Small businesses often have bells or alarms when their doors open. This could be from people entering, or a fading sound with someone departing. For coach Greg McDermott and his basketball team the sound keeps playing, but there has been more leaving than coming. 

For Cyclone fans, the stream of departures seem to outweigh the benefits of newcomers.

The face of the program, Craig Brackins, surprised the masses by returning for the 2009-’10 season. Brackins was First Team All-Big 12 as a sophomore and was considered a potential lottery pick in the NBA Draft. Another season with a 15-17 record and the 6-foot-10-inch forward saw his stock plummet, and his points per game, rebounds per game and field goal percentage all took a dip.

Junior college transfer Marquis Gilstrap started all 32 games in his only season in Ames, complimenting Brackins to the tune of 14.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest.

Both forwards led the team in scoring and rebounding, and they are numbers that will have to be replaced — even on a team that went 4-12 in conference play. Brackins and Gilstrap accounted for 43.2 percent of the team’s scoring and 46.5 percent of the team’s rebounding.

The transfers of Justin Hamilton, Chris Colvin and Dominique Buckley may not be as shocking statistically, but do hurt depth on a squad that finished the season limping. Suspensions hurt the slim roster as well, and mid-season departures marked an uncharacteristically mobile season. Lucca Staiger’s 9.4 points per game remained the third-highest average on the team to close the season.

ISU Athletic Director Jamie Pollard said in March that the media had high expectations on this edition of McDermott’s team without knowing how the season’s turns would change their course. The team returns just 36 percent of its points and 33 percent of rebounds from a losing season.

Jamie Vanderbeken and Charles Boozer returning to the team healthy should provide a boost, as the two only saw limited time in 2010 but have productive histories. Guards Diante Garrett and Scott Christopherson will be the only returning starters, and Christopherson joined the top five after Staiger’s mid-week flight. Garrett and Christopherson shot less than 44 percent on the season.

Forward LaRon Dendy was a welcome transfer. He added depth in the post, and nearly outproduced Hamilton and shot 60 percent while still coming off the bench. The 6-foot-9-inch South Carolina native came on strong at the end of the season, and will need to likely keep that output while playing starting minutes.

McDermott’s 18-46 record in Big 12 play will need to improve to keep fan support and Hilton Coliseum bouncing. Attendance for three out of the Cyclones’ last four home games was less than 12,000 fans.