Good point, completely forgot that. But I thought that it was because Hornacek and Stevens had worn the numbers before the previous' number was retired?
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- Thread starter SoapyCy
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North Carolina has 43 Jerseys up there, we can afford to put of 3 of the best players in School History. Hell we still need to hang 5 in the rafters!
IMO this is a huge reason why his jersey should get retired. Ordinary player who proved hard work can bring out extraordinary results.
Exactly, I'm not tuned in to how ISU Athletics does things (though I should probably change that), but all three should, at a minimum, be honored in some official capacity. Didn't Tinsley just get inducted into the ISU HoF? Anyway, jersey retirings should be very exclusive, and I think only Niang fits that bill given his production, leadership, and "fan-favorite-ness" since day one. Completely acknowledging that's maybe a bit unfair to Morris because of over-shadowing, but what can you do.
Very fair point, can't disagree with you there. I would love to see Ejim's jersey up there, but if I had to choose, I would cast my vote for Monte. But I've been a Monte-Fan Boy since he won the Mr. Michigan Basketball title over James Young, so I'm a tad biased
All three should (and I believe will) be up there. After this year they will likely be 1-2-3 in career wins.
Niang is a no brainer.
After this year, Monte should be a no brainer as well.
And I think Ejim is a shoe-in as well, but he may be left out because his raw stats don't match the other two, but there's two reason Ejim should be up there that don't have to do with stats. First, he was the 4-year player that guided ISU to the rise that has led to 5 NCAA tourneys and counting. Second, because it is still about student-athletes and he was an EXCEPTIONAL student-athlete.
Niang is a no brainer.
After this year, Monte should be a no brainer as well.
And I think Ejim is a shoe-in as well, but he may be left out because his raw stats don't match the other two, but there's two reason Ejim should be up there that don't have to do with stats. First, he was the 4-year player that guided ISU to the rise that has led to 5 NCAA tourneys and counting. Second, because it is still about student-athletes and he was an EXCEPTIONAL student-athlete.
Covering up test scores has. Just ask North Carolina
Also regarding Ejim v Morris, I think Ejim defines more of what it is to be a Cyclone. Don't get me wrong, I love that Morris is on this team, but until this year I didn't really get a feeling that there was a strong connection between Monte and ISU. Always figured of all of our recent successful players, he'd be the least likely to come back in the future for stuff.
Graduate from ISU as career leaders in assists, steals and assist-to-turnover ratio, go to NCAA tournament all four years and win the Bob Cousy award along with being an All-American. It would be harder to argue it shouldn't be up there.
Ejim was Big 12 POTY, Second-Team AA, First-Team Academic AA, and played on a team that made the Sweet 16 and won the Big 12 Tourney. Anyone else with that resume, who graduated, would be up there.
Niang, no-brainer.
Morris has all the team credentials that Niang does (2 Sweet 16s, 2 Big 12 tourneys, hopefully 4 NCAAs), and given that he's Preseason First-Team AA in some publications, has the possibility to be up there. If he graduates and breaks the assist record (and he should), and finishes as a First- or Second-Team All-American, he's up there. He's the Tinsley to Niang's Fizer.
I really appreciate how ISU says you have to graduate to get up there. While Fizer and Tinsley were obviously incredible players, neither of them finished their degree (to my knowledge).
Niang, no-brainer.
Morris has all the team credentials that Niang does (2 Sweet 16s, 2 Big 12 tourneys, hopefully 4 NCAAs), and given that he's Preseason First-Team AA in some publications, has the possibility to be up there. If he graduates and breaks the assist record (and he should), and finishes as a First- or Second-Team All-American, he's up there. He's the Tinsley to Niang's Fizer.
I really appreciate how ISU says you have to graduate to get up there. While Fizer and Tinsley were obviously incredible players, neither of them finished their degree (to my knowledge).
But, along those lines, he's probably the only one in recent memory to skip going early to the NBA draft when he had a decent chance of being selected (albeit in the 2nd round).
Call me crazy, but I think Morris is more of a no brainer than Niang (assuming he meets expectations this year). Niang was a great scorer and good passer, but he was an average rebounder and defender.
Monte is a good scorer, good defender, great passer, and great at limiting turnovers. He doesn't really have any deficiencies. Not to mention he will break the all-time assists and steals records. Oh yeah, and he holds three of the top eight assist/turnover ratios in NCAA history.
Monte is a good scorer, good defender, great passer, and great at limiting turnovers. He doesn't really have any deficiencies. Not to mention he will break the all-time assists and steals records. Oh yeah, and he holds three of the top eight assist/turnover ratios in NCAA history.
I wouldn't dismiss Monte's low-key, reserved personality as being not as fond of ISU as the other players.
We don't retire numbers, just jerseys. There are two #14s up there -Wegner & Hornacek; they were separated on the court by about 50 years. And the player who wore the most recent jersey hung, Stevens, actually played 10 years before Hoiberg (the most recent player up there). Useless facts from Auntie KC.
Edit: forgot about #35...
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You're right, and it's why I added until this year. He's done and said a lot of stuff so far that have changed my mind about that. But until last year, I kind of thought he'd end up like Deandre Kane, skipping town immediately after the end of basketball.
It's what Niang does outside the game that gets him first mention. He has always been an loud, positive ambassador for Iowa State. While Monte and Ejim are very good representatives, they aren't very visible. Monte has a good chance to jump into the limelight this year however. It's far more than stats.