Melvin Ejim's Jersey To Be Retired In 2026-27

Ames, Iowa – Melvin Ejim, 2014 Big 12 Player of the Year and 2024 Iowa State University Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, will be honored with the unveiling of a banner featuring his retired jersey No. 3 during the 2026-27 Cyclone men's basketball season, ISU Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard announced today. He will become just the eighth player in men's program history to have his jersey hanging from the Hilton Coliseum rafters.

"Melvin's toughness, heart, grit, determination and leadership played a critical role in the Cyclones' success throughout his career, and he is most deserving of this special honor," Pollard said. "He was unable to attend his 2024 Hall of Fame induction ceremony due to his professional playing schedule, so this will give Cyclone fans the opportunity to salute one of the greatest players ever to wear the Cardinal and Gold on the Hilton Coliseum floor where he provided so many memorable moments during his storied career."

A three-time All-Big 12 selection, Ejim was a tenacious power forward (6-6, 230) who could score (1,643 points) and rebound (1,051 boards), becoming just the third player in school history to record over 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. When Ejim, a native of Toronto, Ontario, arrived at Iowa State in 2010-11, ISU had suffered through five-straight seasons without a postseason appearance. The Cyclones began their turnaround in Ejim's sophomore season (2011-12), earning a NCAA Tournament berth for the first time since 2005 behind a third-place Big 12 finish (12-6), as he averaged 9.3 points and 6.6 rebounds to earn Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honors.

"The character and work habits that Melvin showed while a Cyclone helped transcend our program after he left," said ISU Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger, who recruited Ejim to Ames and coached him as an assistant. "When he came in, he drew the line in the sand and said, 'we're going to start winning' and he did just that. Melvin is a great ambassador for our program, campus and community and I'm thrilled he's being honored with his jersey in the rafters."

The Cyclones continued their rise in Ejim's junior season (2012-13) by qualifying for the NCAA Tournament and tying for fourth in the Big 12 (11-7). He was a monster on the boards, leading the Big 12 in rebounding at 9.3 per game to go along with an 11.3 scoring average to earn third-team All-Big 12 accolades. Ejim and former Texas star P.J. Tucker were the only two Big 12 players at 6-6 or under to lead the league in rebounding at that time. Ejim's senior season in 2013-14 ranks as one of the most decorated in school history as the Cyclone star won the following awards: first-team All-American, first-team CoSIDA Academic All-American, Big 12 Player of the Year, first-team All-Big 12, Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Iowa State Male Athlete of the Year and was a Big 12 All-Tournament Team selection.

With Ejim as its heart and soul, Iowa State basketball soared to amazing heights by winning the 2014 Big 12 Tournament title, recording the second-most wins in school history (28) to that point in time and advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in 17 years. He led the team in both scoring (17.8 ppg) and rebounding (8.4 rpg), helping ISU achieve a top 10 national rank by season's end. A highlight of the year was Ejim's Big 12-record 48 point outburst against TCU, the second-best single-game scoring performance in school history and the most-ever by a Cyclone against a league opponent. Ejim ended his career ranked second on ISU's all-time rebound list (1,051), 14^th in scoring (1,643) and fifth in double-doubles (32). He shared the school record for career starts with Georges Niang (126) until it was broken this season by Tamin Lipsey.

Ejim has established an outstanding professional career in Europe since leaving ISU, helping Reyer Venezia Mestre win the Italian League championship while earning Finals MVP honors. He's been an active member of Canada's National Team since 2013, competing in many FIBA tournaments with Team Canada. Ejim helped Canada place third in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, defeating the United States in the third-place game. He was also selected as a member of Canada's 2024 Olympic Men's Basketball Team.

He joins seven other Cyclone greats who have had their jerseys retired: Waldo Wegner (#14), Gary Thompson (#20), Zaid Abdul-Aziz (#35), Jeff Hornacek (#14), Jeff Grayer (#44), Fred Hoiberg (#32) and Barry Stevens (#35). In order to be considered for jersey retirement honor, an ISU student-athlete must have graduated, been inducted into the school's athletics hall of fame and earned a significant national or conference honor during their playing career.