What a difference a year makes.

The ISU men’s basketball team has seen a complete transformation over the last twelve months, hitting peaks and valleys as often as a roller coaster at an amusement park.

After a season which saw ISU predicted as the cellar dwellers of the now-defunct Big Eight Conference, the Cyclones took the tournament title home and have brought lofty expectations for the 1996-97 team.

“It’s hard to say what the future will be like,” ISU Head Coach Tim Floyd said about the upcoming season. “I do know that teams will not take us lightly this time.”

Nor do the pollsters, who have lofted the Cyclones up among the ranks of the Jayhawks from Kansas in a battle for the Big 12 title.

“The media made us out to be the worst team last year, and now you’ve made us second,” said center Kelvin Cato. “In our minds, we’re first, and we think we should win.”

Will inflated egos come with the lofty predictions?

“We’re even hungrier than we were last year,” said shooting guard Dedric Willoughby. “We were quite disappointed with our loss to Utah in the NCAA tournament.”

During the early part of the season, the starting lineup will be a rapid departure from the five men that took the floor for the NCAA tournament last spring. Four of last year’s five starters will miss at least one game this season.

“I expected problems. If I said I didn’t expect problems, I would be crazy,” Floyd said. “I knew there would be a couple of individuals who would have trouble handling the success.”

It’s been a rough semester for forward Kenny Pratt, who first was declared academically ineligible and recently turned himself in to the Ames police for a disorderly conduct warrant.

“When I was informed about this incident, I was very disappointed,” Floyd said. “I will allow the legal process to run its course in this matter,” Floyd said after learning about Pratt’s troubles.

Willoughby and Cato will also serve suspensions at the beginning of the season.

“I expected to handle these problems early, so we wouldn’t have to worry about them in January,” Floyd said. “We did address these things.”

The players are not turning their backs on Pratt after these new developments. “When I missed games last year, my teammates never singled me out,” Cato said. “Kenny Pratt is still part of this team. And unless he does not become eligible, he will be a part of this team this year.”

Others are confident Pratt will get things straightened out and make a contribution to the team. “Kenny will be here,” Willoughby said. “If I know Kenny — and I really do — he will be here.”

“Pratt’s absence will leave a void in the rebounding department,” Cato said. “But we’ve got players to fill in.”

ISU does have added depth this season, and these new members should make significant contributions. “The depth of this team counteracts some of the worry,” Floyd said.

Floyd said the new players on the team are not simply stand-ins. “We’re not using incoming players as reinforcements,” he said. “I hope to see improvements in the team with the new players.”

One newcomer in particular that is catching the eye of his teammates is freshman Stevie Johnson, a 6-foot-5-inch forward from Beaumont, Miss. “Stevie is going to surprise some people,” Willoughby said. “He’s a workaholic, the type of player you can work with.”

“Stevie’s the real deal, although he doesn’t talk much,” Cato said. “I’m surprised he’s talking to you guys today.”

A familiar face will return in the driver’s seat, however. Jacy Holloway will be back to run the offense for the Cyclones. The senior guard said that he will be less shy with the trigger this season. “It’s my last year, and Coach has given me the green light to shoot the perimeter shot and to create a little more on my own,” Holloway said.

A repeat run at a conference crown will be a bit different with the four new Texas teams that have merged with the classic Big Eight teams to form the new Big 12 Conference.

“I haven’t had a chance to look at very much game film,” Floyd said. “I did see Texas Tech defeat Oklahoma at OU, and Texas had a great NCAA tournament last season. Those two teams will bring excitement to the conference.”

Baylor boasts Brian Skinner, who stands at 6 feet 11 inches, and has been rated as high as the seventh-best NBA prospect in college basketball.

“I hope to meet expectations,” Floyd said. “I hope we go injury-free, I hope we don’t run into foul trouble.”

Willoughby is confident in his teammates that they will put it together again this season. “This group has stuck together,” Willoughby said. “We’ll overcome.”