In his first true recruiting class as a head coach, ISU head basketball coach Wayne Morgan has landed five players to help fill the voids left by forward Jackson Vroman and guards Marcus Jefferson and Jake Sullivan.

With ties to both the East and West Coasts, Morgan has taken his recruiting out of the Midwest to grab some of the nation’s top players. Originally from Brooklyn, N.Y., Morgan was an assistant at Syracuse from 1984-96 and still has strong ties to the area.

Big 12 Freshman of the Year Curtis Stinson hails from the Bronx, and recruit Rahshon Clark from Queens, N.Y., signed this year.

Clark, a 6-foot-6 forward, played prep basketball at Bridgton Academy in Maine and could immediately fill the shoes of departing Cyclones.

Another recruit, Tasheed Carr, is from Philadelphia and played prep basketball at Mt. Zion Christian Academy in Durham, N.C.

On Wednesday, Morgan released a statement about his recruits.

“Tasheed Carr is a highly skilled player who can play many positions, and Rahshon Clark is absolutely one of the very best athletes in the country at his position,” Morgan said.

Morgan also found a center in Bellaire, Ohio. Nicknamed “Baby Shaq,” Aaron Agnew has the potential to become a dominant big man. With Agnew at 6-foot-9 and weighing 330 pounds, Morgan has high expectations for the wrecking ball in the low post.

“There is no question that Aaron Agnew — with his size, power and strength — gives our program a different and unique dimension,” Morgan said.

With his experience as the head coach at Long Beach State, Morgan is also well aware of the talent-rich schools in the West.

Junior college transfer Anthony Davis, a 6-foot-5 swingman, was thought to have great skill coming out of high school but needed time to hone his game mentally.

“Anthony comes from one of the best junior college programs in the nation, and I have known him since his junior year in high school,” Morgan said. “He is an exceptional young man.

“Anthony is an extremely versatile player. He possesses all three skills you need at the wing — passing, shooting, ballhandling — and he has a high aptitude for the game.”

Possibly the wild card for the Cyclones is 6-foot-8, 225-pound Robert Faulkner from South Plains College in Levelland, Texas. He averaged 10.6 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game while only starting one game for the junior college in the 2002-03 season.

After a knee injury left him on the bench for the entire 2003-04 season, Faulkner redshirted and will have three years of eligibility at Iowa State.

“Robert Faulkner is a great addition to our team,” Morgan said. “There is no doubt he will give us depth in our frontcourt.”

Morgan’s recruiting class will add depth to a young team that will only have two seniors next year.

“At this point, my staff and I are extremely pleased with the young men we have had the opportunity to sign. It is a good strong class of kids that will help us at every position. They are kids that can play the style of basketball we envision, and they are exceptional athletes with great character.”

— ISU Media Relations contributed to this article.