His teammates were on their way to beating the No. 1 team in the country.

Naz Mitrou-Long was watching from the bench.

He watched just like he has for the past 10 games since his season was shut down because his hips weren’t recovering as quickly as the team had hoped after off-season surgery. 

His body has been shut down. His basketball mind and passion for his team, though, is still going strong.

Against Oklahoma, Mitrou-Long took control of the huddles during timeouts and talked to the guys while the coaching staff was in a huddle of its own. Mitrou-Long gave praise, direction, advice and kept spirits high.

The coaches broke their huddle and joined the team’s huddle. Mitrou-Long stepped aside and let ISU coach Steve Prohm take over the talk. 

Mitrou-Long once again chimed in as the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the timeout. But he still doled out last-minute advice and positive vibes before taking his seat on the bench.

“I’m just always trying to keep guys’ heads up, reiterate what coach has been preaching all year,” Mitrou-Long said. “One thing that I feel has been working a lot with the guys is poise. Just reminding them that we’ve been in hostile environments our whole careers, so it’s no different when we’re in a hostile environment now.”

That poise was on display against Oklahoma, when Iowa State’s starters, who all played at least 34 minutes, were able to push fatigue to the side and withstand a second-half 3-point barrage from No. 1 Oklahoma. The Sooners hit 10 of their 17 3-pointers in the second half. 

It would be easy for a player to get discouraged after his season came to an early end, but Mitrou-Long has been energetic and positive ever since announcing he was done playing for the season and essentially shifting to a player-coach role.

Being down and dejected wasn’t even an option.

“Put the family before the individual,” Mitrou-Long said. “If I were to sit on the bench and be sulky and kind of upset that I’m not out there, that would be selfish. I understood the decision that coach and I and the staff made. I understand my [new] role.”

Despite his upbeat attitude, adjusting to his new role has been anything but easy for someone as competitive as Mitrou-Long, who said sitting out has been one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do.

“There is no real way to explain how it feels and how bad I just want to be out there and help my team win,” Mitrou-Long said.

He might not be on the court, but Mitrou-Long is certainly still helping his team win. His new role as part cheerleader, part coach has made an impact on his teammates, who say it’s one thing to hear something coming from a coach, but it’s different when it comes from a teammate.

There is a different relationship dynamic that allows Mitrou-Long the ability to be effective as a player-coach and a key addition to the staff.

“He has so much experience,” said Monté Morris, who called Mitrou-Long a father figure. “He’s got game-winners, big games that he’s played tremendous in. So with him having that knowledge … everybody listens to him.”

Mitrou-Long has employed a coaching strategy that uses positivity because that’s what he always liked hearing from his coaches.

“It’s good to hear positive things from teammates and other people because that’s not something you hear when you’re down,” he said.

During the course of a game, where coaches have so much going on, Mitrou-Long is always cognizant of his teammates and trying to build them up.

While coaches have to deal with big picture things, Mitrou-Long can tailor his approach to the individual and keep spirits high when guys might be struggling.

“It’s big because he has relationships with all of us that are deeper than basketball, so it is real big when Naz can come over to you and give you a hand or just tell you to stay calm,” said Jameel McKay. “That’s always big for us.”

McKay wishes Mitrou-Long could be on the court, but said he has handled the entire process in stride.

“He’s just being a leader,” McKay said. “He’s just being the person he is off the court and still helping us out. Naz is big time in his leadership. He’s always pushing us to be better and telling us what he sees and we all take his word strongly because he means so much to us.”

One mantra that Mitrou-Long has taken to heart is “know your role and play it well.” His body wouldn’t allow for his on-court role this season, so he’s created a new one and worked hard to play that role to perfection.

He thinks about being out on the court with the guys “literally every day” and that’s certainly been hard on him, but he also said he enjoys his new role.

“It’s stressful,” Mitrou-Long said. “I completely understand the coaches’ perspective now … but I like it. I do. Guys come to me and ask me about specific plays, their positioning, how they should guard a person, how they look out there. I love doing that. I just love being able to help my team in any way I can, so it does feel good.”

Mitrou-Long, a senior, hopes to secure a medical waiver from the NCAA that would allow him to come back and suit up next season, but it might not be long until Mitrou-Long is coaching again.

“Hopefully,” he said, when asked if he wants to coach in the future. “I love this game.”

Even with all the stress?

“Even with the stress,” he said. “I love this game. I put this game before a lot of things in my life and I definitely want to be a part of it for as long as I can.”