A day after Iowa State announced the hiring of Kyle Green as an assistant coach, Iowa State has hired another assistant coach, this time in former Colorado State assistant JR Blount.

“I’m so excited to join T.J. [Otzelberger] and the entire staff,” Blount said in Tuesday’s press release. “T.J. has been a mentor of mine since I was in high school in Milwaukee. My family and I are grateful for this amazing opportunity to join Cyclone Nation and bring the magic back to Hilton Coliseum and this prestigious program.”

Blount comes to Iowa State after serving as an assistant coach at Colorado State. 

“JR is one of the bright young minds in all of college basketball,” Iowa State Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger said in the press release. “A very gifted coach in guard development, he also impacts young men in a positive way off the court. JR is well respected across the country as a recruiter, building genuine and long-lasting relationships. He has had success at each of his stops, and I know he’ll be a valuable member of our program.”

Colorado State had a 61-40 record in the last three years with Blount as an assistant coach. In the last two seasons, Colorado State had a 40-20 record combined and made the 2021 NIT.

Prior to the start of the 2020-21 season, Blount was rated as the fifth-best assistant coach in the Mountain West Conference by Stadium.

Blount has connections to the Midwest because he’s from Milwaukee, he played basketball at Loyola Chicago from 2005-2009 and he began his coaching career in the Midwest.

“We are excited to be back in the Midwest and come back home to an opportunity that was too good to overlook,” Blount said. “With the guidance of T.J. and the rest of the staff, I look forward to getting back to the winning ways at ISU and promoting the development of great young men both on and off the court.”

Blount began his coaching career at Wisconsin-Stevens Point as an assistant coach in 2009 and led the program to a national title in 2010. 

He then served as an assistant coach and associate head coach at Saint Leo University (2011-14) for three seasons before joining the Drake Bulldogs coaching staff (2014-18), where he served as the director of operations and an assistant coach for four seasons.