Robert Jones helped change men’s basketball culture at Iowa State

AMES — Iowa State senior forward Robert Jones became one of the first players to transfer into then-first-year coach T.J. Otzelberger’s men’s basketball program for one overarching reason.

“I always wanted to change a culture,” said Jones, who along with Tre King, Hason Ward and Curtis Jones will participate in senior night ceremonies before Wednesday’s 8 p.m. game against No. 20 BYU at Hilton Coliseum. “Fortunately I was blessed to come in with a coach like T.J. (who’s) a culture changer, as well.”

The same could be said for all of ISU’s seniors, who have helped the sixth-ranked Cyclones (23-6, 12-4 Big 12) become one of the nation’s hottest teams. ISU has won 10 of its last 12 games and seeks to finish undefeated at home for the first time since the 2000-01 season.

“I’m gonna try to make the night memorable and try to just have fun,” Ward said. “The three of us, it’s our last game at Hilton, so trying to (make it) as fun as we can.”

Ward said “the three of us” because Curtis Jones could return for one more season via his COVID year. But it’s going to take all of the Cyclones’ best to beat a Cougars team (21-8, 9-7) that routed them, 87-72, in Provo a month and a half ago.

“Certainly a unique team with the way they shoot the basketball and as many 3(-pointers) they take,” Otzelberger said. “They play the 5-man a lot on the perimeter, so we expect them to come in here and be highly competitive. We expect them to be hungry for a win. They’ve been playing great lately.”

Case in point: BYU’s 86-78 win last week at Kansas. The Cougars forged a late comeback in that game and have won seven of their last 10 games as they navigate through their first season in the Big 12.

“I’m sure they will be coming in with the mindset that they really want to get the ‘W,’” Otzelberger said.

The Cyclones will counter with their daily habits-centered approach to the game that starts with suffocating defense that leads to transition baskets. ISU ranks second nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, second in opponent turnover percentage, and third in steal percentage, according to KenPom.com.

“We’re doing the habits every day and it’s showing up for us,” said the 6-foot-10 Robert Jones. “It’s continuing to work and win games for us and it’s almost come easy, just because we’re doing the things that we do every day, and we’re doing those things in a game and it’s come back successful for us.”

So far, a least, but with much more to potentially come. ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi pegs the Cyclones as a No. 2 seed opening the NCAA tournament in Omaha against Eastern Washington. But a loss to the Cougars Wednesday and/or Saturday at Kansas State could hurt them both in terms of seeding and location, so finishing strong is of paramount importance — and the seniors aim to ensure that it happens.

Especially Robert Jones, who joined a program that went 2-22 before he arrived and will soon begin play in its third consecutive NCAA tournament.

“He deserves a lot of credit for what we’ve been able to accomplish,” Otzelberger said. “He deserves a lot of credit for how our guys carry themselves and the belief they have, so really proud of him for the mindset he’s cultivated and essentially how his body has followed the mindset he set in his time here.”

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