2007-08 ISU Men's Basketball Season In Review

04.14.2008 | Men's Basketball

By: cyclones.com

Cyclone Notebook
-Iowa State battled through an injury-plagued season to finish 14-18 overall and 4-12 in league action...ISU's top three returning players (Jiri Hubalek, Wesley Johnson and Rahshon Clark) all suffered injuries during the season that hindered their progress.
-The Cyclones also took a hit when true freshman Lucca Staiger, who was scheduled to play significant minutes at the two-guard spot, was ruled ineligible by the NCAA Amatuer Certification process...he lost a year of elibility while sitting out the entire season.
-After limping through the early part of the season with a 3-4 mark, ISU finally got most of its players healthy for a month and half stretch where it played excellent basketball...ISU went 9-2 from Dec. 8 to Jan. 19, scoring 70 or more points eight times.
-The Cyclones defeated instate rival Iowa, defeated NCAA Tournament participant Purdue and NIT participant Oklahoma State during the stretch.
-However, Johnson reinjured his ankle, Clark hurt his knee and Hubalek reinjured his foot soon after to derail any Cyclone momentum.
-The wins over Iowa and Purdue, plus a Big 12-Pac 10 Hardwood Series victory at Oregon State were some highlights of the season.
-Iowa State celebrated 100 years of men's hoops during the season, culminating in a successful 100-year tribute weekend vs. Nebraska...ISU battled back from a 13-point halftime deficit to defeat NIT-bound Nebraska in front of over 150 former alumni attending the festivities.

Team Highlights
-Cyclone Challenge Tournament champions.
-Runner-up at Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic.
-Ranked second in the Big 12 and 77th nationally in free-throw percentage (72.0 percent)...first ISU team to shoot above 70 percent from the line since 2001-02.
-ISU's 72.0 percent clip at the free-throw line is the 10th-best single-season total in school history.
-Made 190 3-pointers, tying for third on ISU's single-season chart.
-Won the 400th game in Hilton Coliseum against intrastate rival Iowa.
-Went 2-1 vs. the Big Ten, defeating Big Ten Runner-up and NCAA Tournament participant Purdue, 83-80 in the semifinals of the Las Vegas Classic.
-Defeated one NCAA Tournament team (Purdue) and two NIT teams (Nebraska, Oklahoma State).
-Defeated Nebraska on ISU's Centennial Celebration weekend, coming back from a 13-point halftime deficit...ISU head coach Greg McDermott picked up his 250th victory of his career in the historic win.
-Gained two points in the Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series with 56-47 win over Iowa.
-Win at Oregon State gained points for the Big 12 in the Big 12/Pac 10 Hardwood Series.
-Ranked 25th nationally in least amount of personal fouls (16.1 fpg).
-Ranked sixth in the Big 12 and 64th nationally in field goal percentage defense (41.6 percent).
-ISU's opponent 41.6 shooting percentage is the fifth-lowest season opponent clip since 1967.
-Ranked sixth in the Big 12 and 83rd nationally in blocked shots (3.9 bpg).
-ISU's 124 blocks on the season is the sixth-best total in school history.
-Ranked 78th nationally in least amount of turnovers per game (13.2 tpg).
-Went 9-1 when scoring 70 or more points.
-Held four teams to below 50 points.
-Held three Big 12 opponents to under 40 percent shooting from the field.

NBA Heritage
-Iowa State has a number of players on its roster with ties to the NBA.
-Freshman Charles Boozer and junior Sean Haluska have brothers who are on current NBA rosters. Boozer's brother, Carlos, is one of the top post players in the NBA, making the 2006-07 All-Star team. Boozer averaged 20.9 points and 11.7 rebounds in 2006-07, leading the Utah Jazz to the Western Conference Finals. He is also a member of the USA Basketball Select team that will compete for a Gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
-Haluska's brother, Adam, who played one year at Iowa State (2002-03) before transferring to Iowa, is a rookie with the Houston Rockets. Haluska led the Big Ten in scoring last year, averaging 20.5 ppg while earning first-team all-Big Ten honors.
-Freshman Diante Garrett also has outstanding basketball roots. His father, Dick, played five seasons in the NBA for the Los Angeles Lakers, Buffalo Braves, New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks, averaging 10.3 ppg. Garrett played in the 1970 NBA Finals for the Lakers against the Knicks.

