Heading into the ISU men’s basketball team’s season opener, the team is not only learning to adjust to life without their All-Big 12 forward, but learning to play with each other. 

With forward Melvin Ejim out of the lineup after hyperextending his left knee in practice shortly before last weekend’s exhibition game, Dustin Hogue slid down to the four, while Naz Long started at the three.

Hogue is similar to Ejim, in that he’s a warrior under the hoop who is also a talented rebounder. 

“It’s been tough, banging low with the big men, but I’ve always played a physical game, so it’s not too much to adapt to and plus I’ll be able to get more rebounds now that Melvin’s not in the game,” Hogue said with a smile.

Even Iowa State’s Georges Niang had a hard time in his first game without the second part of his front court duo, pressing in Sunday’s exhibition win against Augustana while feeling he had to carry the team right off the bat. 

Niang finished the game hitting only five of his 15 shots, going 0-for-4 from behind the 3-point line, too. 

“Shots weren’t falling, I felt like I was just pressing for the first couple minutes without having Melvin out there,” Niang said. “I just felt like I needed to score and obviously I didn’t need to, those freshmen played a hell of a game. 

“It was just the first game, especially the way the season ended last year I’ve been anxious to get out here for a while now.”

When it comes to Ejim’s progress returning from his left knee injury, the team is taking every precaution and listening to the team doctors instead of going purely off how the knee feels. 

“I think the big thing with Melvin is you’ve got to do what’s best for him long-term,” said ISU coach Fred Hoiberg. “Melvin’s got a long basketball career ahead of him and selfishly we’d like him to come back early, but we don’t want him to come back if it’s going to further his risk. As soon as the doctors say he’s ready, he’ll play.”

Hoiberg said the biggest thing with Ejim’s knee is that the swelling is almost completely gone. He’s expected to undergo a scanning of his knee next week, which should give them a much better of idea of where Ejim stands in terms of a return date. 

“I think the frustrating thing for Melvin is that he doesn’t feel much pain,” Hoiberg said. “So it’s just a matter of what the scan says next week, if it’s clear then yeah there’s a chance he’ll come back a little bit earlier, but at the same time we’re going to take a cautious approach and make sure he’s 100 percent before he gets back out on the floor.”

The regular season will begin without Ejim, though, as the Cyclones take on UNC-Wilmington at noon Sunday at Hilton Coliseum.