It has been said that greatness is never fully appreciated in its own time. It can be hard to fully appreciate something spectacular while the show is still taking place.

Case in point: Curtis Stinson.

The ISU junior guard is playing out of his mind right now, yet for some reason it’s no big deal. His output almost seems expected.

Suddenly, 20-point games with seven rebounds and five assists seem routine. Only a special athlete can post numbers like Stinson’s and make it look this easy. The guard scored 27 points in a win over Nebraska on Jan. 17, putting on a clinic for the Husker defenders. It didn’t look like Stinson was even trying to dominate; it came that naturally.

Stinson leads the Cyclones in scoring and steals and is second on the team in rebounding and assists. His 18.7 points per game are fourth in the Big 12, his 5.2 assists third and 2.7 steals first.

This isn’t a one-year deal; a breakout season. This has been going on for three years.

That is why Stinson’s play is so amazing. It’s hard enough to perform at this level once, but to do it for three consecutive seasons is nothing short of domination.

Stinson took control of the ISU team from the moment he set foot on campus, leading the Cyclones in scoring as a freshman. He dropped in 16 points and four assists on a team that featured a future NBA big man and the most prolific shooter in Cyclone history.

He led the Cyclones to the semifinals of the NIT, scoring 32 points in an overtime loss to Rutgers in Madison Square Garden, and earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors in the process.

His second season with the Cyclones was just as good. Teaming with backcourt mate Will Blalock, Stinson led Iowa State to its first NCAA Tournament since 2001. All he did was average 17 points per game and make his way to the all-Big 12 first team.

That brings us to this season. There has been no drop-off in the guard’s play. He leads a dangerous offensive team in scoring, picking up his play even more.

After struggling with shooting as a sophomore, hitting just 25 percent of his 3-point shots, Stinson is hitting threes at a 33 percent clip.

Only twice this season has Stinson scored fewer than 10 points in a game and has scored less than 16 points just three more times.

And it’s not just scoring he provides.

He is on pace to set career highs in assists and steals and is just four rebounds short of leading the team in that category. His best game of the season? Try on for size 20 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists against Fresno State.

If his scoring and assists were combined, Stinson is responsible for at least 29 ISU points each game. Blalock’s scoring and assists combined are worth 28 Cyclone points.

Not a bad one-two punch from one of the best backcourts in the nation.

And the best news? There is still one more season of the duo after this one.

So sit back and watch a player who may well go down in history as the brightest star to ever put on the cardinal and gold. It’s not often a great player comes along, one who changes the game every time he touches the ball.

Enjoy.

– Grant Wall is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Fort Dodge.