He’s a 19-year-old with defensive assignments on NBA prospects.

It’s been a rocky beginning to the Big 12 for Adam Haluska, at least on the defensive side of the ball.

But Haluska isn’t going to settle for average.

He never has.

As a three-time, all-state selection at Carroll High, the 6-foot-5 guard dropped just over 30 points and grabbed 9.9 rebounds per game his senior year. He finished his prep career a year ago with 2,209 points — the eighth best total in Iowa high school history.

And he said he would be a Cyclone before his sophomore year.

So far, Haluska has started every game at Iowa State, but the Big 12 competition has led to inconsistent play on the defensive end from the freshman.

“There have been times when I’ve played well and there have been times when I haven’t played well at all,” Haluska said.

With Haluska hounding him, Oklahoma’s Ebi Ere, who led the Sooners with 17 points per game at that time, was just 1-of-10 for five points.

“I really had a good game against Ere,” Haluska said. “I was really motivated going into it. I really did a lot of background checking on him and I knew what he could do and his tendencies.”

Oklahoma State’s leading scorer Tony Allen had to take 16 shots to get 15 points when he was in Haluska’s radar.

Even though he’s still wet behind the ears as far as Big 12 basketball is concerned, Haluska even held future NBA pick Rickey Paulding of Missouri in check to some extent when the Cyclones and Tigers hooked up last month. Paulding scored 15 points in the Missouri win.

But Kenny Taylor from Baylor went 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Last weekend, when Haluska guarded both Blair Wilson and Michel Morandais depending on the situation, the two combined to carry Colorado. Wilson was 4-of-6 with 14 points and Morandais went 4-of-8 for 18 points.

“I think the Baylor game was one of those games where I really struggled, but there are going to be times like that,” Haluska said. “There are some times when I’m standing straight up and not really working hard, but I’ve got to keep my active feet and keep low. I’ve always got to make sure I beat my guy to spots. There are some times where I just concede the ball to my guy and just let him take it. I can’t allow that. I’ve got to be the type of person that runs through plays and always denies my man the ball.”

The athletic guard said it has all been a tough transition, because his high school didn’t play Larry Eustachy-type defense — not even close.

“We played a lot of zone defense, so its been a real transition,” Haluska said. “In high school you get to sag off guys. You could let a guy go by you and block him on the way. It’s something about college that has been hard to adjust to.”

Haluska said he’d give himself a five on a scale of 1 to 10 on his defensive play so far. He said he’s got lots of room for improvement, but ISU assistant coach Steve Barnes, who has been in the business since 1978 and has seen his share of freshmen, said Haluska is ahead of schedule.

“He’s ahead when you think about who he is having to guard in these games,” Barnes said. “There was a stretch there with Ebi Ere, Rickey Paulding and [Brandon] Mouton, guys like that are upperclassmen and very, very good players. He’s nowhere near where he’s going to be, but at the same time he’s working hard at it every day and it’s very important to him that he gets better.”

It’s a daily improvement, Barnes said.

“Every practice, he makes strides,” Barnes said.

It’s all part of a plan, Haluska said.

“My goal, by the time I graduate, is to become the best defensive player in the league and it’s not going to come without work,” Haluska said.

Barnes said Haluska’s progress will eventually be shown on the grand stage.

“Then it’s just a matter of him getting more comfortable and getting used to doing it in games.”

Haluska will get that chance tonight when Texas Tech (13-6, 3-5 Big 12) invades Hilton Coliseum for a 7 p.m. matchup. Much like Iowa State, Bobby Knight’s troops are still searching for their first Big 12 road win.

Haluska will help guard Andre Emmett, who exploded for a career-high 34 points against the Tigers.

Talk about a challenge.

“I’ve just got to pressure the heck out of my guy,” Haluska said. “I can’t keep a gap in front of him. I’ve got to make sure I close that gap and really make him work.”