Iowa State Basketball Should Pursue Northern Iowa Transfer

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team has a lot of voids to fill on its roster this offseason and will be looking to the transfer portal for some help.

At least three rotation players, seniors Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson and Nate Heise, won’t be returning. Dominick Nelson, another senior who got back into the rotation when Jefferson was injured in the NCAA tournament, also entered the portal.

Replacing that amount of production and experience will not be easy. The Cyclones have a strong Class of 2026 coming to campus, but will T.J. Otzelberger trust newcomers in such prominent roles right off the bat?

Adding some insurance to the roster would make a lot of sense, and a player who fits the bill as an Otzelberger target is Leon Bond III.

Iowa State should pursue Leon Bond in transfer portal

Northern Iowa Panthers guard Leon Bond III shooting over UIC Flames forward Abdul Momoh. — Mar 8, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Northern Iowa Panthers guard Leon Bond III (35) shoots the ball over UIC Flames forward Abdul Momoh (7) during the second half at Enterprise Center. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

“There aren't a lot of concrete connections between Bond and Iowa State, but he fits the description of what the Cyclones could be or should be looking for in the transfer portal. He's also from Wauwatosa, Wisc., so the Cyclones could have some connections to important people around Bond,” wrote Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports Network (subscription required).

It would behoove the Cycloens to start building a connection with Bond as soon as possible. Things move fast in the transfer portal, and he is a player who would fit well into their scheme on both ends of the floor.

Otzelberger and Iowa State have had success bringing in Northern Iowa products. That is where Heise transferred from, and with assistant coach Kyle Green now taking over as head coach of the Panthers, connections remain between the two schools.

Bond also overlapped with Blake Buchanan on the Virginia Cavaliers. He began his career at Virginia during the 2023-24 season alongside Buchanan in that freshman class.

Otzelberger has a good relationship with Tony Bennett, who helped steer one of his former players to Ames already; could he do the same with Bond?

Leon Bond can be perfect Nate Heise replacement

Northern Iowa Panthers guard Leon Bond III defending Bradley Braves guard Demarion Burch. — Mar 7, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Bradley Braves guard Demarion Burch (0) dribbles he ball as Northern Iowa Panthers guard Leon Bond III (35) defends during the second half at Enterprise Center. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

As for his on-court role, Bond could be sold on something similar to what Heise provided the team. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, he has the size and athleticism to defend multiple positions on the perimeter.

He was selected for the Missouri Valley Conference All-Defensive Team and made the Missouri Valley Arch Madness team. His rim protection at his size is elite, ranking 14th in the conference in block percentage, and his defensive rating of 98.6 was 5th.

Offensively, opponents have to respect him on the perimeter, where he knocked down 36.2% of his attempts this past season. His athleticism was put on full display with some of his breathtaking dunks as well.

An efficient player on both ends, he would help address Iowa State’s need for a versatile glue guy, replacing Heise, and provide the team with some much-needed experience on the perimeter.