It’s a new coach, a new season and a different set of expectations, but it’s the same team junior Alex Thompson left two years ago – the Hawkeyes.

“There’s a lot of changes, but there’s still a lot of people that I know that I had good experiences with,” Thompson said.

Those experiences came in the two seasons the forward spent with the Hawkeyes under former coach Steve Alford. After averaging 2.0 points per game as a sophomore, Thompson transferred to Iowa State and returned to his hometown. Saturday, he’ll face his old team, led by first-year coach Todd Lickliter, whose roster includes six leftovers from Thompson’s days in Iowa City.

These days, Thompson has plenty of good things to say. After a slow start to the season, the junior broke out against Oregon State a week ago, shooting 6 of 11 from the floor with 12 points in the Cyclones’ 71-64 overtime win. His finishing touch to the night was a dunk to close out the game.

“He was a big help,” said senior forward Rahshon Clark. “He hustled, he put points on the board – and that’s what we need. He’s doing a terrific job.”

Thompson added 3 points and a pair of rebounds in Wednesday’s 79-44 loss to Drake. Cyclone coach Greg McDermott said he was impressed with what the junior did without the ball during Thompson’s 19 minutes on the floor.

“He was out there playing hard defensively, trying to make the right switches, trying to get into the right spots defensively and trying to execute blockouts,” McDermott said.

“Those are the things that we need to have across the board. Alex really seems to have stepped up the last two basketball games.”

Thompson agreed with his coach’s assessment.

“I feel like each game has gotten better for me as far as comfort level on the court,” Thompson said. “Just playing with my teammates and just getting used to what I’m doing out there and, hopefully, that’ll continue into the future for me.”

Whether it’s against his former Hawkeye teammates or anyone else, he said his approach will stay the same.

“I’m just going to prepare for it just like another game on the schedule for our team and prepare myself like I do every game,” he said.

Shooting out of the slump

McDermott said he wants to forget about last night’s game but hopes junior guard Sean Haluska remembers a few key points.

The junior entered Wednesday’s game shooting 1 of 21 from the field for only 2 points on the season. Haluska ended that drought against the Bulldogs, connecting on a pair of jump shots from the top of the key for a season-high 4 points.

“It was good to see him knock a couple down and I hope he can carry that over into the next couple days and into the game Saturday,” McDermott said. “Obviously, that’s a weakness of ours right now and anybody that can knock down a few perimeter shots for us is certainly going to loosen some things up for us offensively.”

More “Boooooozer”

Haluska wasn’t the only Cyclone McDermott hoped picked up some confidence Wednesday night. Freshman forward Charles Boozer had a career-high 4 points in Iowa State’s loss, but McDermott said he still has a lot to work on.

“At this level you have to be able to defend, you have to be able to handle and pass the basketball and you’ve got to be able to knock some shots in,” McDermott said. “He’s certainly good at knocking shots in, and he’s still learning the other parts of the game.”

Wesley Johnson update

Wesley Johnson didn’t practice Thursday, and McDermott was still unsure of his status for Saturday’s game.

“It’s always a day-to-day thing with him,” McDermott said. “I never know until shortly before practice or shortly before a game whether or not he’s going to play.”

Johnson has been hampered with a bruised bone in his foot. The sophomore forward returned to the Cyclones’ lineup Nov. 27 against Northern Iowa, netting a season-high 18 points against the Panthers. Since then, he’s seen a decrease in playing time from 11 minutes to 10 against Drake. McDermott said he plans to take his time with Johnson and has even kept open the possibility of seeking a medical redshirt for the sophomore.

“He’s the most important piece to this puzzle,” he said. “We’ve got to make sure we take care of him and keep his best interest in mind.”

Looking for history

For the third time this season, the Cyclones will seek win No. 400 at Hilton Coliseum. Iowa State has been stuck on win No. 399 after losses to Minnesota and Northern Iowa.