KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Melvin Ejim waited four years. For DeAndre Kane, five. For Georges Niang, it’s been two years and for ISU coach Fred Hoiberg — he’s waited about 23.

Regardless of the number of years, it’s been a long time since anyone on this ISU basketball team has cut down a net, and every member did just that after a 74-65 win against Baylor in the Big 12 Championship game March 15.

“Fred’s brought in players that have been a part of winning programs to this team,” Ejim said. “Guys who competed at many different levels and all of us came together for one goal and we were able to make it happen.”

For a the pair of ISU freshman, it was only a year. In the Wisconsin high school state title game, Matt Thomas cut down a net playing for Onalaska. Monte Morris won the state title at Flint Beecher in Michigan, but this is the first time the freshman has cut down a net in his life.

“We didn’t even cut down the nets,” Morris screamed over the ISU fight song. “This is my first time doing it. This feeling right here is amazing, I wouldn’t trade it for nothing.”

Hoiberg barely remembers any part of the last time he cut down a net.

“It was high school, my senior year,” Hoiberg said, preparing to cut down this one with his twin boys. “We beat Waterloo East in the state finals.”

Ejim cut his down after the Brewster Academy cut down nets in its National Championship game in New England. The same goes for Niang, except his title came in AAU playing for Boston Amateur Basketball Club.

Kane cracked a rare smile remembering back to when he was 18 years old playing in Pittsburg while he was surrounded by his brothers in Kansas City in championship hats.

“It’s been forever; it was at state,” Kane said. “Now we’re cutting down the nets in Kansas City with my brothers at Iowa State. I couldn’t be more happy. I wanted to win and coach gave me a second chance, he believed in me.

“My teammates believed in me, we all bought into the system and now we’re champions.”

After starting 0-of-13, Iowa State was befuddled by Baylor’s 1-1-3 zone that had helped the Bears win 10 of its last 11 games coming into March 15’s championship game, and the ISU offense was in need of a spark.

That’s where Naz Long came in. Without his 4-of-6 3-point shooting to perfectly match his Canadian counterpart in Brady Heslip, Long wouldn’t have been able to kiss the Big 12 Championship trophy or cut down his first net since playing for CIA Bounce in Canada when he was 16.

“I had to match Brady,” Long shouted as he broke in a Big 12 Champion hat and pulled it tight onto his head. “I believed in my guys. We stayed confident, we believe in each other and that’s all it is. we believed we could pull through.”

From that 0-of-13 start that developed into a 1-of-17 start, Iowa State finished the game shooting a combined 23-of-31, which is nearly 75 percent from the field. Add that second half to the last 20 minutes the Cyclones played against Kansas on March 14 and the second-half offense for Iowa State poured in 95 points on 40-of-56 shooting at a 71 percent clip.

“To find a way to shoot 50 percent for the game, it was a testament out these guys and how we didn’t lose our composure,” Hoiberg said. “Again, great job by our guys playing very well and poised down the stretch.”

And finally after three grueling games, Iowa State’s four-year starter — who’s exited the Big 12 Tournament with a loss each year — put a Big 12 Championship cap onto his head and pulled on a T-shirt with the same logo.

He finally got to cut down his piece of the net.

“These guys stepped up,” Ejim said. “Georges played amazing, Naz hit big shots, DeAndre was killing, Dustin [Hogue]’s an animal. Everyone on this team stepped up today and this whole week and we’ve done an amazing job.

“It’s been amazing to come out here and win this … we’re ready to cut down the nets.”