A
PIECE
Sunday, March 16, 2014
OF
HISTORY BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP ISU 74 BAYLOR 65
Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily
2 | SPORTS | Iowa State Daily | Sunday, March 16, 2014
Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily
ISU coach Fred Hoiberg holds up the Big 12 Championship trophy after the Cyclones defeated Baylor 74-65 in the final round in Kansas City, Mo. This is Iowa State’s first conference championship title since 2000.
CUTTING DOWN THE NET Iowa State defeats Baylor 74-65, claiming first Big 12 Championship title since 2000
By Dean.Berhow-Goll @iowastatedaily.com KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Melvin Ejim waited four years. For DeAndre Kane, five. For Georges Niang, it’s been two years and for ISU coach Fred Hoiberg — he’s waited about 23. Regardless of the number of years, it’s been a long time since anyone on this ISU basketball team has cut down a net, and every member did just that after a 74-65 win against Baylor in the Big 12 Championship game March 15. “Fred’s brought in players that have been a part of winning programs to this team,” Ejim said. “Guys who competed at many different levels and all of us came together for one goal and we were able to make it happen.” For a the pair of ISU freshman, it was only a year. In the Wisconsin high school state title game, Matt Thomas cut down a net playing for Onalaska. Monte Morris won the state title at Flint Beecher in Michigan, but this is the first time the freshman has cut down a net in his life. “We didn’t even cut down the nets,” Morris screamed over the ISU fight song. “This is my first time doing it. This feeling right here is amazing, I wouldn’t trade it for nothing.” Hoiberg barely remembers any part of the last time he cut down a net. “It was high school, my senior year,” Hoiberg said, preparing to cut down this one with his twin boys. “We beat Waterloo East in the state finals.” Ejim cut his down after the Brewster Academy cut down nets in their National
My teammates believed in me, we all bought into the system and now we’re champions.” Deandre Kane
Championship game in New England. The same goes for Niang, except his title came in AAU playing for Boston Amateur Basketball Club. DeAndre Kane cracked a rare smile remembering back to when he was 18 years old playing in Pittsburg while he was surrounded by his brothers in Kansas City in championship hats. “It’s been forever, it was at state. Now we’re cutting down the nets in Kansas City with my brothers at Iowa State. I couldn’t be more happy. I wanted to win and coach gave me a second chance, he believed in me. “My teammates believed in me, we all bought into the system and now we’re champions.” After starting 0-of-13, Iowa State was befuddled by Baylor’s 1-1-3 zone that had helped them win 10 of its last 11 games coming into Saturday night’s championship game, and the ISU offense was in need of a spark. That’s where Long came in. Without his 4-of-6 3-point shooting to perfectly match his Canadian counterpart in Brady Heslip, Long wouldn’t have been able to kiss the Big 12 Championship trophy or cut down his first net
since playing for CIA Bounce in Canada when he was 16. “I had to match Brady,” Long shouted as he broke in a Big 12 Champion hat and pulled it tight onto his head. “I believed in my guys. We stayed confident, we believe in each other and that’s all it is, we believed we could pull through.” From that 0-of-13 start that stemmed into a 1-of-17 start, Iowa State finished the game shooting a combined 23-of-31, which is nearly 75 percent from the field. Add that second half to the last 20 minutes the Cyclones played against Kansas March 14 and the second-half offense for Iowa State poured in 95 points on 40-of-56 shooting at a 71 percent clip. “To find a way to shoot 50 percent for the game, it was a testament out these guys and how we didn’t lose our composure,” Hoiberg said. “Again great job by our guys playing very well and poised down the stretch.” And finally after three grueling games, ISU’s four-year starter, who’s exited the Big 12 Tournament with a loss each year, put a Big 12 Championship cap onto his head and pulled on a t-shirt with the same logo. He finally got to cut down his piece of the net. “These guys stepped up,” Ejim said. “Georges played amazing, Naz hit big shots, DeAndre was killing, Dustin’s an animal. Everyone on this team stepped up today and this whole week and we’ve done an amazing job. “It’s been amazing to come out here and win this ... we’re ready to cut down the nets.”
Sunday, March 16, 2014 | Iowa State Daily | SPORTS | 3
Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily
ISU coach Fred Hoiberg cuts down the net with his twin boys after Iowa State defeated Baylor in the 2014 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship final game in Kansas City, Mo. This was the first time since 2000 that the Cyclones have played in the final game.
