In a three-part profile, the Iowa State Daily was able to catch up with men’s basketball Coach Greg McDermott about the state of Iowa State basketball, where it is and where it’s headed. This is part three.

For a look back at parts one and two, check out iowastatedaily.net.

After a 15-17 overall record and 4-12 Big 12 campaign this season, ISU coach Greg McDermott said there will be some style changes next season.

With last year’s team providing an abundance of 3-point shooting and a dash of mid-range turnarounds from Craig Brackins, ISU basketball is getting ready to turn up the intensity with a quicker roster and a slight tweak in pace and style for next season’s team.

“I don’t think we’ll probably shoot the 3-point shot as much as we shot it this year. We will be more athletic defensively, and hopefully be able to create some opportunities on the offensive end as a result of our defense,” McDermott said.

“I think because of the people we’ve added and the people we have returning, I think we can be a much more up-tempo team that probably plays games with higher possessions than we did this season.”

Shooting a higher percentage will be an offseason focal point, as will increasing the tempo against undersized defensive teams like Colorado and Nebraska next season.

McDermott only said that the non-conference schedule will be “much more competitive than it was this season.”

“We need to get up and down a little more, and if we want to attract that type of player, they have to see that that’s the way you want to play,” he said.

The return of Brackins could surely help bring fans out in droves, but McDermott recognizes that filling up the seats at Hilton Coliseum may be more difficult than succeeding at Xs and Os.

“You have to have a good product on the floor that people enjoy watching, and you have to be successful,” he said. “And then you hope the economy turns around so that people that have to decide what to do with their discretionary money, that Iowa State athletics, and basketball in particular, is part of where they decide to spend it.”

Off the court

McDermott remains ever-optimistic about the direction of ISU basketball, even with bleak economic times and the fleeing sight of Iowa-based players from the roster sheets.

With the basketball practice facility scheduled to open in the fall, and the constant shift of personnel and people through the program, the time for negativity doesn’t have a space on his wristwatch, and the bags slowly begin to fade from McDermott’s face.

There is obviously more to his life than basketball, as with any coach or player, but more importantly, holding up under the constraints that his job holds makes him a very aware individual.

Few things are set into stone about the future of the program, as with any sport, but fighting for that livelihood makes success taste even sweeter.

“I’m a native Iowan, so I probably have more of a vested interest than some people that could sit in this chair, because I grew up here.

“I know how much it means to Iowa State fans across the state and across the country,” McDermott said.

“It’s a huge responsibility, and something I take very seriously, and we have to continue to try and bring in the right type of person, and then hopefully they continue to make good strides.”