It got real ugly, real fast. The Tar Heels were a freight train rolling downhill, and Iowa State could do little to stop them.

Final score: UNC 92, ISU 65.

One Cyclone threw his body on the tracks in attempt to slow the Tar Heels down. In his final game donning cardinal and gold, Jared Homan left everything out on the Charlotte Coliseum floor. What else would you expect from a guy who, during his stay on the ISU campus, became not only one of the most improved players in Iowa State history but one of the all-time Cyclone greats as well?

It would have been easy to give up. Try playing 38 minutes against six future NBA thoroughbreds and see how tired you are. Not Homan. Thirty-eight minutes, 19 points, 20 rebounds, and buckets full of respect.

“Homan was tough. He could score, defend … he’s a big-time player,” Tar Heel Marvin Williams said in a postgame press conference. All-American Sean May added, “He’s a great player; that was tough banging bodies with him, he’s special.” Homan’s 33 rebounds in the first two rounds of the NCAA tourney were most among all players in the field.

Cyclone fans were lucky enough to witness Homan’s moxie for four hustle-filled years. His 125 games played rank him fourth all-time in ISU history. As a freshman, Jared quickly became renowned for his toughness, although one instance resulted in an ejection. When Colorado’s D.J. Harrison confronted then-coach Larry Eustachy during a time-out, the big man from Remsen stepped in to show Mr. Harrison back to his correct bench, leading to an altercation.

“I’m just glad I have Homan as my bodyguard,” Eustachy would later famously quip. “I thought he came off the bench like someone was stealing his cow or something.”

It was this enforcer-like attitude that would turn him from under-recruited into a big-time college athlete. First on the ISU career block list, and having the most rebounds by a Cyclone in an NCAA tournament game, his accomplishments could be listed down this entire page. But, perhaps it was perseverance that should be admired the most.

Despite being the most unheralded player in his 2001 recruiting class, Jared is the only member to finish his career at ISU. He had to endure a coaching change, a parade of different teammates, the infamous conference road losing streak, and even a shot to the head by Kansas’ Aaron Miles. But the big man had the last laugh. In his final five games as a Cyclone, Homan averaged 15.6 points and 13 boards. Not too shabby for a kid from small-town Iowa.

As the game Sunday became well in hand, No. 51 was still fighting for every loose ball, every rebound and representing Iowa State, as well as the state of Iowa, in the best possible light in front of a national audience.

“I’d love to keep playing basketball some way, somehow — but if not, I’ll get my degree and move on,” Jared said after the game.

There is no question Jared Homan’s basketball skills could allow him to be on an NBA roster next season. It is his desire and dedication that will be remembered by Cyclone fans.