While ISU head men’s basketball coach Wayne Morgan determines how t0 handle the rash of arrests on his team in recent months, the university and athletic department are taking a step to try to prevent further alcohol and drug abuses.

Athletics director Bruce Van De Velde said Wednesday that an expert would be brought to Iowa State to help athletes deal with those problems. The expert would supplement a session all ISU athletes already attend discussing the topic.

“Basketball is where we’ve had the most problems,” he said.

“But this will be available to all student-athletes.”

Since Morgan began his tenure as ISU coach May 14, senior starting forward Jackson Vroman has been charged with possession of marijuana in Spirit Lake, and senior starting guard Tim Barnes has been arrested for drunken driving and possession of a substance believed to be marijuana.

Also, starting junior center Jared Homan was charged with public intoxication in March and Clint Varley, who has exhausted his eligibility, was arrested for drunken driving in February.

Full disciplinary procedures for Vroman and Barnes have not yet been announced. Both have been suspended indefinitely from the basketball team.

“We want it to be clear that we recognize we have a problem and we will meet this problem head-on,” Van De Velde said.

Vroman and Barnes were the second- and third-leading scorers on the 2002—2003 ISU squad, averaging 12.5 and 11.3 points per game, respectively.

Vroman also led the Cyclones in rebounding, averaging 9.4 per game, while Barnes led Iowa State in assists by averaging 5.0 per game. It was the first season at Iowa State for both after transferring from junior college.

— The Associated Press contributed to this article.