Iowa State Basketball ‘Has Done a Lot of Legwork’ Pursuing Bradley Transfer

The Iowa State Cyclones have a gaping hole to fill in their backcourt with the departure of Tamin Lipsey.

A four-year starter at point guard, he is eventually going to have his No. 3 uniform raised to the rafters in Hilton Coliseum. Players of his caliber don’t come along too often, and replacing him will be no small task.

The Cyclones and head coach T.J. Otzelberger can rest a little easier knowing they have two excellent building blocks with Killyan Toure and Jamarion Batemon in the backcourt. Incoming freshman Yusef Gray Jr. and Christian Wiggins offer plenty of upside as well.

Alas, finding a Lipsey replacement will likely come via the transfer portal. And the player whom Iowa State seems to have set its sights on is Jaquan Johnson, formerly of the Bradley Braves in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Iowa State putting in work to recruit Jaquan Johnson

Bradley's Jaquan Johnson reacts to score against Northern Iowa in the second half of their college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026 at Carver Arena in Peoria. The Braves defeated the Panthers 75-69. | MATT DAYHOFF/JOURNAL STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“Iowa State has done a lot of legwork in this recruitment, and Johnson would likely be a centerpiece to Iowa State's transfer portal haul if they can sign him. He has connections to Otzelberger,” wrote Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports network (subscription required), in a transfer portal intel update.

At first glance, Johnson isn’t someone that many people would take seriously as an option for the Cyclones. He is undersized, being listed at 5-foot-9, which will create challenges on the basketball court.

However, he doesn’t let his size stop him. Johnson was a true breakout performer for Bradley during the 2025-26 campaign. He made an impact on both ends of the floor, being named the MVC Defensive Player of the Year and selected to the MVC First Team.

“Some analytical models suggest that he is a top 10-15 player in the transfer portal. That would be a major replacement for Tamin Lipsey,” Busse added.

Replacing everything that Lipsey brought to the team is virtually impossible; he has been the heart and soul of the program for four years. But Johnson certainly seems to be a player who is capable of at least getting close.

JaQuan “Bully” Johnson is entering the transfer portal according to his X page. The Sophomore from Milwaukee had a breakout season for the Braves! Even earning All-Defensive Team honors and All MVC First Team. One of the best players in MVC this season. 👇
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Johnson averaged 16.9… pic.twitter.com/b0Nq6Fv4JD
— CBBCarter (@CBBCarter) March 27, 2026

Iowa State has the infrastructure to help him take his game to another level, efficiency-wise. An excellent scorer doing damage off the dribble, if he plays alongside another ball handler, such as Toure or Batemon, the Cyclones can take advantage of his elite spot-up shooting ability.

As Busse noted, Johnson is in the 91st percentile on catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts and in the 99th percentile in guarded attempts. Opponents can throw whatever at him, but Johnson is going to get his offensively.

He averaged 16.9 points per game this past season with a .423/.383/.784 shooting split. Where he struggles, unsurprisingly, is at the rim.

Defensively, Johnson is a bulldog. His steal percentage of 4.9 was first in the MVC and eighth in the entire country. A career rate of 5.0 is 19th all-time.

Johnson also led the MVC in Offensive Win Shares (3.2), total win shares (5.1) and Box Plus/Minus (7.4). Landing him would certainly ease a lot of the pain of losing Lipsey.