Iowa State men’s basketball: UNLV transfer Bryce Dejean-Jones expected to meet with Cyclones

Iowa State men’s basketball is already on the prowl for transfers to come in to take the spots exiting seniors DeAndre Kane and Melvin Ejim, and they may have one on their sights from UNLV.

Jan 4, 2014; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UNLV Runnin

The Ames Tribune reported yesterday that UNLV guard Bryce Dejean-Jones is considering joining the Cyclones and will visiting Ames during VEISHEA weekend (oh boy…); Friday, April 11th through 13th. Travis Hines explains the impact the guard could make and who else will be looking at him.

"Dejean-Jones could fit that bill as a big guard and proven veteran scorer who is expected to be immediately eligible as a graduate transfer under NCAA rules.Like many high-level transfers these days, Dejean-Jones, a top 100 player coming out of high school, will be in high demand by major programs. Kentucky, a current Final Four participant, has reportedly already expressed interest."

Dejean-Jones is going to take advantage of the transfer rule, graduating from UNLV this summer and becoming immediately eligible next season with a final year of NCAA eligibility. It’s similar to what Kane did when he transferred from Marshall.

However, Dejean-Jones isn’t leaving without some controversy. His tenure didn’t end well with the Runnin’ Rebels, receiving a one-game suspension after violating team rules for the regular season finale. He reportedly shoved a player in the previous game, and he also was caught “yelling at teammates in the locker room” after the team lost in the Mountain West tournament.

It was a disappointing season for UNLV this season, who didn’t see postseason action with a 20-13 finish. Even without Dejean-Jones, the Runnin’ Rebels are still expected to rebound next year with their incoming class. Former Iowa State prospect Rashad Vaughn is fairly confident the team would be a national champion next season.

As far as Dejean-Jones’ potential antics, head coach Fred Hoiberg had to deal with players that had problems in the past, Royce White and Korie Lucious come to mind in a heartbeat, and they had zero problems during both their tenures with the Cyclones. There shouldn’t be a problem with Dejean-Jones.

The guard averaged 13.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and three assists per game in 27.4 minutes of play during the 2013-14 season. Dejean-Jones also shot 32.3 percent from 3-point range.

There’s still time to flip that commitment, Vaughn.