With an influx of players from the transfer portal, along with newly integrated high school talent, the makeup of the 2022 Iowa State basketball team will be much different than last season. One piece of continuity will be Robert Jones, the forward that slowly but surely worked to become an integral part of the team.

“Instant Impact,” was the nickname awarded to Jones by his teammates last season. When he would step on the court, his energy and hustle made an immediate difference in the game. As summer practices roll on, Jones has been bringing a similar type of energy.

“I’ve continued to gain confidence in [Jones] and what he’s able to do. He’s also focused on his strengths and being a guy that plays really hard, and physical and competitively,” Head Coach T.J. Otzelberger said.

After two seasons with Denver, Jones was among the first group of players brought in to help revitalize a struggling Iowa State basketball program. In the first couple conference games, Jones saw less than 10 minutes on the court. As the season progressed, so did his time on the floor and the impact he provided.

“He’s the guy that’s oftentimes our hardest worker in practice. He’s the guy that wins consistently. He’s the guy that, in the weight room, we can count on him so I’m excited to continue to see the progress that he makes and the steps he takes forward because my confidence in him continues to grow,” Otzelberger said.

Growth has been one of the defining characteristics of Jones while at Iowa State. He saw consistent improvement game after game, and his teammates fed off the energy.

All of his improvement culminated into a white hot finish to the season. Down 29-4 at Baylor in the final regular season game, Jones had one of his most impactful performances at Iowa State. He delivered a handful of buckets to help the Cyclones get back in the game, and never let off the gas pedal, scoring 12 points and pulling down six rebounds.

He went on to start in all three NCAA tournament games where he scored a combined eight points. Looking towards next season, Jones has worked to keep the momentum rolling.

“It’s a glimpse of like, how well I can play in the Big 12,” Jones said. “It’s nice to see how far I came from the beginning of the season to where I was at when I finished the season, and I think moving forward it’s going to be nice to have that sort of awareness of how well I can play going forward.” 

Last season Jones averaged 2.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and shot 50 percent from the field. The front court has become an area of competition for Iowa State with the addition of Osun Osunniyi from St. Bonaventure along with 2021 transfer Tre King and key contributor Aljaz Kunc.

Next season, Jones will need to fight for every minute of playing time. One area he’ll have an advantage is the experience that he brings after a year with Otzelberger’s defense-oriented system.

“Being here for a year really helps me understand the defensive principles that have already been put in place by [Otzelberger] last year, and going forward, using those principles to help mentor the young guys and make the team more cohesive,” Jones said.

Prior to their arrival, Jones has already been able to develop relationships with the incoming freshmen. He already played with Tamin Lipsey and Eli King on the AAU basketball program D1 Minnesota, and he was familiar with Demarion Watson through his brother’s AAU team.

With a year under his belt, Jones can help the young guys understand the expectations and necessary habits when playing under Otzelberger.

“We’re really big on habits here, so we’d like to develop habits and continue to work through those every single day,” Jones said.