Willoughby Excited About Return To His Roots

AMES, Iowa - It has been 12 long years since Dedric Willoughby last set foot in Ames, Iowa. Fortunately for Iowa State fans, that will all change in two weeks. The former Cyclone superstar on the basketball court got a little sentimental after picking up an ISU Letterwinners Club flyer regarding an upcoming ISU basketball reunion.

“When I got the pamphlet for the Letterwinners Club and saw the phrase, ?Once a Cyclone, Always a Cyclone,' that touched me right there,” Willoughby said. “So I told my wife, we have to go. Whatever we are doing right now, we have to go. I'm coming back with my wife, whose expecting our second child and my seven-year-old daughter.”

Willoughby will be among a handful of former ISU hoopsters returning to Ames for the ISU Letterwinners Club basketball reunion, Feb. 21 at the Iowa State-Kansas State basketball game. For Willoughby, it will be his first opportunity to show his family first-hand what ?Hilton Magic' is all about.

“Hilton Coliseum. That's the reason I am coming back,” Willoughby said. “Some of the best times I had in my life was on that floor. I came from New Orleans, where they really didn't care much for basketball. So when I got to Ames and started competing against the best in the Big Eight, I was overwhelmed at first because I didn't know what to expect. But, boy, I walked in and everything I heard about that place came to life. That place is special.”

Saying that Willoughby is one of the greatest players in ISU basketball history is an understatement. A native of New Orleans, La., Willoughby spent only two seasons (1995-96; 1996-97) with the Cyclones after transferring from the University of New Orleans. However, those two years were some of the most memorable in school history and you can thank Willoughby for that. ISU advanced to two NCAA Tournaments, including a Sweet Sixteen berth, claimed the final Big Eight Tournament title in 1996 and compiled a 46-18 overall record during his time.

The sharpshooting guard had a special knack, an ability to make the clutch shot when the team needed it most. He did it so much in his time in Ames, he made the Cyclones a household name in the world of college basketball.

“He was as clutch of a player I have seen in my time here,” said Eric Heft, ISU's longtime radio color analyst. “He made more big shots than anybody I have ever seen in a Cyclone uniform. It's not always the shot at the end of the game. It's the shot in the middle part of games that swayed momentum toward your side. I don't remember anyone doing it more than he did.”

Willoughby's name is scattered all over the ISU record book. The two-time first-team all-conference pick still holds the school mark for 3-pointers made in a season (102) and a game (9). Even though he played just two years, his 190 career 3-pointers made is still second all-time in the ISU annals. He also ranks 20th all-time in career scoring with 1,186 points.

Despite all of his outstanding individual milestones, Willoughby would be the first to admit the camaraderie he built with his teammates was more important.

“I had some great guys to play with at ISU,” Willoughby said. “Guys like (Kelvin) Cato, (Shawn) Bankhead, (Jacy) Holloway, (Kenny) Pratt, (Klay) Edwards and (Paul) Shirley, they were committed to one another. It was an easy group to be a part of. Everybody had the same common goal, and everyone looked out for each other.”

The 1995-96 ISU team (Willoughby's first season) ranks as a fan favorite for many reasons. Absolutely nobody expected anything from the team after virtually the entire roster from the previous season either graduated or transferred. Most prognosticators picked the Cyclones to finish dead last in the Big Eight.

Second-year head coach Tim Floyd filled the roster with transfers from all over the country. No one really knew who these guys were and you couldn't argue with the lowly expectations. However, it quickly became evident that this team was going to be special. The Cyclones first shocked everyone by finishing second in the tough Big Eight Conference. But they pulled off the biggest stunner by claiming ISU's first postseason basketball tournament title in school history by winning the final Big Eight Tournament crown.

Multimedia
Final Minute of 1996 Big Eight Championship Game (Courtesy CBS) Postgame Celebration and Interviews (Courtesy: KCCI-Channel 8)	_

“I spoke with Kenny Pratt a couple of weeks ago and we were talking about our first year together,” Willoughby said. “K.P., said to me, ?we were a bunch of vagabonds who knew how to play.' To go from being picked last to finishing first was really special. It was kind of hard on all of us because we all thought we were pretty good ball players, but we didn't have the names.”

