The worst month in the history of ISU athletics is over.

It’s hard to think that May could have gone worse. A coach was essentially forced out. A player toyed with the emotions of those in the Cyclone community by saying he would stick around, only to do a 180 degree turn eight days later. And two ISU legends — one young, one older but still too young — passed away. Finally, there was the incident with Jackson Vroman and “a green leafy substance.”

The pain of the last month will undoubtedly take time to heal, but it would be nice if something could help the process along.

Enter Kris Humphries.

If you haven’t heard of Humphries, let me introduce you. This 6-foot-9 forward signed with Duke last November after leading Hopkins High School in Minnesota to a state championship in his junior season. Recently, Humphries decided that Duke wasn’t the place for him and requested a release from his national letter of intent. He was granted the release on May 19, and now he’s a big man looking for a home.

He’s not just big. He’s got talent. Loads of it.

“Kris is a kid that you have once in a lifetime,” his coach, Ken Novak Jr., told The Associated Press after Humphries was named Minnesota’s AP player of the year for the second consecutive season in March. “He’s a kid that’s just improved at an amazing rate.”

Humphries was Minnesota’s Mr. Basketball and a McDonald’s All-American. ISU fans will remember the last McDonald’s All-American that played for the Cyclones went by the name of Fizer. Humphries also supposedly toyed with the idea of entering the NBA Draft straight out of high school.

The 230-pound star visited Indiana last week and was reportedly impressed with what he learned about Mike Davis’ program. The St. Paul Pioneer Press, among other sources, reported that Humphries was to visit Iowa State yesterday.

He’s got game, and the fact that Iowa State has a chance at landing him is something ISU fans should relish as an opportunity to get excited, especially after all that has transpired lately.

Besides the Hoosiers and Cyclones, Minnesota is also expected to make a pitch for Humphries, whose father once played football for the Gophers and is still a supporter of Minnesota athletics through the “M” club — their version of the Cyclone Club.

The Pioneer Press reported that Humphries won’t make an official recruiting visit to Minnesota because the Gophers have used up their allotment of visits. However, Minnesota is still considered a strong possibility for Humphries.

So how is Iowa State, after all the turmoil that has gone on the last few weeks, supposed to land a star basketball player who averaged 25.5 points per game as a senior at this point in time?

Here’s a few ideas to think about:

* Some reports have indicated that one reason Humphries left Duke was because he wanted to be closer to home. Iowa State qualifies in that respect.

* Current Cyclone Andrew Skoglund went to the same high school as Humphries and Jake Sullivan played on the opposite side of the Twin Cities at Oakdale.

* Both Sullivan and Skoglund played on the same AAU team — the Howard Pulley Panthers — as Humphries has the last four years.

* Humphries’ sister already competes in the Big 12 Conference at Texas where she is a swimmer.

Who knows what these links are good for, but I’m sure they don’t hurt Iowa State’s chances.

One thing is for sure — this is coach Wayne Morgan’s chance. He had an excellent first week and a half on the job before the Vroman incident and Haluska’s departure by convincing five incoming recruits to stick with the Cyclones. Turn Humphries into a Cyclone and Morgan will look like a god to those who follow the recruiting scene — and probably to everyone else once they see what Humphries can do.

That’s not to say picking up Humphries would be a cure-all. Three seniors-to-be are reported to be academically ineligible, and Vroman has been suspended indefinitely until the legal system addresses his issues.

But assuming that everyone is eligible and Vroman makes up for his offense so he can compete again, ISU fans may be saying ‘Haluska-who?’ by the time he steps on the court again a year from now.

Cyclone fans: Keep your fingers crossed.