Tyrese Hunter leaving Iowa State men’s basketball, entering transfer portal

AMES — Tyrese Hunter has entered the transfer portal.

Iowa State’s standout freshman point guard announced the decision on Twitter Monday afternoon, but rumors had been circulating across social media over the weekend.

“To Cyclone Nation, I wanna thank you for all the support and undying enthusiasm that you give Cyclone basketball every game at Hilton Coliseum or on the road,” Hunter wrote in the Tweet. “I’ll always appreciate it.”

Hunter, a former four-star recruit from Racine, Wis., broke freshman program records for assists (172) and steals (71) while starting all 35 of ISU’s games this season.

He averaged 11 points, 4.9 assists and two steals per game, but made his biggest splash in the Cyclones’ 59-54 first-round NCAA tournament win over LSU in his de facto hometown of Milwaukee.

Hunter drained a career-best 7 of 11 3-pointers in that triumph while scoring a career-high 23 points.

His absence will complicate head coach T.J. Otzelberger’s efforts to build on the biggest turnaround season in program history, but senior guard Gabe Kalscheur could still return to the team by using his COVID-19 eligibility year.

Earlier this month, Temple guard Jeremiah Williams and Virginia Commonwealth forward Hasan Ward announced their commitment to the Cyclones via the transfer portal. Williams played in 22 games this past season, averaging 31.2 minutes and 9.5 points. Ward averaged 20.3 minutes in 29 games and averaged 6.5 points.

ISU’s class of 2022 also includes Ames standout point guard Tamin Lipsey and top-100 combo guard Eli King of Caledonia, Minn.

Comments: robgray18@icloud.com