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Iowa State
Big 12 report | NCAA Tournament ReportSportsLine.com Report A glance at 2001The Cyclones are scrambling to fill the void left by junior Marcus Fizer, who declared for the NBA Draft. Iowa State also lost junior-college recruit Ernest Brown to the NBA. Brown had been recruited as Fizer's likely replacement, but with questions swirling around his recruitment the 7-foot center decided to turn pro. Jamaal Tinsley and Kantrail Horton are good to build around, but the Cyclones better enjoy this season. Next year, it will be hard work to get out of the middle of the pack in the Big 12. The coachIf there's anyone who can get a team to reach its potential, or even overachieve, it's Larry Eustachy. So the Cyclones would appear to have the right man for the job. Without Fizer, it only gets tougher in Ames next season. Eustachy has always been known as a players' coach, and did nothing to change that when he went berserk toward the end of the Cyclones' Midwest Regional loss to eventual national champion Michigan State last March. The outburst got him a double technical foul and an official reprimand from the NCAA, but it told his players something about him -- he will go to the wall for them. Who'll be backTinsley and Horton give the Cyclones one of the top returning backcourts in the Big 12. Richard Evans, at 6-5, can play a couple of different spots and has gotten some valuable experience. Paul Shirley (6-9, 230) is the top returning big man. One or two true freshmen are going to have to step up. Who's goneWith Fizer gone, the Cyclones lose the 43 points a night provided by Fizer, and seniors Michael Nurse and Stevie Johnson. They also lose the intangibles that go along with having an emotional leader such as Fizer. Key newcomersWithout Ernest Brown, the Cyclones' recruiting class dropped from outstanding to just good.
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