Iowa State cyclones guard Nojus Indrusaitis (15) Hans on the basket after a dunk around Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils’ guard Kendal Parker (12) during first half in the NCAA men’s basketball home opening at Hilton Coliseum on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

No. 5 Iowa State opened the 2024-25 basketball season with an 83-44 win over Mississippi Valley State. Here’s what coach T.J. Otzelberger had to say.

On his biggest takeaways from the game

“We got the win. A lot of things to work on. Offensively, we’ve practiced great with some rhythm and some flow, and felt like tonight, the ball didn’t move as well as it needed to. It just kind of got stuck at times. So I think offensively, we’ve got to be more intentional about moving it. And, yeah, some of the things defensively, just again – first game, got the win.”

On Iowa State’s starting lineup

“That group’s had great synergy together. (Curtis Jones), probably since midway through last season, offensively has been really good. It’s had a good synergy.

Milan has been great great to practice as we brought him in as a cell with that group. So it’s what we’re going with right now. Certainly we have at least six guys, if not more, that we could easily start. And that could change at any point. But right now, that’s the lineup we feel like giving us the best energy to start the game.

On Milan’s

“It’s important for us, and he’s been committed to it. It’s something where he can bring us physically, defensively at his size. He’s added a lot of strength this off season. He’s put the time in and (I’m) so proud of him for how he went out and efforts he made on the boards, and some will continue to count on for because it was great.”

On Nojus Indrusaitis’ debut

“He had good energy. He’s a good basketball player. As a bigger guard, he can really drive the basketball and get the ball to his teammates… I thought it was a good performance for him – our lone true freshman. It’s great to see.”

On the newcomers at forward

“Those new guys, Dishon and Joshua, did a great job getting us started. They’re both really good, skilled players. (They) can score the basketball even better than what we saw tonight. I was pleased with how they played for the most part. We’ve got to continue to go into him, especially Dishon’s got to get touches in there. You know, Brandt, I think he had some nerves a little bit early, but he was awesome on the offensive glass. Overall, all three guys are really good players, and they’re gonna have a huge impact for us. But, you know, we got to continue to do the work, and those guys continue to climb.”

On Conrad Hawley’s injury late in the game

“Yeah it sounds like his shoulder popped out and (he got it) popped back in. He’s a tough kid and I’m sure he’ll be fine. Just something that he’s had an issue with. I think he’ll be fine moving forward.

What Otz said: Cyclones roll in season opener over MVSU

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