Completed Event: Men's Basketball at Utah on February 24, 2026 , Win , 75, to, 59
Final
Men's Basketball
75
Utah
59
Iowa State University Athletics
Chris Babb Learned From Redshirt Season
06.09.2011 | Men's Basketball
AMES, Iowa - Chris Babb's time has now arrived. The junior-to-be sat out last season for Iowa State as a member of one of the nation's best scout teams and he's ready to get back on the court.
A native of Arlington, Texas, Babb was a starter at Penn State in 2009-10, averaging 9.3 points and hitting 69 3-pointers. The sharpshooter provides Iowa State with another weapon from downtown, as the Cyclones will have a number of long-range threats next season.
Babb recently sat down with cyclones.com to talk about his redshirt season and the upcoming trip to Italy.
How tough was it sitting out last season?
"It was really tough, especially when we were going through that slump where we couldn't get the ball to bounce our way. It was tough competing with our guys daily in practice and seeing how well they were doing but weren't getting rewarded for it in games. It was hard to watch knowing you weren't going to play, but we (the redshirts) were behind them 100 percent. The season flew by, though. The new season is here now."
Was there anything you learned from sitting out last year?
"I was lucky that we had a group of guys sitting out instead of just myself. We were together and we were in the same boat. When the team was on a road trip, it wasn't just one guy sitting back home, it was a whole group of us, so we kind of bonded. On our scout team, we played together the whole season. We also did a ton of workouts together, so we all have that same fire to get back on the court. It's go time for us, and we have worked so hard to get to this point."
Playing in the Big Ten for two seasons, what are some of the differences between the Big Ten and Big 12 that you saw from observing Big 12 games last year?
"Both leagues have unbelievable talent, but the pace of the game maybe a little different. The Big Ten is a little more half-court oriented and teams run a lot of sets. The Big 12 teams run more sets out of the fast-break and transition offense."
How excited are you to get back on the court?
"I can't wait. It's here now, but it's not the same excitement of being able to play in Hilton Coliseum. It will be such an honor to get back on the court to play with my teammates and Coach Hoiberg. It's something I have been looking forward to since I first came on campus."
What will be some of the benefits of the Italy (Aug. 9-19) trip?
"This trip will be very beneficial. My freshman year at Penn State we were fortunate to take a trip to Canada. That was the year we won the NIT (2009) Championship. I know that trip really helped us get an early start with the extra practices you get. It will help us figure out what it will be like to play together. It will be nice for me to play against other guys instead of my own teammates for a change. It will be very beneficial for us."
Who wins a 3-point contest between you, Chris (Allen) and Scott (Christopherson)?
"(Laugh) I don't really even think that matters. All that matters is who is going to make the most when you are on the court at gametime. I don't care who it is, if it's me, Chris or Scotty, it doesn't really matter. We are all capable shooters and we work hard at what we do."
A native of Arlington, Texas, Babb was a starter at Penn State in 2009-10, averaging 9.3 points and hitting 69 3-pointers. The sharpshooter provides Iowa State with another weapon from downtown, as the Cyclones will have a number of long-range threats next season.
Babb recently sat down with cyclones.com to talk about his redshirt season and the upcoming trip to Italy.
How tough was it sitting out last season?
"It was really tough, especially when we were going through that slump where we couldn't get the ball to bounce our way. It was tough competing with our guys daily in practice and seeing how well they were doing but weren't getting rewarded for it in games. It was hard to watch knowing you weren't going to play, but we (the redshirts) were behind them 100 percent. The season flew by, though. The new season is here now."
Was there anything you learned from sitting out last year?
"I was lucky that we had a group of guys sitting out instead of just myself. We were together and we were in the same boat. When the team was on a road trip, it wasn't just one guy sitting back home, it was a whole group of us, so we kind of bonded. On our scout team, we played together the whole season. We also did a ton of workouts together, so we all have that same fire to get back on the court. It's go time for us, and we have worked so hard to get to this point."
Playing in the Big Ten for two seasons, what are some of the differences between the Big Ten and Big 12 that you saw from observing Big 12 games last year?
"Both leagues have unbelievable talent, but the pace of the game maybe a little different. The Big Ten is a little more half-court oriented and teams run a lot of sets. The Big 12 teams run more sets out of the fast-break and transition offense."
How excited are you to get back on the court?
"I can't wait. It's here now, but it's not the same excitement of being able to play in Hilton Coliseum. It will be such an honor to get back on the court to play with my teammates and Coach Hoiberg. It's something I have been looking forward to since I first came on campus."
What will be some of the benefits of the Italy (Aug. 9-19) trip?
"This trip will be very beneficial. My freshman year at Penn State we were fortunate to take a trip to Canada. That was the year we won the NIT (2009) Championship. I know that trip really helped us get an early start with the extra practices you get. It will help us figure out what it will be like to play together. It will be nice for me to play against other guys instead of my own teammates for a change. It will be very beneficial for us."
Who wins a 3-point contest between you, Chris (Allen) and Scott (Christopherson)?
"(Laugh) I don't really even think that matters. All that matters is who is going to make the most when you are on the court at gametime. I don't care who it is, if it's me, Chris or Scotty, it doesn't really matter. We are all capable shooters and we work hard at what we do."
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