Iowa State men’s basketball: Bryce Dejean-Jones gets fresh start with Cyclones
By Brian Spaen
New starts are what some players need to rejuvenate their basketball career and get a chance to play in the NBA. Fred Hoiberg has given that opportunity to many players during his tenure as the Iowa State head coach, and Bryce Dejean-Jones is fully aware of the opportunity that sits in front of them.
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Royce White, Korie Lucious, and DeAndre Kane are some of the players that finished their career in one season with the Cyclones. Dejean-Jones will be that next athlete after his tumultuous end at UNLV.
The boiling point came when Dejean-Jones shoved a former teammate, didn’t shake hands with the opponent, and left the Thomas & Mack Center 15 minutes after the 73-64 loss to San Diego State on March 6th. He was suspended for a game. He also yelled at teammates in the locker room after the team lost in the Mountain West tournament. They didn’t make the NCAA tournament.
11 days after the events against the Aztecs, Runnin’ Rebels head coach Dave Rice made it official that Dejean-Jones was not returning to the team, and that’s when the guard took advantage of the graduate transfer rule after completing his academics at UNLV.
Considering that UNLV is a title contender, it must have been a bad ending for Dejean-Jones to leave the school. But now, the guard who averaged 13.6 points per game last season will join another team that considers themselves national title contenders — Iowa State.
For whatever reason things didn’t work out in UNLV, don’t expect those issues to move over with Dejean-Jones. Fred Hoiberg’s ability to mesh so many new and different personalities together is a gift, and a personality makeover is exactly what�the senior guard needs to continue his basketball career at the next level.