The ISU men’s basketball season ended early last week in Kansas City, Mo. This was just one of those years that every team goes through, no matter what sport. Not every team can be good every year or things just wouldn’t work out.

This season was definitely a roller coaster for Iowa State, with more down-hill slopes than up. But basketball is a game that is meant to be fun, and head coach Larry Eustachy and his team are well aware of that fact, which is why they will keep coming back for more.

Since the season has ended, it’s time to give out some awards recognizing some of the best and worst points of 2001-02.

Most Valuable Player

This one is quite obvious. The afro-sporting forward Tyray Pearson was definitely the most valuable Cyclone of the season. Pearson came into the season after playing an important bench role on last year’s Big 12 Conference Champion team.

Pearson led Iowa State in both scoring (18.7) and rebounding (7.8), showing his talents time and again against taller and stronger players. Pearson was effective in the post because with his back to the basket, he could turn either shoulder and make something happen.

Eustachy said it best when he noted that Pearson’s career at Iowa State is ending too soon. ISU fans and critics alike are wishing the best for Pearson, who has shown such talent and positive attitude.

Most Improved Player

This one could easily go to Pearson because of his improvement in numbers from last season, but the person whose game expanded the most is Jake Sullivan.

As a freshman on last year’s team, Sullivan was more of a catch-and-shoot type of player, as it fit well with the offense. This year Sullivan was asked to take the point guard position for much of the season, an unnatural spot for him.

Sullivan’s game still revolved around his excellent three-point shooting, but his ability to put the ball on the floor and take it to the hoop enabled him to make some shorter jump shots or get to the free throw line, where he shot 90 percent (117 of 130) on the season.

Sullivan’s leadership played a large role as younger and less-experienced players like Ricky Morgan, Jared Homan and Marcus Jefferson looked to him for guidance both on and off the floor.

Most Consistent Player

Shane Power didn’t always nail the big three like Sullivan or split a double team for the hoop and foul like Pearson, but his consistency in both offense and defense helped the Cyclones immensely.

Power quietly put up 13.6 points a game, and they were important points that came when the defense least expected it. Power came up big in huge games against Missouri at Hilton Coliseum and against Kansas when the Cyclones almost pulled off the upset.

He too, was put into a leadership role with Sullivan and had a solid hand in the improvement and toughness of players like Homan and Morgan.

Best Newcomer

Freshman Jared Homan improved every time he set foot on the basketball floor and impacted the team enough to become the best newcomer of the season.

Homan’s scoring came around toward the end of the season, as did his confidence. But on the defensive end, Homan established himself as a legitimate shot blocker and a solid defender.

He garnered his own “Homan” chant from the Hilton Coliseum crowd, and he even earned himself an ejection after leaving the bench to protect Eustachy.

Best Game

This is a tough one because there were a lot of great games. Just because it was a victory, the Missouri game in Hilton on Jan. 9 was the best.

No one quite knew where either team would stand at the end of the season, but after the domination by Missouri over Iowa State in Kansas City, it is now nice to know the Cyclones did beat up on the Tigers at one point in the season.

The 71-67 victory saw Pearson put up 28 points and Sullivan add 20. Power scored 15 and had one of the best plays of the game.

In a one-on-one situation with NBA prospect Kareem Rush, Power put the ball on the floor and drove right past Rush for the easy score.

Worst Game

As many fans will agree, this is also a tough category to choose from. You can say the loss to San Jose State that ended the 39-game home winning streak was the worst. Or when a sure win over Texas A&M ended up being a loss at home.

But when the Iowa Hawkeyes came to town and left with a 78-53 victory, that was the worst.

The Dec. 12 game is one that many feel would have had a much different outcome had it been played on Feb. 12.

The highlight of this game also belongs to Power. When he poked his head into Iowa’s mid-court huddle with a little smirk on his face between plays, he was pushed away by fellow Indiana native Luke Recker.

Best Eustachy Quote

Here is a man that will forever give out one-liners at press conferences – one-liners that are not only brutally honest but damn funny.

There are plenty of quotes to choose from, as many know, but perhaps the best roll he went on was after Iowa State beat Colorado in Hilton on Feb. 13.

Eustachy was talking about Homan getting ejected after he left the bench in an altercation.

“I’m just glad I have Homan as my bodyguard,” Eustachy joked. “If I ever make it real big and get to drive a limo everyday, he’ll be driving it. I thought he came off the bench like somebody was stealing his cow or something.”

Next Year?

Call this a transition year, call it a rebuilding year; whatever it was, it was fun. Next year Iowa State is sure to be better, perhaps back in the NCAA or maybe with an NIT bid.

It can’t be a bad thing to have players like Sullivan and Power returning. Look for Omar Bynum to come up big in his senior season. His explosiveness around the basket made him one of Iowa State’s key scorers and rebounders near the end of the season.

With a handful of solid new players expected to be on the way in, Eustachy will put together a team that will sit among the top five or six teams in the Big 12 Conference.

Kyle Moss is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Urbandale.