In The National Rankings
-Here is where ISU ranked in the final NCAA statistics.
Category  Rank  Total
Personal Fouls  25th  16.1 fpg
FG Percentage Defense 64th  41.6 pct.
Turnovers  78th  13.2 tpg
Free-Throw Percentage 77th  72.0 pct.
Blocked Shots  83rd  3.9 bpg
Scoring Defense  99th  65.6 ppg

Iowa State Team/Player Quickies
-Jiri Hubalek scored in double figures in the first half in seven of the last 11 games (Missouri-10, Kansas-11, Texas Tech-13, Oklahoma-12, Texas-10, Texas A&M-11, Nebraska-13).
-Hubalek ranked sixth in the Big 12 in rebounding (7.3) and 20th in scoring (12.4).
-Rahshon Clark missed his first game of his career (120 consecutive games) with a sore knee vs. Colorado...it ended his streak of 60 consecutive starts...Clark has 108 career starts to rank eighth all-time in school history.
-Clark ranks 13th in career rebounding with 670 career caroms.
-Clark tallied 36 blocks on the season to rank 15th on ISU's single-season blocks chart.
-Hubalek and Clark ranked sixth and eighth, respectively, in the Big 12 in rebounding (Big 12 games only) at 7.3 and 6.8.
-Clark ranks 23rd in ISU career scoring with 1,075 points.
-Wesley Johnson ranks 13th on ISU's career 3-pointers made list with 79.
-Johnson drilled 47 treys on the season, which ties for 18th on ISU's single-season 3-pointers made list.
-Sean Haluska worked himself out of his shooting slump...Haluska began the season 8-of-44 from the field and 0-for-26 from 3-point range in his first 17 games...Haluska was 28-of-58 (48.3 pct.) from the field and 14-of-31 from 3-point range (45.1 pct.) in his last 13 games...Haluska averaged 7.3 points in his last seven games.
-Bryan Petersen made a 3-pointer in the final eight games, going 19-of-42 from downtown (45.2 percent) in that span.
-Diante Garrett was 12th in the Big 12 (league games only) in assists at 3.19 apg.
-Craig Brackins averaged 19.0 points in his last three games.
-Brackins had 31 blocks on the season, ranking fourth on ISU's freshman chart and tying for 20th on ISU's single-season chart.
-Brackins started in all 31 games...he became the third Cyclone rookie to start every game of their freshman season (Adam Haluska, 2003; Ron Harris, 1981).
-ISU was second in the Big 12 in free-throw shooting at 72.0 percent...ISU was 61-of-75 from the free-throw line (81.3 percent) in its last four games.

Attendance Was Booming
-Iowa State fans continued to show their pride in their baskeball program throughout the 2007-08 season, as the Cyclones ranked third (behind Kansas and Texas) in the Big 12 in attendance by averaging 13,316 fans per home game.
-ISU's season attendance average was the best mark since the 1992-93 season and the sixth-best season total in school history.

70 Is The Magic Number
-Keeping the opposition from getting into a high-scoring game increases ISU's chances of winning...in the McDermott era, ISU is 27-13 when its opponents score under 70 points...ISU has given up 70 points 22 times to its opponents since McDermott took over, going 2-20.
-On the opposite end, Cyclones were 9-1 when reaching 70 points this season...ISU is 14-2 in the McDermott era when scoring over 70 points.

Two Unbelievable Comebacks
-Iowa State has won two games this season while scoring 15 points or less in the first half.
-Against Colorado, the Cyclones were down 22-15 at the break...however, ISU outscored CU 42-19 in the second half for a 57-41 win over the Buffs.
-Against Nebraska, ISU was down 24-11 at the break, breaking the ISU modern record for low points in a half and setting a new low in Big 12 history...ISU also had 15 first-half turnovers vs. the Huskers...the Cyclones responded by outscoring NU, 49-28 in the second half for a 60-52 win...ISU had 0 turnovers in the second half.

Don't Foul!
-Keeping fouls at a minimum has always been a staple of Greg McDermott-coached teams...ISU ranked 33rd nationally (16.5 fpg) in McDermott's first season at the helm a year ago.
-This season, the Cyclones have continued its strong track record of guarding opponents without fouling, ranking 25th nationally in least fouls per game (16.1 fpg).

