ISU coach Fred Hoiberg has garnered a reputation as a master basketball craftsman and has only enhanced that image with his newest project. 

The latest career remodel in the ISU basketball program belongs to senior Bryce Dejean-Jones. 

Questions arose immediately after the final horn sounded on the East Regional Semifinal last March about whether Iowa State could repeat the success of the 2013-14 season.

The answer came in the form of a 6’6″ transfer guard from UNLV. 

“The biggest thing with Bryce is just his overall game,” Hoiberg said. “All of his numbers are ahead of where they have been from where he previously played, and that is what you look for. You look for growth in the overall game, and Bryce has done that.”

Dejean-Jones’s improvements have exploded more than simply grown since his arrival in Ames, as he stepped into a primary role from day one. 

His point production has swelled from 13.6 per game last year to 17.1 through seven games this season, which currently ranks fourth among all Big 12 players.

More impressive than the 3.5 point increase, however, is how it has been achieved through efficiency. It is a process that mirrors closely the transformation of DeAndre Kane’sCQ game under Hoiberg’s guidance. 

From the time Kane stepped onto campus over a year ago to the time he left Ames, the stat which stood out most was the unlikely eight percent jump that occurred in his shooting percentage.

Dejean-Jones arrived at Iowa State shooting 42.7 percent from the floor. Early in the season he leads the Big 12 in shooting percentage by a large margin, improving his numbers by a staggering 14.1 percentage points to 56.8.

A primary reason for that drastic improvement is shot selection, specifically avoiding long two-point attempts.

Those jumpers are the least efficient shots in basketball because of the cost benefit ratio they present. They are as difficult to make as 3-pointers but earn the team one fewer point when they find the nylon.

Now Dejean-Jones looks to shoot from behind the arc, where his numbers have also made leaps and bounds from just over 32 percent last season to just under 42 percent in the 2014-15 campaign.

If the 3-point look is not available, he uses his superior athletic ability to literally leap and bound into the lane and attack the rim for an easy bucket or at least a vacation trip to the free-throw stripe.

“Upon coming here that was one of the main things [Hoiberg] stressed to me and just through practice getting reps it is starting to work out,” Dejean-Jones said. “It was not difficult. It was just mental and something I automatically do without even thinking about it.”

Dejean-Jones added that it was not always so simple, but through repetition he was able to stop thinking about the shots he was taking and incorporate his improved tendencies into the instinctual way he moves through a game. 

He also utilized the resources he had at has disposal, namely junior guard Naz Long, who is the resident ISU sharp-shooter. Dejean-Jones said the two have had a few shooting sessions together and that it has helped immensely.

“Bryce has got game, man. You don’t have to draw up a play for him, and he can get his own shot,” said sophomore guard Monte Morris. “He brings a lot of stuff we do not have.”

One specific aspect Dejean-Jones has brought is prominence on the glass, upping his rebounding numbers from 3.7 at UNLV to 6.9 at Iowa State, while also improving his overall defense. 

Dejean-Jones credited Hoiberg, his teammates and the style of basketball employed at Iowa State as all being part of the numbers surge he has experienced early in the season.

“There are a lot of skilled players on this team, so it just gives [us] the ability to stretch out the floor,” Dejean-Jones said. “We have a lot of different options and everybody can make a play.”