Melvin Ejim had a choice.

When Greg McDermott left for Creighton and Fred Hoiberg returned to coach at his alma mater four years ago, Ejim could begin looking elsewhere or keep his commitment to Iowa State.

Not long after, Hoiberg arrived at Brewster Academy to pay Ejim a visit.

“Fred came in and reassured me this was going to be a good choice,” Ejim said. “He came to Brewster and talked to my family and made it clear to me it would be a good career if I stayed and we were going to have an opportunity to do big things.”

Ejim stayed, and the rest is history.

When the 6-foot-6-inch forward steps onto the court at Hilton Coliseum on March 8 for the final time, he will do so ranked third all-time in ISU history with 999 rebounds and 13th all-time with 1,535 points. With one rebound, the Big 12 leading scorer this season will become the fourth player in conference history with 1,500 career points and 1,000 rebounds.

The four-year starter will have embarked on three NCAA tournament trips when all is said and done. His place in Cyclone history has been cemented.

“It’s one of the best things that ever happened to this program, to have Melvin Ejim in a Cyclone uniform for four years,” Hoiberg said. “I know it’ll be emotional for him. It’ll be emotional for me, his family and certainly all the Cyclone fans who saw Melvin Ejim when he stepped on the court for the first time as a kid to where he is now, walking out of Iowa State as a man.

“It’s been a pleasure, and hopefully we’ve got a long way to go.”

One season after leading the Big 12 in rebounding, Ejim’s league-leading point total this season has him in contention for the Big 12 Player of the Year award.

“He works really hard on his craft and his game, and it speaks volumes and it shows,” said sophomore forward Georges Niang. “For him not to be a serious candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year would be crazy.”

While basketball has made Ejim known, other things have carried him. Nobody was surprised when, after a basketball game earlier this season, as he was being whisked away to the locker room, he stopped to tell a young autograph seeker, “I’ll be back, I promise.”

And just like his commitment to Iowa State, Ejim kept his word.

“It couldn’t have gone any better,” Ejim said of coming to Iowa State. “Hopefully we can keep it going and make a deep tournament run. I don’t think anyone really knows how their career is going to go. I think mine panned out pretty well.”

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When DeAndre Kane decided to transfer to Iowa State, he had one thing on his mind: winning.

Now with one game left in the regular season — and still much more postseason remaining — he feels he’s accomplished that goal.

“I just came here with one thing on my mind, and that was to win,” Kane said before practice Thursday. “I never knew how it would play out or how the season would go.”

Kane’s impact on Iowa State’s season is apparent and noted, averaging nearly 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists per game. But the impact the program would have on him? That’s the part he didn’t expect.

“I didn’t know that I was going to come here and make an impact like this,” Kane said. “And I didn’t know that this program would make a big impact on me, too.

“That was good for me. That’s what I needed.”

Senior forward Melvin Ejim is the opposite of Kane on Iowa State’s roster: Ejim is Hoiberg’s first four-year player, while Kane hasn’t been on campus for a full year yet.

Both with different stories but major impacts on the program.

“He’s really helped me have a great last year, and he’s really helped our team. He’s a really unselfish player, and ultimately that’s the reason we’ve been so successful,” Ejim said. “When’s the last time you can say Iowa State’s been ranked for almost the entire year? We’ve done a lot of good things here. We won those first 14 games and a big part of that goes to him.”

Hoiberg ran down the list when he was asked about his seniors before practice. He started with his four-year starter in Ejim but was quick to note his prized transfer.

“Deandre Kane has only been here for a year but has put together one of the most special seasons in Iowa State history.”

Kane has had an equally big impact on the program that gave him the opportunity he needed to win, which is why he’s grateful to Hoiberg.

“I know this is my year,” Kane said. “I had a chance to prove myself at a bigger stage so I couldn’t mess that up and I’m glad coach Fred gave me an opportunity to do that.”