No. 16 Iowa State seeks fourth straight win Monday against Stonehill College

AMES — Northwestern men’s basketball coach Chris Collins praised Iowa State freshman guard Killyan Toure as someone “born to play” for T.J. Otzelberger.

Fellow freshman guard Jamarion Batemon seems to fit that bill, as well.

Just ask Otzelberger, the No. 16 Cyclones’ fourth-year head coach:

“His individual discipline, habits, mindset (are) tremendous,” said Otzelberger, whose team (3-0) faces Stonehill College (1-4) at 7 p.m. Monday at Hilton Coliseum. “And because of those things, the game tends to go his way. His only objective is for the team to win.”

Plain, simple, bedrock.

Batemon — like Toure and the other ISU players of various ages — embodies the traits Otzelberger covets. It’s all about grit over glitz, hard work over flashy play. It should come as no surprise, then, that the Cyclones’ coaching staff seeks out prospects already steeped in those habits, while also welcoming players who are works in progress in that area.

“It’s absolutely something that you look for, because the guys (who) come in with the habits ingrained, it becomes just about the basketball,” Otzelberger said.

Batemon has been a big spark off the bench in the past two wins. The Milwaukee native’s sank five of his 11 3-point attempts in those game, while grabbing two steals. He has yet to turn the ball over this season in roughly 37 minutes of playing time.

“(Otzelberger) wants me being aggressive and not shying away from the moment,” said Batemon, one of three Cyclones with four or more made 3-pointers through three games. “He’s been emphasizing that, so I’ve been working on it in my workouts really hard.”

That’s also a team-wide expectation on both ends of the floor, particularly on defense, where ISU ranks third nationally in efficiency, per KenPom’s advanced analytics.

Big man Blake Buchanan is coming off his best game in that regard, as the 6-foot-10 Virginia transfer compiled a stat line of 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots in Monday’s 96-80 win over Mississippi State in Sioux Falls.

“He was extremely aggressive defensively, which always put him in the advantage, and then he was aggressive offensively, as well,” Otzelberger said. “So those things go hand in hand.”

The same dynamic holds true for Batemon, Toure and all the other Cyclones, who won’t play again until facing No. 13 St. John’s at the Players Era Men’s Championship next Monday in Las Vegas.

“Iron sharpens iron,” Batemon said of his team’s hard-nosed practices. “So being able to go against that every day, bumping heads every day, now when you flip it and turn it on the other team, it’s really something that nobody wants to go against.”

Comments: robgray18@icloud.com