Congratulations Graduates!
-Two Cyclones graduated in December in seniors Jiri Hubalek and Mark Currie.
-Hubalek earned a degree in liberal arts and sciences and Currie graduated in civil engineering.

Clark Accomplishes Rare Big 12 Milestone
-ISU senior Rahshon Clark wrapped up a solid career and surpassed a number milestones in his final season.
-He is the only player in ISU history to rank in the top-10 in career blocks, steals and 3-pointers.
-When Clark buried a first half trey vs. No. 18 Texas A&M on Feb. 5, the senior accomplished an unprecedented feat...Clark became the first player in Big 12 history (1996-97) to achieve 1,000 points, 100 steals, 100 3-pointers and 100 blocks in a career.
-Clark ended his career with 1,075 points, 143 steals, 109 blocks & 102 3-pointers.
-Texas' Kris Clack (1996-99) accomplished the feat, but he played one season in the Southwest Conference.

Brackins' Big Night
-Craig Brackins made an immediate splash in his Big 12 debut vs. Baylor...the true freshman set ISU rookie single-game standards in points (33) and 3-pointers (8), going 12-of-17 from the field and 8-of-10 from downtown in the 74-67 loss.
-Brackins' 33 points was one point better than the old mark formerly held by Curtis Stinson (32 vs. Rutgers, 2003-04) and Barry Stevens (32 vs. Northern Iowa, 1981-82).
-His eight treys was one shy off ISU's single-game school mark (9 by Dedric Willoughby vs. Kansas in 1996-97) and it shattered the previous freshman standard formerly held by Jake Sullivan (6 vs. Kansas, 2000-01).
-Brackins' 12 field goals against the Bears ranks second to Ron Harris for most field goals made in a game by a rookie...Harris tallied 13 field goals against Drake in 1980-81.
-He is one of five Big 12 freshmen to score 33 or more points in a game (Kevin Durant, Texas; Michael Beasley, Kansas State; Bernard King, Texas A&M; Aaron Bruce, Baylor) since the league formed in the 1996-97 season.

Free-Throw Shooting
-ISU was a solid free-throw shooting team all season, making 72.0 percent of its shots from the charity stripe to rank second in the Big 12 and 77th nationally.
-ISU had not shot above 70 percent at the line in a season since hitting 74.8 percent of its shots during the 2001-02 season.
-ISU was 61-of-75 from the free-throw line (81.3 percent) in its last four games.

Tough Defense
-ISU has been successful at limiting its opponents from successful shooting nights...the Cyclones held their opponents to 41.6 percent shooting from the floor to rank sixth in the league in field goal percentage defense.
-The Cyclones held two teams (Winston-Salem State; Oregon State) to below 30 percent shooting from the field.
-ISU held four teams to below 50 points, including a season-low 41 by Colorado...the 41 points is the lowest tally by a conference opponent since Kansas State scored 40 points in 1983.

Defense In The Mac Era
-ISU head coach Greg McDermott has always been a proponent of sound defense and his teams have responded to his coaching...in his second year at the helm, ISU has held 23 teams to below 40 percent shooting, including 10 this season.
-ISU held its opponents to under 60 points 17 times in the Mac era.
-ISU held three Big 12 opponents (Colorado, Texas, Missouri) to 40 percent or below shooting.

Clark Ends Outstanding Career
-Senior Rahshon Clark ended his fourth season as a starter for the Cyclones and was no question one of the team leaders...Clark started in 108 career games...he missed his first game of his career against Colorado (March 1) with a sore knee, ending his streak of 60 consecutive starts.
-Clark was the only four-year player left on the ISU roster and stuck with Coach McDermott when most of his teammates left after former coach Wayne Morgan was relieved of his duties.
-Clark was one of the most athletic and dynamic players in the Big 12...possessing a 39-inch vertical step jump, Clark's high-flying dunks have excited the Hilton crowd since 2004-05...Clark totaled 73 career dunks.
-Clark averaged 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds...his 6.8 rpg average in league games only ranked eighth.
-Clark is the only player in school history to rank in the career top-10 in steals (10th-143), blocks (6th-109) and 3-pointers (8th-102)...he also ranks in the top-20 in career rebounds (13th-670).
-Clark earned all-tournament honors at the Las Vegas Classic.
-Clark became the 26th player in ISU history to join the 1,000-point club after scoring 10 points vs. Oklahoma State...Clark ranks 23rd all-time in ISU's career scoring chart with 1,075 points.
-The senior is the only player in Big 12 history to record 1,000 points, 100 steals, 100 blocks and 100 3-pointers in a career.
-He led the team and ranked 10th in the Big 12 in blocks (1.16 bpg)...his 36 swats on the season ranks 15th on ISU's single-season list.
-Clark excelled at being ISU's go-to defensive stopper, always drawing the assignment of guarding the opposing team's top offensive perimeter player...he was named to the Big 12 all-defensive team.

