The Iowa State men’s basketball held media day Wednesday, Oct. 1 with story lines ranging from Georges Niang’s offseason body transformation to the team’s playing style. Here are a few things to take away from the day:

More depth than ever

Coming off the heels of one of the best seasons in school history, ISU coach Fred Hoiberg said the team talks of Big 12 and national championships every single day. But without Melvin Ejim and Deandre Kane, the team loses two vocal and physical leaders that led the team to its Sweet Sixteen run last season.

However, the Cyclones bring back seven players with game experience and expect freshmen Clayton Custer and Georgios Tsalmpouris to contribute when it comes to points this season. Transfer Bryce Dejean-Jones is expected to step into a leadership role. Transfers Jameel McKay and Abdel Nader will also be key parts of the team as the season progresses.

With 12 players fully capable of seeing playing time, Hoiberg said there are a lot of options out on the court.

“We’re excited to have that depth,” Hoiberg said. “It’s probably going to cut some minutes down which I think will allow us to play a little faster than we did a year ago.”

For a team that ran one of the quickest offenses in the nation last year, it’s hard to imagine it getting faster. Running with only about eight players last season, the Cyclones have more options than ever for the 2014-15 season.

However, the team will likely look different at the end of the season than it does now. Hoiberg confirmed that sophomore Matt Thomas and redshirt junior Abdel Nader will sit out the exhibition game and first two regular-season games after being arrested for DUIs last spring. Much anticipated transfer Jameel McKay will also sit out until December 20 as he waits to become eligible to play after transferring.

Players like Tsalmpouris and Custer will likely see more playing time to start the season and showcase their talents for the first time in a Cyclone uniform.

Niang, Hogue and Tsalmpouris get in shape

Georges Niang’s offseason body transformation made headlines, and for a good reason. The forward looks like a different person and after losing what Hoiberg called “baby fat” and adding muscle, Niang is 15 pounds lighter than his weight when he walked onto campus and is listed as 6-foot 8-inches tall — an inch taller than last season. While he likely didn’t grow an inch over the offseason, his transformation is sure to make him a more athletic player out on the court.

“That is a prime example right there of putting the work in and not just talking-the-talk,” said teammate and roommate, Naz Long. “Georges has changed his body— he has abs now. It’s crazy to see but it’s real.”

But Niang wasn’t the only player making changes to his body in the offseason. Dustin Hogue and 7-foot 1-inch freshman Georgios Tsalmpouris each had a bit of a transition themselves.

Hoiberg said Tsalmpouris, originally from Greece, is adapting to American food and putting on weight.

“He’s already put on almost 20 pounds since he’s been on campus,” Hoiberg said. “I asked him what he had for dinner last night and he had three bacon cheeseburgers.”

Hoiberg expects Tsalmpouris to play some significant minutes, saying he can shoot from the 3-point line as well as down low.

However, Hoiberg was most impressed with Dustin Hogue’s offseason as he put on five pounds of muscle.

“I would put Dustin’s offseason maybe at the top of anybody [on the team],” Hoiberg said. “His body is, I think, in the best shape of his life. He came in last year probably not in the best shape, and I think he would be the first one to tell you that.”