Iowa State men’s basketball: Darien Williams will transfer to the Cyclones

The excitement keeps coming in for Iowa State men’s basketball. In the same weekend head coach Fred Hoiberg gets a raise, the Cyclones receive commitments from both incoming transfers Bryce Dejean-Jones and Iowa Western’s Darien Williams.

Mar 23, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Melvin Ejim (3) dribbles as North Carolina Tar Heels forward James Michael McAdoo (43) defends in the third round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Travis Hines tweeted that Williams told the Ames Tribune that he’s all in with Iowa State shortly after Dejean-Jones officially announced he would become a Cyclones.

The 6-foot-9 forward will be coming in for the 2015-16 season. Williams will miss next season with shoulder surgery, but he will have three years of eligibility when he begins playing for Iowa State.

Hoiberg called up Williams to give him an offer back on February 19th. When Hines caught up with Williams on the same day, the prospect compared himself to Melvin Ejim.

"Williams, who said he sees himself as a Melvin Ejim-type player, that he has no timeline for a decision and “Whenever I feel like it’s the right fit for me then I’ll decide.”Right now, Williams sees a potential spot at Hilton Coliseum.“I think I’ll be a real good fit,” he said, “and they’ve told me that.”"

Indeed he will fit well with the team. In 27 games at Iowa Western, Williams averages 16.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, along with firing a 41.1 percent clip from the perimeter. Williams hit 37-of-90 3-point attempts.

Williams passes up on teams like Nebraska, Kansas, Oregon, Illinois, Creighton, and Marquette.

In a season where Iowa State lost both DeAndre Kane and Ejim, perhaps they got them back in the forms of Dejean-Jones and Williams. The future looks incredibly bright for the Cyclones.

Perhaps athletic director Jamie Pollard will have to look into another raise for Fred Hoiberg.