave me that chance, but I still feel like I carry that underdog mentality with me everywhere.
“I’m always trying to prove myself and I’m always trying to show people what I can do.”
Brockington averaged 16.9 points and 6.8 rebounds for the Cyclones. He led the team in both categories — and posted all seven of his career double-doubles in his one season at ISU.
“I saw an opportunity for us to do something special here at this school and in the Big 12,” Brockington said in a pre-Sweet 16 news conference. “So I went with it.”
Four-year Cyclones forward George Conditt IV also announced on Twitter he will seek opportunities in pro ball. The 6-9 senior scored eight points and grabbed four rebounds in ISU’s Sweet 16 loss to Miami. He averaged 4.9 points and 3.5 rebounds in his final season.
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