Practice Starts For Men's Hoops

AMES, Iowa?Basketball season is here. No more preseason conditioning. No more pickup games. It is time to get down to business, and that is exactly what the Iowa State men's basketball team did on Friday as head coach Greg McDermott and his staff conducted the first practice of the season.

“Because we have so many new players, we have to find out in a hurry who is capable of picking up the things on both ends of the floor,” McDermott said. “Especially with our eight new guys, there will be a lot of evaluation as to who is ready and who is not ready.”

Many new faces will be on the court for the Cyclones this season. McDermott brought in six freshmen (Craig Brackins, Diante Garrett, Lucca Staiger, Charles Boozer, Marcus Brister and Clayton Vette) and two junior college transfers (Sean Haluska and Bryan Petersen) who all have a chance to earn considerable playing time in McDermott's second season.

However, despite its youth in the backcourt, ISU has plenty of experience in the frontcourt. Seasoned veterans Jiri Hubalek, Wesley Johnson, Rahshon Clark and Cory Johnson return to give the Cyclones quality players at the 3-5 positions. Hubalek, a 6-11, 240-pound senior, averaged 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds last year while developing into a legitimate low-post scoring threat. Johnson, who is just a sophomore, is emerging as one of the rising stars of the Big 12 Conference. The Corsicana, Texas native was third in the Big 12 in rebounding (7.9 rpg) and was second in the league in double-doubles (11) as a rookie last season.

Cyclone fans can get their first glimpse of the 2007-08 squad on Nov. 1 in an exhibition game vs. Dubuque. Be a part of “Hilton Magic” and order your season tickets now at cyclones.com! Once again the athletics department is offering season men's basketball tickets for $99. Click here for more information.

Players Mentioned

Charles Boozer

Craig Brackins

Rahshon Clark

Rahshon Clark

Diante Garrett

Sean Haluska

Jiri Hubalek

Jiri Hubalek

Cory Johnson

Cory Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Wesley Johnson

Bryan Petersen

Lucca Staiger

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics