We are nearing college basketball season, and many teams have held secret scrimmages and exhibitions over the last few days. The Iowa State Cyclones have one of their own this week, taking on the Creighton Bluejays, and will face the Northwestern Wildcats closer to the start of the season on November 2nd.
With hype building around the team, many fans are wondering who the breakout star is going to be for Iowa State. One player to keep an eye on is Jamarion Batemon .
Batemon was a hyped freshman coming in last season, after being a highly rated prospect in high school. And right off the bat, he showcased that he can be a great role player in head coach T.J. Otzelberger's system.
Batemon started the year with some solid games. 11 points against the Grambling Tigers and six points with three rebounds against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. But his first breakout was in a dominant performance against the Alcorn State Braves, where he put up 26 points and hit seven 3-pointers.
Iowa State guard Jamarion Batemon (1) speaks with members of the media during the university's men's basketball media day at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. (Photo by Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune/USA Today Network). | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Overall, he had a really good year. Batemon averaged 6.6 points a game, shooting 37% from the 3-point range. Not only was he great on offense, but he also proved himself on the defensive side of the ball. He often took on tough matchups, played hard-nosed defense, and got in the passing lanes as well, getting 0.6 steals per game.
Now, he's entering Year 2, and he's poised for a big jump . Last year, his minutes were somewhat limited, coming off the bench behind Killyan Toure, Tamin Lipsey and Milan Momcilovic.
With Toure out for an extended period of time, it gives Batemon a chance to possibly start games and become a true star player, not just one that plays a 3-and-D role off the bench. Batemon should be more of a ball-handler this year and should get plenty more opportunity to score the ball compared to last season.
It also helps to have Lipsey back for the time being. Lipsey's presence may take away some of the opportunity, but also increase it a lot, as the two worked well together last year and are immensely familiar with one another. Having similar guys around you always makes things easier, and therefore Batemon should be able to contribute at a high level because of it.
There are a lot of players who should be able to take a step up this season, but it's hard to believe that Batemon's impact from last year won't transform into a star player role and a guy that the Cyclones can absolutely use to win games this upcoming season.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/iowa-state as Iowa State Basketball Guard in Line for New Role & Breakout .
