Hoiberg pays visit to Nebraska JUCO guard

Fred Hoiberg didn’t hang around Ames to celebrate his team’s big win over Kansas State on Saturday night. Instead, Iowa State’s head coach hit the recruiting trail. 

Hoiberg headed west to scout K.J. Bluford, a 6-foot-2, 175-pound shooting guard via Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Neb. 

"I talked to him after the game," Bluford told CycloneFanatic.com on Monday evening. "We just talked about me maybe going to see a game at Iowa State. 

Hoiberg didn’t extend an offer to Bluford, who is averaging 18.7 points per game, but an unofficial visit is in the works. Bluford said that he plans to be in town for Iowa State’s Feb. 4 bout with the Oklahoma Sooners. 

Bluford, who claims to be receiving significant attention from West Virginia, Murray State and a host of Missouri Valley schools, is a shooter. Through 23 games this season, he’s gone 92-for-236 from 3-point range, a 39 percent mark. Bluford, a 75 percent free throw shooter, scored 15 points in Saturday night’s loss to Iowa Western Community College. 

*** CLICK HERE to view Bluford’s game-by-game stats so far this season *** 

Bluford, who attended high school at Robinsdale Armstrong in Minnesota, played prep ball against former Cyclone Royce White. Because of that, he’s familiar with Iowa State and Hoiberg’s brand of basketball. 

"I watched him a lot last year," said Bluford. "He did say that they shoot a lot of threes and that I would be great for their offense."

Bluford will have two years of eligibility when he moves on after this season. 

Chris’ take

Don’t go crazy but for a comparison, think Tyrus McGee. Bluford leads his team in scoring, which means that most defenses are keying on him right? He’s still shooting nearly 40 percent from 3-point range. At the JUCO level, that’s an impressive line. Like McGee, Bluford appears to be a bit of a chucker. He went 5-for-20 and 4-for-16 from beyond the arc in Saturday’s game. Still, he’s set to visit Ames so that must mean something.