ISU coach Greg McDermott wanted Alex Thompson when Thompson was still in high school. One college and three years later, the Ames native finds himself preparing for his first game with the Cyclones’ head coach after transferring from the University of Iowa last April.

“He did a real good job there [at UNI],” Thompson said of McDermott’s former coaching position. “I was really impressed with him and the way he conducted himself.”

Now Thompson is impressing the coaches. The 6-foot-10-inch forward, who had to redshirt the 2006-07 season after transferring from Iowa, has worked for over a year now to keep himself in game shape. Limited to practice, weight lifting and the occasional pickup game, Thompson spent most of last season watching home games from the confines of the bench and away games on television. This off-season, the junior is preparing for games against Big 12 opponents, not teammates.

“He’s gotten in the gym and done a great job in the weight room,” said Cyclones assistant coach Jeff Rutter. “You can tell he’s real hungry for the upcoming season.”

Thompson, who attended Ames High School, was originally recruited by McDermott while coaching the UNI Panthers. As the junior watched the Cyclones go through their coaching changes, he also saw his career with the Hawkeyes going separate ways.

“The program I was at was just going at a different direction,” Thompson said. “I wanted to go in a different direction and it just so happened that it worked out for me. I wanted to come here, and Coach Mac [McDermott] welcomed me here.”

Here was Ames, and home. Spending his first two seasons at Iowa, Thompson found that most trips home included a three-hour drive. Now, he’s just minutes away from his parents, Dale and Roxanne, whom he visits as a place away from his world as a Cyclone.

“I find myself stopping home once in a while,” he said. “Just hanging out, getting some food, doing some laundry, just taking it easy and just getting away from campus and basketball and stuff.”

Even at home, he says he can’t help but think about what his first game as a Cyclone will be like. Having spent most of his life watching ISU games from the stands, Thompson will put on the cardinal and gold for the first time this season and be one player that many of the fans will be watching.

“That first game is going to be a wild one, man,” he said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve played college basketball.”

An All-State selection in high school and a member of the Hawkeye’s 2005-06 Big Ten title team, expectations will be high for the transfer student when he steps onto the court for the first time. Even for Rutter, who says Thompson’s versatility as a 3-point shooter and a post player make him a valuable weapon.

“Having Alex in our lineup allows us many more threats [offensively],” Rutter said.

Whatever weapon he’s used as, Thompson said he’s just happy to be in Ames, playing as a Cyclone.

“It feels like I’m home,” he said. “Last year, I felt like I was part of the team, but I was still limited to what I could do. After the year was over, I felt like now was my time to be a leader, step in and work with my teammates a little more.”