Melvin Ejim

For the first time in four years and more specifically the first time in Fred Hoiberg’s tenure as head coach, next year his starting five won’t feature Melvin Ejim. Hoiberg’s first four-year starter will move on to greener pastures and soon will start preparing for the NBA Draft. ESPN NBA Draft Analyst Chad Ford lists Ejim as his No. 78 prospect. Leaving with the All-American and reigning Big 12 Player of the Year is 17.8 points per game and 8.4 rebounds per game, but Iowa State will miss his leadership and chemistry on both ends even more than his statistics. Hoiberg said several times throughout the year that he and Georges Niang were both crucial on the defensive end because of their communication.

DeAndre Kane

Deandre Kane was the latest and possibly most successful in the line of transfers under Hoiberg. Kane was a stat sheet stuffer averaging nearly 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists per game and was also named an All-American and All-Big 12 First Team. His ability to create mismatches was like that of Niang and the two-man pick and roll game the pair of those ran was a nightmare for teams to defend and ISU fans will never forget him carrying Iowa State to the Sweet 16 through North Carolina. Like his fellow senior, Kane is now preparing for the NBA Draft and Ford has him as the No. 63 player.

Jameel McKay

Out with one transfer and in with another. Out leaves the senior pair of First Team All-Big 12 and All-Americans. In comes Jameel McKay as one of the two present transfers on Iowa State’s roster. McKay is a 6-foot-9 freakishly athletic forward from Indian Hills, who became the first player there to be named NJCAA First Team All-America. The lanky rim protector averaged 16 points and nine rebounds per game in JUCO. He’s expected to slide in as a major factor on next year’s rotation as a front court leader.

Abdel Nader

Abdel Nader joined McKay as the latest pair to watch home games at Hilton from the stands together. Before those two it was Will Clyburn and Korie Lucious who formed a bond that carried over to next year on the court. Nader and McKay worked in one-on-one sessions before practice and before games at Hilton where Cyclone Alley fans who got there early enough had a chance to watch from the stands. Nader comes from Northern Illinois, which only won five games, but he led them in scoring and rebounding. Nader is expected to slide into the rotation and add more size to the front court.

Clayton Custer

Iowa State’s only commit as of right now of the 2014 class is Clayton Custer out of Overland Park, Kan. Like Matt Thomas and Monte Morris, Custer carries a winning tradition out of Blue Valley Northwest, winning his third straight 6A State Title. In his senior season, he averaged 19 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals per game and was named the Gatorade Kansas Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Custer passed up offers from fellow Big 12 school of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Kansas State. Custer is expected jockey for minutes in Iowa State’s young backcourt. It’s worth noting Iowa State still has two scholarships available for next year.