KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Solomon Young is hardly fazed. 

Even on the national stage Friday night, when Iowa State (22-10, 12-6 Big 12) stomped TCU (19-15, 6-12) 84-63 in the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship at the Sprint Center, Young was relaxed.

It showed in his play. 

Young, the team’s emerging forward, neared a double-double, collecting nine points, nine rebounds and four blocks in his 30 minutes on the court. He had three of those blocks in the first five minutes of the game. His presence in the paint, especially against TCU big man Vlad Brodziansky, was crucial in the Cyclones’ big win.  

And he’s only a freshman. 

“The person to really have that big of an impact on this team as a freshman,” guard Naz Mitrou-Long said, “It’s Monte [Morris] and Matt Thomas had his ups and downs. And then it was Georges [Niang]. So you can look at Matt, Monte and Matt and put Solomon in that category. Those are Iowa State greats. So I think that answers it right there.”

In the Big 12 quarterfinal matchup against Oklahoma State on Thursday night, Young was less effecting, scoring three points and grabbing three rebounds. But his defense was still stellar.

Iowa State coach Steve Prohm correlated Young’s play with the team’s hot streak in the last few weeks. The Cyclones have won eight of their last 10 games and are now entering their third Big 12 Championship in the last four years. 

Since Young entered the lineup against Oklahoma on Feb. 11, the team has seen a boost in the paint, which as helped the rest of the lineup get into a groove. 

“He’s just a great player,” guard Matt Thomas said. “A great competitor. I think he’s going to be a great four-year player here and he’s going to keep coming out and learning everyday. We’re just going to use what we can from him.”

A lot of his strong play has to do with his lax nature on and off the court. During postgame interviews, he gets right to the point. His voice is usually drowned out by Mitrou-Long or Morris, two of the big talkers on the team. 

Mitrou-Long even said that Young may be “too unfazed.” 

“I’m a chill dude on and off the court,” Young said. “I try to keep my head. That’s just my personality.” 

Young’s stats this season don’t pop out — they are affected by his limited minutes early in the season — but that doesn’t matter too much to Prohm and his staff. It’s about what he does and defense and around the glass that makes him effective. 

And after all is said and done this season, Young may emerge as one of the best returning forwards in the Big 12 next season. He’ll almost certainly be a key piece in a team that is expected to regress and rebuild. 

But it’s not like he’d care too much anyway. 

“He don’t know [about the national spotlight],” Prohm joked. “He don’t even know that Sacramento [Young’s hometown] has a regional [in the NCAA Tournament].”