It was time to clean house in more ways than one for Iowa State men’s basketball ahead of the 2021 season.

The first and biggest change came after Iowa State moved on from Steve Prohm in the offseason and chose T.J. Otzelberger to be the new man in charge leading the Cyclones in a new direction.

And with that, the Cyclones lost eight players off its 2020-21 roster in the aftermath, most to the transfer portal, while some left the team under unspecified circumstances. But either way, Iowa State will have to put a team on the court this year. 

So who are the names Cyclone fans should know?

Let’s go through the roster, specifically with the all-important backcourt.

Tyrese Hunter (Freshman)

6-foot, 178 pounds

Iowa State is not scared of handing control of its offense over to Tyrese Hunter, a true freshman point guard, this year.

After a lack of playmaking hurt the Cyclones last season, with the program’s worst assist to turnover ratio since the 2006-07 season at 0.8, Iowa State has nothing to lose and everything to gain by giving the reins to the 18-year-old Hunter.

Hunter has been described as dynamic in the open-court, wanting to push the pace and attack at the rim with violence. He averaged 18.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists as a senior at St Catherine’s in Racine, Wis.

Giving this much freedom to a true freshman reinforces Iowa State’s plans of building for the long haul while hoping that Hunter can develop in his first season by creating for teammates and becoming a piece of a future core.

“Certainly, there’s going to be learning, there’s going to be bumps along the road, there’s going to be mistakes and we’re gonna continue to encourage him to play through those with an unrelenting confidence,” Otzelberger said of Hunter at media day on Oct. 16.

Izaiah Brockington (Senior)

6-foot-4, 196 pounds

Brockington, a Penn State transfer, brings experience and proven production to the Cyclones in 2021.

In his 24 starts for the Nittany Lions last season, Brockington was second on the team in scoring at 12.6 ppg while averaging 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He shot 84 percent from the free throw line and reached double figures in 18 games. 

However, his ability to shoot the three has dropped since his freshman season. The Cyclones will need him to rediscover his freshman year 41.5 percent shooting, as opposed to his 27.9 percent last season.

Brockington’s proven ability to score against high-level competition and his versatility give him a good chance to crack the starting lineup for Iowa State.

Gabe Kalscheur (Senior)

6-foot-4, 198 pounds

Similar to Brockington, Gabe Kalscheur has veteran experience to spare with 88 starts in the Big 10 under his belt, but will need to find his shot again.

The senior transfer from Minnesota will likely start for the Cyclones as the two guard and is being trusted by Otzelberger to be a key defensive leader for the Cyclones in 2021.

But it’s going to be offense that will be the biggest question with Kalscheur. After shooting 41 percent from three his freshman year at Minnesota, he’s only dropped in production ever since. 

Here are Kalscheur’s shooting numbers in his three seasons as a Golden Gopher:

2018-19: 41.0 percent from the field, 41 percent from three

2019-20: 37.6 percent from the field, 34.1 percent from three

2020-21: 31.6 percent from the field, 24.5 percent from three

Otzelberger and the Cyclones will need Kalscheur to be closer to his freshman-year form to find a nice secondary scorer on offense this year.

Tre Jackson (Junior)

6-foot, 185 pounds

Tre Jackson has always been a reliable player for Iowa State in his two seasons, proving himself as a reliable defender and decent shooter.

He’ll be a bench option, but Otzelberger threw out Jackson’s name as a potential fit for backup point guard minutes behind Hunter. And while Jackson has played more off-ball as a Cyclone, Otzelberger told reporters at media day there could be chances for him to be a true ball-handler if needed.

Caleb Grill (Junior)

6-foot-3, 198 pounds

As one great rapper once said, ‘Guess who’s back, back again?’

Caleb Grill returns to Ames after playing under Otzleberger at UNLV last season, starting all 27 games for the Runnin’ Rebels. But Grill was originally a Cyclone, joining Jackson as a member of the 2019-20 recruiting class under Steve Prohm.

Grill averaged 9.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists out in Las Vegas and shot 34.2 percent from deep.

Like Jackson, he’ll likely come off the bench.

Jaden Walker (Sophomore)

6-foot-5, 200 pounds

Jaden Walker’s role is undetermined for this season, but he showed flashes of promise in a season with very little to get excited about for the Cyclones in 2020.

The Lawrenceville, Ga., native played in 22 games last year with up and down results.

Take the Feb. 2 game from last season against West Virginia as an example. Walker ended his night 3-5 from the field with six points, six assists and six rebounds. But he also had a team-high six turnovers.

As one of the few underclassmen on the roster, his development is one to watch this season.