A LEGACY REALIZED: Hoiberg revitalizes program, gives Iowa State University first big championship title in 14 years By Alex.Halsted @iowastatedaily.com KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With a contract stuffed inside his briefcase, Jamie Pollard drove north to Minnesota four years ago to meet with Fred Hoiberg. The two sat across from each other at Hoiberg’s dining room table; the former ISU star’s children were off with his wife, Carol, getting ice cream. Hours had passed when Pollard paused to pull out the papers and laid them on the table. “When he put that piece of paper on the table,” Hoiberg said, “I knew it was real.” After four consecutive losing seasons and fivestraight years without an NCAA tournament berth, Hoiberg signed the dotted line to return to his alma mater and the place he had become a star. Hoiberg — an Ames native, four-year ISU starter and 10-year NBA veteran — had a lot to live up to. “We talked a little bit about his legacy and the risk
of putting his legacy at risk,” said Pollard, ISU athletics director. “He didn’t expect to fail, so he wasn’t worried about that.” On March 15, when the confetti had stopped falling after Iowa State’s 74-65 Big 12 championship victory against Baylor and after each player had taken his turn, Hoiberg stepped up to the ladder placed under the hoop at the Sprint Center. He helped his two twins, Sam and Charlie, climb and then did so himself. As Hoiberg stood atop the ladder, cutting the final strand of net away from the rim, he did so with Iowa State having won its first Big 12 title since 2000 and with its third-straight NCAA tournament berth in hand. A lot has changed at Iowa State in four years. “I wanted to get better. I was confident that we could get some players in there that could help us get it. I knew that we could do that,” Hoiberg said. “Did I envision this in four years? I don’t know, I didn’t really think of it that way.”
Hoiberg first wanted to coach at Iowa State when the job opened in 2006. Instead, the Cyclones hired Greg McDermott. “At that point in time, I just felt like every great basketball player thinks they can coach, and most can’t,” Pollard said. “That’s what I thought at that time. I think Fred took that to heart.” Hoiberg became more active with his alma mater, and when McDermott left in 2010 for Creighton, Pollard didn’t waver for a second. He drove straight to Minnesota with the contract printed. Hoiberg's first order of business was to lock up a player named Melvin Ejim, who could either keep his previous commitment to Iowa State or look elsewhere. Hoiberg made a visit to Ejim’s prep school in New Hampshire. “Man, he wanted to win a Big 12 championship,” Ejim said of Hoiberg’s message. “We did that today. We were close. We just needed a little bit of time and we were going to be really good. “It’s all his vision and we
were able to do it.” Hoiberg’s vision has culminated into national recognition and 10 top-25 victories this season en route to making history by winning the Big 12 Championship. The vision is what had Hoiberg with his two sons — four years after they rushed out of the house to eat ice cream during his interview — at the bottom of that ladder. “It was awesome,” Charlie said. “I just can’t believe that we actually won it.” “It was really cool,” Sam added. More than an hour after Iowa State won the Big 12 title, while a worker swept away the final signs that anything had taken place, Hoiberg finished one final question with a small group of reporters on the court. He pointed to his twin sons, who stood patiently off to the side. “Ready, boys?” Hoiberg asked them. Off the court the three walked, Hoiberg’s legacy well intact.
HILTON MAGIC
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Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily
Senior guard DeAndre Kane celebrates the win against Baylor in the final round of the 2014 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship in Kansas City, Mo. The Cyclones defeated Baylor 74-65 in their first appearance in the final round since 2000.
Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily
Sophomore forward Georges Niang holds a senior guard, DeAndre Kane.
Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily
ISU coach Fred Hoiberg holds up the net after Iowa State won the 2014 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship in Kansas City, Mo. The Cyclones defeated Baylor 74-65 in their first final round appearance since 2000.
Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily
Junior forward Dustin Hogue goes up for a shot against Baylor in the final round of the 2014 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship in Kansas City, Mo. The Cyclones defeated Baylor 74-65 in their first appearance in the final round since 2000. Hogue had 12 points for Iowa State.
HEADS SOUTH
Sunday, March 16, 2014 | Iowa State Daily | SPORTS | 5
Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily
It was a sea of cardinal and gold at the pep rally for the 2014 Phillips 66 Basketball Championship game March 15. Iowa State will take on Baylor at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., in its first final-round appearance since 2000.
Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily
Fans hold up signs calling the Sprint Center “Hilton South” during the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship game against Baylor in Kansas City, Mo., on March 15. The Cyclones defeated the Bears 74-65 in their first final-round appearance since 2000.
Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily
Iowa State fans showed support to sophomore forward Georges Niang, who was injured in Friday’s game against Kansas, by wearing bandages above their right eyes at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship finals against Baylor. The Cyclones defeated the Bears 74-65 in their first final-game appearance since 2000.
Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily
Sophomore guard Naz Long holds up the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship poster after Iowa State won its first conference championship title since 2000. The Cyclones defeated Baylor 74-65 in the final game in Kansas City, Mo.
ROAD TO
6 | SPORTS | Iowa State Daily | Sunday, March 16, 2014
Georges Niang, Naz Long close Iowa State’s 91-85 thriller in Big 12 By Dean.Berhow-Goll @iowastatedaily.com
Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily
Sophomore forward Georges Niang shoots against Kansas State during the Big 12 Championships in Kansas City March 13. The Cyclones defeated the Wildcats 91-85. Niang had 18 points for Iowa State in 28 minutes of play.
For most programs, when a player like DeAndre Kane fouls out, the wheels tend to fall off. This was not the case for the ISU basketball team. With 3:55 remaining in the second half, Kane picked up his fifth foul and was sent to the bench, which left Georges Niang left to step in and take the reigns. Niang — with the help of his teammate and roommate Naz Long — scored or assisted on five of the last six possessions to help close the book on the third bout between No. 16 Iowa State and Kansas State, winning 91-85. “Coach talks about it every day,” Niang said. “'How are you going to act when adversity hits you?' I thought we acted in a great way when adversity hit us today when DeAndre went down with that foul or when he got a foul diving for that loose ball. “I thought our team handled it great. We didn't put our head down and we just kept fighting.” Kane fouled out with the score tied at 76 and 3:55 left in the game. From there, it was Niang running the point and initiating the offense, drawing comparisons from Long to a certain 6-foot-8inch point guard two years ago: Royce White. First, Niang scored, spinning in the post. Then he found Naz Long — who had struggled for parts of the game defensively — at the top of the key for another 3-pointer to make it 81-78. After K-State’s Shane Southwell answered with a two-point bucket, Niang found Melvin Ejim cutting to the basket for a layup. On the next possession, Niang extended it to a five-point lead — 87-85 — with a 2-pointer followed by a free throw. After a Southwell turnover on the next possession, Long hit a pair of free throws to put the game out of reach. For the second consecutive game when facing adversity, Iowa State got crucial buckets from roommates to finish the game, with Long
Coach talks about it every day. How are you going to act when adversity hits you? Georges Niang
hitting the game-tying shot against Oklahoma State on Saturday and now Niang down the stretch against Kansas State. “Thankfully, we've been in that position before,” Long said. "Guys like myself and Monte [Morris] and anybody else, we know we've got to pick it up because DeAndre is one of the best players on our team. He said, 'Look, we're going to be alright.' “So when he went out, we were like, 'Alright, let’s get the win.'” Ejim — who scored two points after Kane fouled out — led all scorers with 24 points on 8-of-19 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds. Joining him with a doubledouble of his own was Dustin Hogue, who Kane called the player of the game. Hogue finished with 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds. “Dustin was incredible,” Kane said. “He was player of the game in my eyes. All of the guys stepped up, and it was a team effort in my eyes.” The difference in this game, according to Hoiberg, was just getting stops down the stretch. “We got the stops down the stretch that we desperately needed,” Hoiberg said. “Again, we made the plays the first time down the stretch we played. They made them the second time, and today, we were fortunate enough to do it to them in a very important game.” With the win, Iowa State awaits Kansas in the semifinals. The two teams will play at 6:00 p.m. March 14 on either the Big 12 Network or ESPNU.
