Iowa State Cyclones Star Tamin Lipsey Gives Killyan Toure the Ultimate Superlative

While his defensive abilities are well documented, the Cyclones have found another tenacious defender to pair with him in freshman Killyan Toure. A surprise member of the starting lineup this season, his presence has helped take the team to another level on that end of the court.

Having another stellar point of attack defender on the court alongside Lipsey has allowed the senior to play off the ball more. That means more opportunities to create havoc in the passing lanes with deflections and steals, leading to easy buckets for Iowa State.

Only 12 games into his collegiate career, Toure is already making quite a name for himself. His length, measured at 6-foot-3 tall with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, makes him a terror on the perimeter.

He regularly suffocates his opponent, quickly cementing his status as one of the best defensive players in the country. Just ask Iowa Hawkeyes star Bennet Stirtz what he thinks of Toure’s abilities on that end of the court.

His teammates have taken notice, including Lipsey. In a recent interview, he praised the performance of his freshman teammate, saying Toure is the best defender he has ever seen in his life.

That is some incredible praise from Lipsey, who has played alongside some excellent defensive-minded teammates and has seen tape of himself. It speaks volumes to the impact Toure is having right out of the gate in his collegiate career.

In 26.6 minutes per game, he is averaging 1.9 steals with a steal rate of 4.1%. He has already produced 1.0 Defensive Win Shares per College Basketball Reference to go along with a defensive box score plus/minus of +4.9 and a defensive rating of 89.8.

The future is now in Ames, with Toure having the torch passed to him by Lipsey as the hard-nosed defender who sets the tone for the rest of his teammates to follow.