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Hyped Freshman Will 'Play Early and Often' for Iowa State Cyclones on Hardwood

Originally posted on Iowa State Cyclones on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Sep 28, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Iowa State Cyclones have some huge shoes to fill on their men’s basketball team heading into the 2025-26 season.

Their two leading scorers from last season, Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert, both aren’t back with the squad. That duo also had the ball in their hands the most, leading the Cyclones in usage rate amongst rotation players.

Having to replace 30.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 2.8 steals per game will be no small task. Head coach T.J. Otzelberger can rest easy knowing he has multiple veterans in point guard Tamin Lipsey and forwards Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson returning to the lineup.

Sharpshooter Nate Hiese also returns. The frontcourt depth, which took a hit with Dishon Jackson transferring to the Pittsburgh Panthers, was replenished with transfers Blake Buchanon from the Virginia Cavaliers and Eric Mulder from Purdue Fort Wayne.

Iowa State will be counting on freshman Jamarion Batemon

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This is a very experienced squad heading into the 2025-26 campaign, which will have its benefits. However, the biggest x-factor for the team right now could be prized freshman Jamarion Batemon.

There is a need for shotmaking in general, but especially in the backcourt with Jones and Gilbert moving on. With Lipsey suffering a knee injury and sidelined for 4-to-6 weeks, the need for the other guards on the roster to step up becomes even more imperative.

That is one thing T.J. Otzelberger can count on with his dynamic freshman, who has been garnering attention from the coaching staff for months leading into the season.

Jamarion Batemon's dyanmic shotmaking will help Iowa State

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“The offseason hype train on freshman Jamarion Batemon isn't slowing down. He's going to play early and often, and Iowa State will need his fearless willingness to fire from downtown,” wrote Isaac Trotter of 247Sports.

A four-star recruit out of Milwaukee Academy of Science, he was the No. 1-ranked player in Wisconsin. The West Virginia Mountaineers were the only other Big 12 conference team to make him an offer, but he received 13 overall, nine from men’s basketball power conferences.

That's Dirty, JB.#Cyclones | #C5C | @JamarionBatemon pic.twitter.com/e5yv6B3CLk
— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) September 26, 2025

A nearly 41% 3-point shooter during the 3SSB regular season, Batemon was connecting at that impressive rate at a very high volume. Attempting almost nine 3-pointers per game, his aggressiveness and high-volume approach will be needed to help offset the loss of their leading scorers.

That is a lot of pressure to put on a freshman, but Batemon has the makeup to come in and thrive Day 1 despite his lack of experience.