Hogue’s secret uncovered:
Junior rises to the occasion, exposes turnaround shot in postseason win By Alex.Halsted @iowastatedaily.com Dustin Hogue has a secret. Well, he did. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound junior forward stood in the left corner in the second half of Iowa State’s Big 12 Championship quarterfinal game Thursday, his back to the defender. Hogue turned around, rose high into the air with his legs flailing and released a turnaround jumper for a 70-all tie. “I’ve actually been practicing that shot all season,” Hogue said after the Cyclones moved to the semifinals with a 91-85 win against Kansas State. “I don’t really get to showcase it too much. I’ve got to keep some secrets to myself.” His secret is out now. “I couldn’t believe how high he elevated,” said ISU coach Fred Hoiberg. Hogue scored 19 points and collected 10 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season in his first Big 12 Championship appearance. When the Cyclones needed the junior college transfer most, he stepped up. ISU guard DeAndre Kane and forward Georges Niang played a large portion of the second half battling foul trouble and sitting on the bench. With two-thirds of the ISU scoring trio out, Hogue took over,
scoring 14 of his points in the second half. “I talk all the time about Dustin being our glue guy,” Hoiberg said. “When he’s locked in like he was today, we’re a pretty tough team to beat.” In his first season with the Cyclones, Hogue has stepped into the lineup and performed, finishing the season tied for second in the Big 12 in rebounding while averaging 8.6 rebounds per game. Hogue’s shot isn’t flashy, and his numbers didn’t win him any postseason honors. While Melvin Ejim took Big 12 Player of the Year, Kane took Newcomer of the Year and Niang AllBig 12 honors, Hogue’s work went under the radar. “He doesn't get the credit he deserves,” Hoiberg said. “Not only on the defensive end and rebounding, which he always does, but [he] made some huge plays for us on offense.” The quiet, unflashy work is what Hogue relishes. “There’s nothing more satisfying than being underrated by everybody. I’ve pretty much been underrated my whole life,” Houge said. “Teams underrate me and they ignore what I do because we’ve got three playmakers on our team and that allows me to free roam.” As Hogue sat at the podium in the bottom of Sprint Center on
He is probably the heart and soul of our team. Without Dustin, I dont know where we’d be.” DeAndre Kane
Thursday after a six-point victory, his double-double didn’t go unnoticed. The big play for Hogue was not points or rebounds, but a steal in the final seconds that led to the Cyclones’ final bucket, which sealed the victory and a spot in the semifinals against Kansas on Friday night. “He plays so strong and with so much heart and energy and effort that wins games, that wins championships for us,” Kane said. “Like I said, he’s probably the heart and soul of our team. Without Dustin, I don’t know where we’d be.” Hogue’s newest weapon was known to his teammates long before he introduced it to everybody else Thursday. “His turnaround is deadly,” Ejim said. “He jumps up so high, he fades back, kicks his legs out. There’s nothing you can do about that, he’s going to hit it. He brought them out today, so it’s not a secret anymore.”
Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily
Junior forward Dustin Hogue goes up for a shot against Baylor in the final round of the 2014 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship in Kansas City, Mo. The Cyclones defeated Baylor 74-65 in their first appearance in the final round since 2000. Hogue had 12 points for Iowa State.
THE TOP Sunday, March 16, 2014 | Iowa State Daily | SPORTS | 7
THE FIGHT TO VICTORY
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Sophomore guard Naz Long holds up his jersey after the win against Kansas in the Big 12 Championship semifinals March 14 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. The Cyclones defeated the Jayhawks 94-83, advancing to the final round for the first time since 2000.
ISU men fight to victory, move to Big 12 title game By Alex.Halsted @iowastatedaily.com Georges Niang felt tåhe warm sensation rush down his face, and suddenly a warm, wet drip fell to his hand. The sophomore forward eventually rose to his feet with a bloodied towel over his right eye, pumped his fist and exited toward the locker room at the Sprint Center. Long after the game, Niang sat at his locker with five stitches above his eye — a result of the charge he took with 1:23 to play. The charge solidified a seven-point lead, which helped Iowa State secure a 94-83 victory against top-seeded Kansas and a trip to the Big 12 championship game for the first time since 2000. “The game’s never closed until the buzzer goes off, but that was definitely a big play,” said junior forward Dustin Hogue. “Him stepping up and stopping that drive, that was
definitely a turning point in the game. I’m pretty sure he’d do it again if he knew the injury he’d get to help save the game.” Kansas and Iowa State went back and forth — like a prized fight — in March 14's Big 12 Championship semifinal game. Each team matched the other, blow for blow and run for run, until Niang flew to the floor and the Cyclones sealed the game with free throws down the stretch. Iowa State jumped ahead by as many as nine points in the first seven minutes of the game before Kansas answered with a 16-0 run to take the lead. Midway through the Jayhawks’ run, after Monte Morris was called for a foul, ISU coach Fred Hoiberg — who wrote on the team’s locker room white board before the game, ‘No Ts’ — was assessed a technical when he shouted at an official. “When you see someone like Coach do that, you have no choice but to get your emotions up,” said sophomore guard Naz Long. “He’s willing to sacrifice getting damn near kicked out of the Sprint Center for us. It meant a lot.” After Kansas finished its run, Iowa State
eventually went on a 14-6 run to take a onepoint lead before Kansas went to the break ahead by two. “Coach preaches, ‘How are you going to act when adversity hits you? Are you going to give up? Are you going to point the finger? Are you going to point the finger at yourself? How are you going to act?’” Niang said. “He asks us that question all the time, and I feel like we came here for a reason. “We didn't want to go down without a fight, so we just kept fighting, clawing, pulling.” When senior guard DeAndre Kane, who went 5-of-6 from 3-point range, stepped up and hit a 3 from the top less than two minutes into the second half, he pushed Iowa State ahead by three. The Cyclones never trailed again and fended off each subsequent attempt by Kansas to make a late run, leading by as many as 12. “The big thing is we kept our composure,” Hoiberg said. “I thought our intensity and energy out of the gate in the second half was incredible, and it gave us a lead and we were able to create some separation and hold them off at the end.”
