Cyclone Fever !

Does it get any better than this?

"Oh baby, put this one in the bank"

    Who can forget the acrobatic (did he really make that?) shots by Kenny "the ultimate garbage man" Pratt? Can you still feel the foundation rattling dunks by Kelvin Cato? The stifling "in your face" defense by Shawn Bankhead. Jacy Holloway's maturation and near flawless handling of the offense and of course, the clutch play of unanimous all Big 8 selection and tournament MVP Dedric "Money in the Bank" Willoughby. True the dance continues with the early departure of the Cyclones from their date with destiny. Despite the end of the ride, and oh what a ride baby, the Cyclones can be proud of their performance.

    We (the Iowa State faithful) all enjoyed a great season of Cyclone basketball with a final Big 8 Tournament Championship Trophy and journey to the second round of the big dance. A sign I saw at Hilton Coliseum during the regular season finale said it all: "FLOYD" (Finish Last, Only in Your Dreams). They were not supposed to finish above last place, let alone win it all at Kemper Arena. This was a season we will remember well into the next millennium. A season of victories that could never be, shots that could never fall, defense that never relented, and a group of guys that inspired faith in teamwork.

    Like many fans, I had no idea what to expect at the beginning of the season. All of the writers picked Iowa State to finish last in the Big 8. This would be Tim Floyd's first Cyclone team. Floyd had inherited Johnny Orr's team during his first season. Could Floyd ( could anyone?) win any games after losing 95% of his offense? Where would the points come from? Would this team, could this team gel in time to win "a few" Big 8 games?

    How could we know that Floyd had recruited winners from all over the country who would become the most exciting team in Iowa State History? Any arguments? This team set an Iowa State single season record with 24 victories and became the only Cyclone team to ever win the Big 8 Tournament. Incredible defensive play and a proclivity to reach the charity stripe turned this bunch of no-names into a great TEAM. That's correct, I said team. Unselfish play and a lack of egos also contributed to our bout with Cyclone Fever.

    An early season 5-0 start set up what looked to be a great game with the Hawkeyes traveling to Ames. Despite horrible shooting in the paint, the Cyclones stayed in the game during the first half. Iowa built a large lead in the second half. Then suddenly with around three minutes left in the game and the Cyclones trailing by 11 points, I saw one of the most exciting minutes of college basketball I have ever witnessed. ISU scored 10 unanswered points in less than sixty seconds to close the gap to one point. The Hawkeyes managed to escape from Hilton with a six point victory, but this game gave us a glimpse of what was to come and proved the 'clones could play with ranked teams.

    A double overtime victory over Wyoming at Laramie was the stepping out party for Cato. The addition of Cato improved the team's ability to rebound and as the season progressed, he also contributed points in the paint. A solid frosh campaign from Klay Edwards has me waiting anxiously for his sophomore season. Klay never let us down on defense. Not to mention his occasional baseline baskets which always seemed to come at crucial times.

    The Cyclones opened the Big 8 season with a sorry looking loss at Kansas State. A tough loss in the final minute at Marquette followed. Iowa State then won five conference games in a row. The rest of the season was up and down until the tournament began.

    Iowa State entered Kansas City as the number two seed at Kemper. Floyd's defensive squad defeated Danny Nee's Cornhuskers for the third time this season to open the tourney. Missouri was the next three time victim to the consensus pre-season last place team. The mighty Kansas Jayhawks were all that remained between ISU and a date with destiny.

    The championship game was a tough defensive battle from start to finish. Late in the game with under one minute left, Kenny Pratt tried to work his magic in the paint. Three Jayhawks surrounded him. Pratt looked back and found Jacy Holloway at the top of the key. Jacy buried his only bucket of the game for an Iowa State lead. Kansas came back down the floor and regained the lead with 7.5 seconds left. Jacques Vaughn fouled Willoughby on the in-bounds pass. Dedric buried both shots at the charity stripe. Willoughby's free throws sealed the Iowa state victory. Vaughn missed an off balance shot and ISU won its only Big 8 Tournament. The Cyclones were off the "schnide", leaving Colorado as the only school to never win the Big 8 tourney.

    Iowa State played its best half of basketball against the California Golden Bears when the defense shut down Cal's highly regarded freshman and the team scored several times on the fast break. The victory moved the Cyclones into a second round showdown with Utah. Keith Van Horn was not supposed to play, but you had a feeling....... Van horn, ill with the flu, was not a significant factor in this game. As usual, Iowa State shut down an opponent's star player. But ISU and the sweet sixteen were not going to meet this year.

    You just had to have a feeling that our dance card was not going to include Kentucky after Willoughby lost the ball on an uncontested lay-up, then Cato missed a dunk, and Holloway missed two shots at the foul line. It just seemed as though the game might slip away. Floyd's club fought a tough game and looked as though they would pull it out until Cato blocked a shot with about forty seconds left to play. Sadly the ball landed back in Utah's hands. The Utes buried a trey and sealed the victory.

I want to personally thank the club for a truly exciting season. No one can take anything away from your great TEAM effort. We all await what should be an interesting season next winter! Just remember this Cyclones:
 

We Love You Man!

All Photographs by Mike King. Courtesy: The Iowa State Daily

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