Former Cyclone guard makes Final Four
Freshman guard Clayton Custer runs the ball to the net during the game against Georgia State on Nov. 17 in Hilton Coliseum. The Cyclones defeated the Panthers 81-58.
March 24, 2018
Iowa State’s season ended before the NCAA Tournament, but one former Cyclone is heading to the Final Four.
Loyola qualified for its first Final Four since the 1963 season when it won the national championship. The leading scorer for the Ramblers this season is Clayton Custer, who played one season in Ames under coach Fred Hoiberg (2014-15) before transferring.
Before this year’s Cinderella run, the Ramblers hadn’t made the NCAA Tournament since 1985. They have been the lower-seeded team in each game, beating Miami, Tennessee and Nevada by a combined four points.
In the Elite Eight on Saturday, Loyola knocked off Kansas State by a final score of 78-62 to clinch a Final Four berth. Custer finished with seven points and five assists in the win.
Custer didn’t get much playing time as a Cyclone, playing in just 12 games over the course of the season. That year, Iowa State won its second consecutive Big 12 Tournament title before falling in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to UAB.
Custer sat out the 2015-16 after transferring to Loyola. He started all 32 games for Loyola last season before emerging as a leader this season.
Loyola will play the winner of Florida State and Michigan next weekend with a trip to the national championship game on the line.
