Alongside every superstar on a great college basketball team, you’ll find quality role players.

Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock have established themselves as a dangerous backcourt duo. As sophomores, Tasheed Carr will give the team offensive firepower and Rahshon Clark will continue to play suffocating defense.

The rest of the team’s roles, however, remain undefined.

Last season was Anthony Davis’ first with the Cyclones after previous stops at Long Beach State and Los Angeles City College.

Davis showed promise as a three-point shooter, hitting 40 percent of his attempts. But on Jan. 26, his junior year was cut short when he tore cartilage in his right shoulder against Kansas State.

“I didn’t get a chance to fit into my role on this team,” Davis said. “I’m still doing rehab right now, but it feels great. It’s almost 100 percent.”

As a senior, Davis will be counted on to be a leader in practices for a team with six newcomers.

“I’ll mainly teach them to work hard all the time,” he said. “Don’t ever take plays off and don’t expect things to go your way because they won’t.”

Davis worked on his overall game and decision-making this offseason. The wing sees himself as a multi-dimensional player.

“Kind of a jack of all trades,” he said. “Defense and offense. Not a master of one, but a jack of all.”

For the Cyclones to return to the NCAA tournament, Davis said the newcomers have to adjust quickly.

“Our new guys have to understand the Big 12 and how it differentiates between high school and prep ball,” he said. “Once they understand that, I think we’ll be real good.”

Another senior, John Neal, returns to provide more leadership in practice. The former walk-on said he will do anything for the team to return to the NCAA tournament.

His primary role has been coming off the bench to provide tough perimeter defense and an occasional three-pointer. Coach Wayne Morgan said last season Neal put too much pressure on himself and struggled with his shot.

This year, Morgan would like to see a change.

“We’ve talked to him not about being a designated shooter, but a basketball player,” Morgan said. “I’d really like to see him get out defensively and get out and run the wing.”

The newcomers will help to fill the void left by the departure of big men Jared Homan and Damion Staple.

Morgan said the frontcourt load will be shared by committee.

“We’ll work very hard and use the young guys we have,” he said.

From this year’s recruiting class, only one player, guard Farnold Degand, stands under 6-foot-8-inches. At 6-foot-3-inches, he is a Boston-area guard who played on the same AAU team as Blalock and will look to give the backcourt starters a breather from time to time. His primary job will be defending and distributing the ball.

In the frontcourt, Morgan has options with 6-foot-8-inch Mike Evanovich, 6-foot-11-inch Jiri Hubalek and the 6-foot-10-inch trio of Jessan Gray, Ross Marsden and Shawn Taggart.

Evanovich went to South Kent Prep (Conn.) and played behind many high level players, including 2005 NBA Draft pick Andray Blatche. While there, Evanovich did what he was asked to do, and that was shoot. While he was recruited by Iowa State as a shooter, he will be asked to play inside as well.

Hubalek, a native of the Czech Republic who played last year at Marshalltown Community College, will play under the basket.

“I need to grab as many rebounds as possible and everything else is just bonus for me,” Hubalek said.

Gray played at Central High School in Davenport before stints at Indiana University and Tyler Junior College.

Gray has enjoyed the practices at Iowa State, which he said are more intense and physical than they were under Mike Davis at Indiana.

He hopes to provide defense and rebounding this season, but he also plays on the wing and has some guard skills.

“We’ve got all the offense you could possibly want, now all we need is defense,” Gray said. “Coach Morgan has made it clear [to everyone] to bust their butt to rebound. My main thing is to help block shots, contest shots and rebound.”

Marsden hails from Ames High School and said that although he kept his options open during recruiting, he’s been a Cyclone since he was “a little kid.”

His work ethic has impressed Morgan.

“He’s been a bit of a surprise,” Morgan said. “We tell him a detail once, and he’s got it.”

Taggart is Iowa State’s most highly touted recruit, ranked as the third-best center in the nation, according to rivals.com.

One of the first things the Richmond, Va. native found in Ames was a friendly environment.

“People are really nice out here, which is different from where I come from,” he said. “I like it.”

Taggart will be asked to protect the middle, rebound, block shots and run the floor. He has been working on his strength and conditioning and the coaches have told him to go hard on every possession.

“The intensity level is outrageous, but it’ll do nothing but get you better,” he said.

Taggart said while Iowa State won’t play zone defense as often as they did last season, they will continue to frustrate teams with their full court press.

“Sometimes zone, sometimes man, but we’re always going to press,” he said. “It’s the house of pain.”