Michael Zogg – Daily Staff Writer

Although they do not count, the two exhibition games gave Cyclone fans their first look as what promises to be a much different team than they have seen in the last few years.

In the game against UNC-Pembroke on Friday, in which the Cyclones cruised to a 106–54 victory, Iowa State showcased a more up–tempo style than it played last year. Iowa State regularly pushed the ball up the court after a missed basket and was rewarded with 20 fast break points.

“We have been working on that in practice lately,” junior guard Diante Garrett said. “Our guards have been trying to link out and try to get an outlet pass, to try to get it up the court faster.”

It hasn’t just been on offense that the Cyclones are playing faster. The ISU defense played a higher pressure style than it did a year ago. That manifested itself in 27 UNC-Pembroke turnovers, including 14 steals.

“It is just a totally different team,” coach Greg McDermott said. “Last year, we didn’t have the personnel to go out and pressure the ball, nor did we have the depth, so we kind of had to let teams pass it around and had to sit in the gaps and make a few jump shots and put ourselves in a position where we could be a decent defensive rebounding team because of where we started our defense.

“This is a totally different animal that we are dealing with. These guys are able to get out and pressure the ball. Put some pressure out on the wings, put some pressure on the post, and when they get tired, we’ve got another guy that can go do the same thing.”

One unpleasant side–effect of the high-pressure defense, however, is that it makes it harder for the Cyclones to rebound. Although Iowa State out-rebounded UNC-Pembroke 47-43, the Braves managed to pull down 20 offensive rebounds.

“We have to clean that up,” McDermott said. “Sometimes, when you’re in a scramble or you’re stretched out a little bit more, you’re a little bit more susceptible to offensive rebounds. So we have to guard the ball. That will be an area that we really have to concentrate on.”

Another positive the team saw through its exhibition games was a willingness for each player to play his role. That was something McDermott said would be instrumental in deciding how this season goes for the Cyclones.

“It seems to me that the guys on the bench are cheering for their teammates on the floor,” McDermott said. “They are standing up and clapping when somebody takes a charge or dives after a loose ball and makes a hustle play. I hope that winning has become more important to them than anything they want to do individually. If we can keep that going in that direction through good times and bad, then  we have a chance to do some things that are pretty cool.”

With the exhibition season coming to a close, the Cyclones will have to decide who should be red–shirted this season. McDermott said they had not made any decisions on that as of the postgame Friday, but that they will decide whom to red–shirt sometime this week.

Candidates for red-shirting whom McDermott mentioned were freshmen Antwon Oliver, Bubu Palo and Alex Dorr, although McDermott said Dorr may be needed in the lineup as senior forward Jamie Vanderbeken recovers from an injury.

“I think his foot’s fine, it’s just his body is sore,” McDermott said of Vanderbeken. “He is fatigued. He hasn’t done anything since April, so it’s going to take him a while to get back in game shape.”