Brackins Made Solid Debut
-Heralded rookie sensation Craig Brackins, a 6-10 freshman from Palmdale, Calif., was impressive in his inaugural season...Brackins was outstanding in his first career game, recording a double-double vs. Winston-Salem State, the first Cyclone freshman to record double-digits in both points (13) and rebounds (10) in their first game.
-Brackins was third on the team in scoring at 11.4 ppg, had three double-doubles and five games with 20 or more points.
-His five 20-point games ties for third with Ron Harris (1980-81) for most 20-point efforts by an ISU rookie.
-Brackins scored in double figures in 19 of 32 games this season.
-Brackins was almost unstoppable in his Big 12 debut, breaking the school freshman scoring mark with 33 points on 12-of-17 shooting from the floor and an 8-of-10 effort from beyond the arc...the eight treys also broke the single-game freshman standard for 3-pointers in a game.
-Brackins is one of five Big 12 freshmen to score 33 points or more in a game.
-Brackins became just the third rookie in ISU history to start every game of their first season: Ron Harris (27, 1980-81) and Adam Haluska (31, 2002-03)...he started in all 32 games this season.
-Brackins totaled 31 blocks this year, which ranks fourth on ISU's freshman chart and ties for 20th on ISU's single-season chart.
-Was outstanding in his last two games, scoring 24 and 20 points, respectively, vs. Kansas State and Texas A&M...shot 17-of-32 from the field (53.1 percent), averaged 22.0 points and 9.5 rebounds in his last two games.
Hubalek's Improvement
-Jiri Hubalek led or tied ISU in scoring in seven of the last 12 games, tying for the team lead in scoring at 12.4 ppg.
-Hubalek led ISU in rebounding in 16 of 32 games this season and ranked sixth in the Big 12 on the boards with a 7.3 rpg average.
-Hubalek opened the second half vs. Purdue by scoring ISU's first 16 points in just over a five-minute span...he ended the game with 18 points to help him earn all-tournament honors at the Las Vegas Classic.
-Had has four 20-point games, three double-doubles and a team-high five double-digit rebounding efforts.
-Hubalek has added 35 pounds of muscle since joining the Cyclones in the 2005-06 season.
-Hubalek was named third-team all-Big 12.
-Finished career with 936 points, 522 rebounds and 48 blocks.

Wesley Johnson Moves to Shooting Guard
-ISU's top returning scorer from last season Wesley Johnson got off to a slow start because of injuries...Johnson missed the first four games of the season while nursing a bone bruise in his left foot.
-Unfortunately, Johnson reinjured his foot in the Colorado game (Jan. 29) and missed the Nebraska game (Feb. 2)...in all, Johnson has missed five games with injuries and various illnesses.
-Johnson played the four spot last season and moved to the two-guard slot.
-He earned honorable mention all-Big 12 honors.
-Johnson averaged 12.4 points and tallied 47 3-pointers in 27 games...his 47 treys ties for 18th on ISU's single-season 3-pointers chart.
-He had a streak of 10 consecutive games with double figures until playing just eight minutes in the Colorado game.
-He had a streak of four-straight 20-point games earlier in the year, the longest 20-point streak for a Cyclone since Curtis Stinson scored 20 or more points in six-straight games in the 2005-06 season.
-Johnson tied his career high with five treys against Albany, scoring 15 points on five-straight possessions in a 3-minute span...he also equaled his record with five treys vs. Kansas.
-He had 19 double figure scoring games and a team-high seven 20-point games.
-Johnson had back-to-back 20-point games, including a career-high 24 vs. Oklahoma State, to help him earn Big 12 Player of the Week honors (Jan. 14-20).
-Johnson has 79 career 3-pointers to rank 13th all-time on ISU's list.