Willoughby was on his game during ISU's three-game run to the 1996 Big Eight Tournament trophy. He poured in 16 points in a 62-60 win over Nebraska, and followed that game with 25 points to help ISU down Missouri, 57-53 in the semifinals. This set up a showdown vs. No. 5 Kansas for the title, a game which eventually cemented Willoughby as a legendary figure in Cyclone basketball.

The Cyclones had lost twice in the regular season to the Jayhawks, but the Cyclones definitely had revenge on their minds. Down by one point with 0:06 seconds remaining, Willoughby drove hard to the hoop, drawing a foul from KU's Jacque Vaughn. He then proceeded to make the two biggest free-throws in program history.

“They were calling the game tight and I knew there was a good chance I could get a foul called,” Willoughby said. “I had been practicing making free-throws with the game on the line since I was 10 years old in my back yard. I think everybody who loves basketball simulates those pressure situations. I had no idea it was going to be coming down to me in that particular sequence of events, but I always thrived in those situations. To be honest with you, I did not feel all that much pressure to make the free throws.”

Pandemonium set in at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo., after the Cyclones did the unthinkable. Willoughby netted 20 points in the win and earned MVP honors, playing all 120 minutes of the three-game tournament.

With almost everyone returning for the 1996-97 season, the preseason predictors couldn't look past the Cyclones this time. ISU earned its highest ranking in over 40 years at No. 4 and finished the year with a 22-9 overall mark and a 10-6 record in the newly formed Big 12 Conference. Willoughby again was the Cyclone leader, averaging 18.9 ppg while pacing the Cyclones to a Sweet Sixteen berth despite battling injuries all season.

One of Willoughby's most memorable games occurred during his final campaign. In a battle between No. 6 Iowa State and No. 1 Kansas in Hilton Coliseum, the Cyclone senior tallied 36 points against the Jayhawks, drilling 9-of-16 shots from 3-point range in a 69-62 Cyclone loss. His nine treys still stands as the single-game school record.

“I was dealing with a lot of injuries that season,” Willoughby recalled. “My mother and brothers were at that game, so I had of plenty of support in the stands. Really, I was just trying to test my legs to see how much I had left in me. I felt good all game and I remember the one shot I did make right before half. I was well beyond NBA range and I let it go and it went in. I was like, ?Man, I am on today.'”

After his Cyclone career ended, Willoughby played professionally in Italy for two years before getting picked up by the Chicago Bulls, who were now coached by his former Cyclone mentor Floyd. Much of Willoughby's success in basketball and in life centered around his relationship with Floyd.

“You know, Coach Floyd is like a stepfather to me,” Willoughby said. “I wouldn't have wanted to play for anyone else. He brought out the best in me. He never made any promises, and that's why I truly love him. Everything you earn is all based upon everything you work for. So if you work for it, then it will come to you. That's how I live my life. I don't ask for anything and I worked for everything I have. He was a great teacher, and still to this day he gets on me about things, and I love him for it.”

Willoughby gave up his basketball dream after his stint with the Bulls in 2000. He has found peace in his life, with his family and career. He currently manages a Captain D's seafood restaurant in Union City, Ga., a town 30 miles southwest of Atlanta. He is involved in the training regiment of the franchise, tutoring the managers hired by the company in the South Atlantic region.

Willoughby's selection as one of ISU's top-15 players in school history is perhaps his most important accomplishment. He was named to the All-Century team by fans through an online vote in celebration of 100 years of men's basketball at Iowa State in 2008.

“I wish I could've been there for the celebration last year,” Willoughby said. “Being one of the top-15 players to come through Iowa State in the last 100 years, I am truly honored. I know there were some great players that came before me, so I'm extremely honored and humbled.”

The Cyclone will certainly make up for lost time when he returns to the school he loves at the Kansas State game on Feb. 21. He will be recognized at halftime, as the ISU Athletics Department will present him with his All-Century team plaque.

“I love the fact that I am a Cyclone,” Willoughby said. “That's all I have been talking about for the past couple of months, to go back and show my family where daddy became a man. That's my roots and I wouldn't trade my experience at ISU for anything. It was the best time of my life.”

Iowa State University Athletics

Willoughby Excited About Return To His Roots

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