Checking in on Cyclones with early season report card

Iowa State is off to a strong - and some would say a pleasantly surprising - start under first-year Coach Fred Hoiberg.

And it really could be better.

Close losses at Northern Iowa and home against California were decided in the final minute, which could have made the Cyclones' 9-2 record even more impressive considering the collection of players Hoiberg has to work with.

The opposition hasn't always been strong, but this team has bought into the coach's up-tempo style and all-for-one, one-for-all approach. The chemistry is good and, unlike a year ago with NBA hopefuls like Craig Brackins and Marquis Gilstrap, individual stats mean nothing.

All five starters - Diante Garrett, Scott Christopherson, Jake Anderson, Jamie Vanderbeken and Melvin Ejim - have led the team in scoring in at least one game.

They've hit 80 points or more five times, beaten their former coach on a buzzer-beating shot and won at Iowa for the first time since 2002.

Christopherson leads the nation in 3-pointers (39) and is shooting 54.9 percent from beyond the arc in what's become a breakout year for the junior. He's had three games of 25 points or more.

Next up is Dartmouth on Sunday, the first of four games before the Big 12 Conference schedule begins Jan. 8 at Nebraska.

It's exams week at ISU, and in the spirit of finals, here's a report card for Hoiberg's team through the first third of the season.

Energy/Enthusiasm: A

Say this for this undermanned group, they play hard and determined ball. ISU was unanimously picked to finish last in the league, and make no mistake that's lit a fire under these players and coaches. The effort has been there every time out. Execution is another thing, but one thing fans can count on is that the desire to go all out will never be lacking.

Offense: B+

Most impressive has been Christopherson's offensive explosiveness and Garrett's emergence as a scorer as well as a play-making distributor. With those in the top 10 in the Big 12 in scoring, the offensive production has been good. It's mostly come from long range, and that doesn't figure to change. The Cyclones have made (97) and attempted (249) more 3-pointers than any other team in the Big 12, yet still rank second in accuracy at 39.0 percent. Only Kansas has a better assist-to-turnover ratio. Garrett is adding 5.7 assists a game to his 16.3 points.

Bench play: C +

Freshmen Jordan Railey and Calvin Godfrey have been the only real contributors off the bench, along with walk-on guard Bubu Palo. They have filled in nicely, though both big men have shown they are prone to fouling, a challenge considering they usually take the place of Vanderbeken when he is saddled with foul troubles. All three are solid defensively but aren't going to provide much scoring. They'll need to keep improving in that area so defenses pay attention to them on that end of the floor.

Coaching: B+

Hoiberg hasn't had to worry much about substituting with only seven or eight players in his rotation. He'll be challenged finding rest for his starters. Garrett, Christopherson and Anderson rank among the top six in the Big 12 in minutes with least 33.0 a game. He's done well in the few late-game situations he's had, and has longtime head coach Bobby Lutz helping him call the shots. The biggest thing has been getting the players to accept his way of doing things and his coaching style. That doesn't seem to have been much of a problem.

Overall: A

This team has been impressive through 11 games, mainly because little was known about it or expected from it. The Cyclones are performing well offensively and playing solid defense, holding teams to 36.7 percent shooting and 61.1 points a game. The veterans have exceeded expectations and newcomers Melvin Ejim (two-time Big 12 rookie of the week) and Jake Anderson (12.2 ppg, 8.5 rpg) have been great. The competition ramps up soon with the start of Big 12 play. ISU isn't going to challenge for a conference title but figures to be in most games if the shooting is reasonably good, they can stay healthy and Vanderbeken can steer clear of foul trouble.