The name was hated among ISU fans.

Haluska.

Sound familiar? Much of that can be attributed to Adam Haluska, who played for the ISU men’s basketball team in the 2002-03 season, under coach Larry Eustachy. After Eustachy was let go, Haluska left Iowa State and transferred to the University of Iowa, joining the long-time rivals.

And although Adam has since graduated as a Hawkeye and now plays for the New Orleans Hornets in the NBA, his brother, Sean, will don cardinal and gold this season as a member of the ISU basketball team.

Sean, a transfer from Indian Hills Community College, is expected to log at least some time on the court this season under second-year coach Greg McDermott.

He’s perfectly fine with that.

“I’m hoping to get a few minutes a game, and . just get in there and do what the coaches want me to do, knock down shots when I have the chance, and play good defense.” Sean said. “That’s one thing coach is really preaching on this year is our defense.”

Adam was well known in Iowa City for his ability to knock down crucial shots, helping him earn a one-year contract with the Hornets.

ISU fans may be able to expect much of the same from Sean, who will start his Cyclone career as a junior.

“Sean can really shoot the basketball,” McDermott said. “Both running off screens and off the dribble.”

That versatility could prove to be an invaluable asset, especially after Mike Taylor’s dismissal from the program this summer.

Sean earned second-team All-Region IX honors as a freshman, and was an honorable mention his sophomore season at Indian Hills. Through his two years of community college he was a 33.7 percent 3-point shooter.

The burning question, however, is how will he be received when he is introduced in Ames, a place his brother left behind amid the Larry Eustachy scandal?

It’s nothing he’s worried about.

“I’m not worried at all,” Sean said. “It’s a totally different situation here now than it was before, and I am totally not worried about that at all.”

And although ISU fans made it widely recognized they were bitter about Adam’s departure, booing him every time he touched the ball as a Hawkeye in Hilton Coliseum, Sean said his family has never held a grudge against Iowa State.

“They always have been [Cyclone fans],” Sean said. “They didn’t have anything against this school, and I think they’re excited to come and watch basketball here again.”

His family, and ISU fans, willsee Sean used in a role that allows him to roll off a screen and knock down a jumper.

Although it has not yet been determined just how much he will play, McDermott made it clear that he could become an integral part of the team’s core.

“We’ve thrown a lot of things at him in a short period of time,” McDermott said. “He’s got the ability to put the basketball in the hoop, and to shoot it in a way flying off screens, [and] that really fits into our system well.”

Sean said he talks to Adam usually twice a week, and they update each other about all aspects of their lives, including basketball.

He’s even learned a lot about what to expect in a power conference such as the Big 12, which is a far cry from community college basketball.

“Night in and night out you’re just going to playing against better athletes,” Sean said. “There’s going to be a lot of real good talent that you’re playing against. You’re going to be playing against people who you saw on TV last year.”

Adam was certainly one of those top-tier players while playing college basketball, and that’s something Sean has certainly used to his advantage.

“Any questions that I have for him, he’s there to answer them,” Sean said. “It’s kind of nice having a brother who’s been through all this.”

Sean said Adam was a great influence not just on his basketball skills, but in life as well. Still, as the season starts to kick into full gear, he’ll be looking for his own identity, not his brother’s.

If history is any indication, though, those Haluska boos that once rained down have the possibility to change into something no Haluska has heard inside Hilton Coliseum in quite some time – cheers.