The key was Niang, who after going 4-of12 with 11 points in the first half, scored 14 points in the second half on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. Niang scored eight-straight points for the Cyclones during a stretch late in the game, and his bloodied face and stitches summed up the night's long fight with Iowa State on top. “When Georges gets going, our team is at a whole new level,” Hogue said. “He made some tough shots, and that’s what he’s been doing all year. He’s one of the backbones to our team and if we keep getting him the ball and letting him create, it opens up everything for the rest of us.” While Niang's stitches forced him to miss the on-court celebration March 14, he and Iowa State will have another shot to do so with a win in the Big 12 championship game at 8 p.m. March 15 against Baylor. “Here we are at the Big 12 tournament and you’re able to compete for a championship,” Hoiberg said. “We’ve got a great opportunity tomorrow to do something not many Iowa State teams have done.”
Hoiberg calms the huddle, Edozie fills in and Long celebrates By Dean.Behow-Goll @iowastatedaily.com ISU coach Fred Hoiberg got down on one knee and stared into his players’ eyes. “Look at me,” said Hoiberg. “Take a deep breath.” Hoiberg had just received the second technical of his career, which extended a Kansas run to 130, snuffing out Iowa State’s hot start against the Jayhawks. Then, after Brannen Greene canned another 3-pointer to make it a 16-0 run pushing the lead to 32-23. Iowa State was in need of an answer, and it got one. Melvin Ejim’s 3-pointer answered the Jayhawks’ punch with one of his own, cutting Kansas’ momentum. From there, Iowa State
jumped out to a 20-10 run of its own to take the lead shortly before halftime. On Friday night at the Big 12 Tournament, Kansas was big, but Iowa State was better. “I think we played like the better team today,” Ejim said. “They’re talented and people will say they have more potential and they have more NBA Draft picks, but we won today and we won when it counted. “We think we’re playing really good basketball and can play with anyone in the country.” When the Jayhawks roared in front on the 16-0 run in the first half, the Cyclones countered. Then in the second half, Perry Ellis was big, but Georges Niang was better. In the final stanza, Niang finished with 14 points on 7-of-10
shooting — nearly all coming in the lane with the Jayhawks missing freshman center Joel Embiid. DeAndre Kane and Naz Long raised their arms, looking into the crowd of more than 9,000 ISU fans that had made the trip to Kansas City. Then, once Wayne Selden Jr. missed a desperate 3-point attempt — that didn't bank in this time — Monte Morris dribbled the ball to mid-court and threw it up in the air. For the first time in Long, Kane and Morris' young careers, they'd beaten Kansas and spurred Iowa State into its first Big 12 Championship game since 2000. "It was a feeling that I never experienced, even in high school winning my two state championships," Morris said. "This was a big win. I knew we could do it, but it felt
much better when it was in reality." Long said he and Kane were paying back the sea of fans in Sprint Center for making the trip. "They deserve it," Long said.
"The whole Cyclone Nation, they deserve it. I told Kane, 'We’ve got to go give some love to the people.' "They love us and we love them."
Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily
Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily
Sophomore forward Georges Niang pumps his fist to the crowd after being injured during the second half of the game against Kansas in the Big 12 Championship semifinals March 14 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. Niang went back to the locker room to get five stitches for a cut above his right eye.
Senior guard DeAndre Kane attempts a 3-pointer against Kansas in the Big 12 Championship semifinals March 14 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo. The Cyclones defeated the Jayhawks 94-83, advancing to the final round for the first time since 2000. Kane had 20 points for Iowa State, including five 3-pointers.
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I believed in my guys. We stayed confident, we believe in each other and that’s all it is. We believed we could pull through.� Naz Long
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Sophomore guard Naz Long celebrates a shot against Kansas State during the Big 12 Championships in Kansas City March 13. The Cyclones defeated the Wildcats 91-85. Long scored 14 points for Iowa State.