With the biggest stage of the nonconference schedule at hand, it was a perfect storm for the ISU men’s basketball team who upset No. 7 Michigan 77-70.

Top recruiting target Rashad Vaughn was in the house along with several others. Dick Vitale was calling his first game at Hilton Coliseum, and more than 25 NBA scouts were in attendance.

Vaughn kept everything close to the chest speaking to the media before the game.

He did reveal, however, that out of every school that is actively recruiting him, he probably has had the best relationships with the coaches at Iowa State, where coach Fred Hoiberg and assistant coach Matt Abdelmassih have been actively pursuing him since early high school.

“Probably here, because they’ve been recruiting me since ninth grade,” Vaughn said about where he has the best athletic connections. “I’ve got a good relationship with them.”

So what is the biggest factor in Vaughn’s recruitment? What is the most important thing to him?

“Really, relationships and where I fit most,” Vaughn said. “Where I come in and fit in, that’s what it’s really going to come down to.”

Vaughn said he will be taking all five of his official visits left this season, with UNLV and North Carolina still coming in the near future.

Vaughn was at Hilton Coliseum for one of the biggest games Iowa State has had during the nonconference schedule, with Vitale calling, NBA scouts watching and national runner-up No. 7 Michigan playing on the other side.

“Man, it’s going to be crazy. They lined up outside out there last night so it should be a crazy atmosphere,” Vaughn said. “This is one of the best places to play. The fans, the fans are amazing so you can see that.”

Iowa State’s lone fall signee Clayton Custer, a 6-foot-1-inch guard from Overland Park, Kan., was another visitor for the game along with Jameel Mckay, Alex Illikainen and Vaughn.

With Custer already having signed in national letter of intent, he played the role of recruiter and tried to pitch to Vaughn why Iowa State was the place for him.

After Naz Long did his best Tyrus McGee impression, hitting a 3-pointer at the top of the key to make it 67-62, 61 seconds later he attempted a fading corner 3-pointer that Hoiberg characterized as missing by “about 6 feet.”

Instead of laying into Long, Hoiberg simply let him know it wasn’t a good shot and moved on to the next play.

Custer took the opportunity to show Vaughn another reason why he wants to play for Hoiberg.

“There was a time when Naz [Long] took a questionable shot [corner three air ball] and Hoiberg just said, ‘Come on Naz,’ and didn’t really get mad at him,” Custer said. “I pointed that out to Rashad [Vaughn] that Hoiberg’s not going to rip into you for taking those shots; he’s not going to make a scene out of it.”

Custer said he was sure not to try and push Vaughn about joining him in Ames, but he did say he liked what he saw from how Iowa State’s top recruiting target carried himself.

“I think he feels really comfortable at Iowa State,” Custer said. “Rashad seemed like he was having fun at the game so it seems like it’s a possibility, hopefully he liked it and maybe he’ll come our way.

“There’s no way you could’ve picked a better game for him to attend.”