AMES – The frontcourt of the No. 5 Iowa State men’s basketball team looks a little different from last season. Three new faces are a part of the group in center Dishon Jackson, forward Joshua Jefferson and center Brandton Chatfield.
Jackson, a transfer from Charlotte, and Jefferson, who transferred from St. Mary’s, both started in the season opener against Mississippi Valley State and each scored nine and 10 points, respectively.
But, when they needed a breather, Chatfield was there to fill in. The 6-foot 10-inch transfer from Seattle had limited playing time in his Cyclone debut but made the most of it.
“He’s an everyday guy, he’s an extremely hard worker,” Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “We’ve got to get him more opportunities because his energy can be really impactful to our team.”
Chatfield scored four points, made both of his free throws and grabbed five rebounds all in 10 minutes of playtime.
“He’s got great energy,” Otzelberger said. “I mean, he had five offensive rebounds in 10 minutes. Offensively, he is really good on the o-boards. He’s really great at sealing, so our guards can get downhill.”
It’s not the type of stat line he was used to at Seattle, but it’s a start.
As a Redhawk, Chatfield averaged 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game, scored in double-figures 14 times, pulled down double-digit rebounds four times and tallied three double-doubles.
The first game of the season never truly tells the whole story. It only gives a taste of what can happen with players and teams. Monday was the first time the trio was in a real-time game situation with each other.
Combined, Jackson, Jefferson and Chatfield had 17 of Iowa State’s 38 rebounds and 23 points. All of that came on a total of 49 combined minutes of court time.
Physicality is something those three may need to rely on throughout the season. All three stand at 6 feet, 9 inches or taller and blocked 120 shots in the 2023-24 season. 93 of those blocked shots belonged to Chatfield.
“If you’re going to look at it relative to last year, there needs to be a tilt more towards the physical things,” Otzelberger said. “Physical around the rim, physical at the rim, preventing the ball coming into the paint, physical on the glass.”
Focusing on getting Chatfield in a position to make plays like that may be critical later in the season, especially when Jackson is subbed out of games. Especially since he embraces the physical side of the game.
He said it’s something he learned during his time at Washington State, where he played before he transferred to Seattle.
“I learned that if I wanted to be effective in college basketball, especially at the Division I level, I needed to be physical,” Chatfield said. “This is a more physical conference.”
Northern Iowa transfer Nate Heise agreed that the physical part of the game is something the coaching staff wants to see from everybody.
“Coach wants us to play physically, so if you don’t do it, you’re going to get in trouble,” Heise said. “Kind of all the motivation you need.”
Only time will tell how Chatfield progresses and finds his role among the Cyclones.
Up next for Iowa State is a home game against Kansas City at 7 p.m. Monday. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