You're In Good Hands With Petersen
-ISU starting point guard Bryan Petersen may not be the flashiest player, but he has done a tremendous job of starting ISU's offense and taking care of the ball.
-Petersen led ISU in assists (2.9).
-Petersen averaged 5.9 ppg and had a team-high 48 treys, which ranked 18th on ISU's single-season chart.
-Petersen was 19-of-42 from 3-point range (45.2 percent) in his last eight games, making at least one 3-pointer in all eight games.

Haluska Finds His Rhythm
-Junior Sean Haluska started the year in a major shooting slump, making just 8-of-44 shots from the floor (18.2 percent) and missing his first 26 shots from 3-point range (0-for-26) in his first 17 games.
-How he has turned his season around is remarkable...in his last 13 games, Haluska was 28-of-58 (48.3 percent) from the field and 14-of-31 (45.2 percent) from 3-point range.
-Haluska is averaging 7.3 ppg in his last seven games.
Garrett One Of ISU's Most Improved Players
-True freshman Diante Garrett has made significant progress since the beginning of the season.
-Garrett averaged 6.3 points and was second on the team in assists at 2.8 apg.
-Garrett was 12th in the Big 12 (league games only) in assists, averaging 3.19 apg...Garrett tallied eight games with five or more assists this season.

Hilton Magic
-Hilton Coliseum has long been considered one of the toughest places to play in college basketball...built in 1971 and playing in its 37th season, ISU has recorded a 74.1 percent winning mark, compiling a 409-143 record.
-ISU has recorded four undefeated seasons at home since Hilton was erected (1985-86, 1992-93, 1999-00, 2000-01).
-ISU ranked 25th nationally in attendance in 2006-07 (12,489).
-ISU ranked second in the Big 12 in attendance, averaging 13,316 per game.
-ISU broke the record for most season tickets sold this year with over 10,000 season tickets purchased.
-Fans voted Iowa State and Hilton Coliseum as the nation's No. 1 team in regards to school spirit in a poll during ESPN's “student spirit” week in 2006-07.
-In a recent Chicago Tribune article, Hilton Coliseum was ranked as one of the top-seven “College Basketball Heavens”...the article states, “Whenever in-state rival Iowa, Texas, Kansas or Missouri come to town, the noise and tension level goes to another level.”

Cyclones Earn All-Big 12 Recognition
-A trio of Iowa State basketball players earned all-Big 12 recognition...senior Jiri Hubalek was voted third-team all-Big 12, sophomore Wesley Johnson earned honorable mention honors and senior Rahshon Clark was named to the all-defensive team.
-In other postseason awards, Hubalek was named to the all-underrated team and Bryan Petersen, a junior guard from Clinton, Iowa, was named to the all-newcomer team by the Kansas City Star.

Two Cyclones Earn Academic All-Big 12
-Iowa State senior Mark Currie and junior Alex Thompson were both named to the Big 12's all-academic second team...Currie graduated with a degree in civil engineering in December and Thompson is majoring in political science.

Award Banquet Winners
Ralph A. Olsen MVP: Rahshon Clark
Pete Taylor Mr. Hustle Award: Mark Currie
Barry Stevens Hilton Magic Award: Rahshon Clark and Mike Smith
Brian Pearson Inspiration Award: Bryan Petersen
Louis Menze Outstanding Senior Award: Jiri Hubalek
Most Improved Player Award: Cameron Lee
Outstanding Rebounder Award: Jiri Hubalek
Three-Point Award: Wesley Johnson
Most Assists Award: Bryan Petersen
Free-Throw Award: Bryan Petersen
Senior Award: Rahshon Clark, Jiri Hubalek, Mike Smith, Mark Currie, Tyler Stanley, Joe Wartick, Steve Evans

Cyclones Sign Four
-Iowa State head coach Greg McDermott picked up four players who signed letters of intent to play basketball at Iowa State next season:
Dominique Buckley, G, 6-2, 190, Fr., Detroit, Mich. (Romulus)
Wes Eikmeier, G, 6-3, 175, Fr., Fremont, Neb. (Bergan)
Justin Hamilton, C, 6-11, 220, Fr., Alpine, Utah (Lone Peak)
Clinton Mann, F, 6-7, 220, Fr., Overland Park, Kan. (St. Thomas Aquinas)