Hallice Cooke transferring from Iowa State

AMES — The Iowa State men's basketball program announced Monday junior Hallice Cooke has been given a release to transfer from the program.

Cooke, a 6-foot-3 guard from Union City, N.J., averaged 2.6 points in 32 games played last season. He spent two seasons in Ames, but sat out as a red-shirt in 2014-15 after transferring from Oregon State following his freshman season.

'We appreciate the effort that Hallice has given to our program,' Iowa State coach Steve Prohm said in a release. 'He is a good young man and our staff will do everything we can to assist him in finding the right fit.'

After undergoing hip surgery during his sit-out year, Cooke was typically the seventh man in the Cyclones rotation and with a guard-heavy roster in 2016-17, minutes will be at a premium. Iowa State returns Monte Morris, Naz Mitrou-Long and adds red-shirt transfer Nick Weiler-Babb, JUCO transfer Donovan Jackson and freshman Jakolby Long.

Cooke, who served a one-game suspension at Kansas State for being late to practice and didn't see the floor against Oklahoma in Ames, had a season-high 11 points against Virginia Tech and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Should he transfer to another Division-I program, Cooke will lose a year of eligibility because he already red-shirted at Iowa State.

'I enjoyed my time at Iowa State and will cherish the relationships I made when I was a Cyclone,' Cooke said. 'At this time I'm looking to find a better fit for me personally. I'd like to thank the Cyclone fans for their support the last two years.'

With Cooke's departure along with guard Jordan Ashton — who announced last week he will become a graduate transfer and join the Northern Iowa basketball team — Iowa State is at its limit of 13 players on scholarship. Emmanuel Malou, who signed last fall and declared for the NBA draft without an agent, is in the midst of resolving academic issues that would impede him joining the Cyclones.