The point guard position is possibly the most important position in basketball.

The point guard is seen as the general of a team. Having a point guard who can lead the team on the offensive end of the floor and spread the wealth, as well as creating shots for themselves, is not a recipe for success.

The Cyclones have four potential difference-makers at the point guard position on their 2018-19 roster, with three of them eligible to participate (Colorado State transfer Prentiss Nixon is sitting out this season and will be eligible next year).

Lindell Wigginton is the star, the potential NBA Draft pick with high-flying athleticism and a lot of hype. Tyrese Haliburton is the freshman, a promising young player who could see the court at times and has drawn the praise of coach Steve Prohm.

Then there’s redshirt senior Nick Weiler-Babb, who enters this season feeling better than he has in a long time. Injuries ended Weiler-Babb’s season in 2017-18, but the Cyclones’ starting point guard for the bulk of last season is back in action and feeling refreshed for his final collegiate season.

Part of the reason? He spent the summer at an internship in Topeka, Kansas.

“I was planning events,” Weiler-Babb said. “I was learning how to book companies and book stuff like that. It was a really good experience, and I met some really good people.”

Weiler-Babb, an event management major, knows professional basketball might not be in his long-term future, so he wants to make the most out of this year. He said one of the best parts of the summer was being able to take time to recover from his back and knee injuries.

“I took some time away, and when I was in Kansas I did a lot of rehab and strengthening,” Weiler-Babb said. “I came back feeling confident, feeling really good, and [I’m] just ready to get this season started.”

Part of which entails being a mentor for the younger players on the roster, Haliburton included.

Haliburton said he spends time in practice paying attention to how Weiler-Babb leads the offense.

“We spend a lot of time together, off the court and on the court,” Haliburton said of Weiler-Babb. “He’s helped show me the ropes.”

Weiler-Babb shifted over to the point guard position early on in the 2017-18 season and took to it like a fish to water, becoming an all-around contributor the Cyclones had been lacking in the early days of their first season without now-Nuggets guard Monte Morris.

Weiler-Babb averaged 6.8 assists per game and 7.0 rebounds per contest while scoring 11.3 points per game. His 6.8 assists per game ranked third-highest in school history.

This year, though, Prohm wants him to be more aggressive with his shot selection. Weiler-Babb is a career 32 percent 3-point shooter, but the Cyclones need shooting after falling flat last season from the 3-point line as a team.

“Nick’s a guy I’m always going to ask to shoot more,” Prohm said. “He’s a facilitator first. He’ll probably tell you that as well, but I’d love for him to be more aggressive.”

Weiler-Babb’s role this season could be fluid, depending on how the season goes and which young players develop at what pace. Weiler-Babb sees a lot of potential in the young players at the position.

Weiler-Babb sees it as part of his job to help the young players with the highs and lows of college basketball.

“You just have to teach them about keeping their head on straight,” Weiler-Babb said. “And when coach gets on them, you just have to kind of keep their head up and stay positive with those guys.

One of the players learning from Weiler-Babb at the point guard position is Colorado State transfer Prentiss Nixon.

Weiler-Babb went through some of the same experiences as Nixon, and Nixon said it’s important to have someone on the roster he can relate to.

“He’s been there, he’s done it,” Nixon said. “We’ve talked about it, things I need to do while I’m sitting out to get better and help these guys get better too.

“Any of the point guards, if we don’t know what we’re doing, we ask and he can help us out.”

Nick Weiler-Babb’s role on the Cyclones has increased in each of his last two seasons with the team. Despite all the newcomers the Cyclones have, Weiler-Babb is still a key cog in Steve Prohm’s machine.

And he wants them to bounce back from last year’s letdown.

“Personally, I just want to be a leader,” Weiler-Babb said. “I try to stay positive. I try to keep everyone involved. We didn’t have a great year last year, but you have to look forward to what’s coming up this year and what we can do as a new team.”