Iowa State Basketball Star Reaches 1,000-Point Milestone

There have been a lot of great players to have taken the court for the Iowa State Cyclones throughout the history of the program.

However, there may not have been a player who has achieved more in such a short period of time than forward Joshua Jefferson. He transferred to the Cyclones from the Saint Mary’s Gaels ahead of his junior season and has quickly cemented himself as one of the most productive players to ever come through Ames.

He has taken his game to new heights in two seasons under T.J. Otzelberger, making an impact on both ends of the floor. In the team’s most recent game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, an impressive 75-53 victory, Jefferson reached an incredible career milestone.

He scored 18 points, which put him over the 1,000-point plateau for his career at Iowa State. That makes him the 37th player in program history to achieve that feat, and what makes it all the more impressive is that he accomplished it in only two seasons.

Joshua Jefferson joins Iowa State's 1,000-point club

Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson driving to basket against Texas Tech Red Raiders forward LeJuan Watts. — Mar 12, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (5) drives to the basket around Texas Tech Red Raiders forward LeJuan Watts (3) during the second half at T-Mobile Center. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

His scoring output has increased every season of his collegiate career, with 552 and counting. Through 68 games with the Cyclones, he has averaged 14.8 points per game, producing 1,006 thus far.

As a supporting cast member last year, he scored 13 points per game. Now, as the featured player offensively, he upped that average to 16.7 points per game while also handing out 5.0 assists as an excellent playmaker.

Jefferson will have at least two more games to add to that scoring total, with a maximum of eight games remaining in his collegiate career if Iowa State can run the table in the Big 12 tournament and then reach the national championship game in the NCAA tournament in a few weeks.

1,000 Points as a Cyclone!

The 37th player in program history!#Cyclones | #C5C | @Joshua_LV0 pic.twitter.com/4qAdcT5jMJ
— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) March 12, 2026

Had he spent his entire career with the Cyclones, Jefferson would have assuredly been featured prominently in their record book for his scoring prowess, along with his rebounding and defensive playmaking.

That two-way skill set is what has him on the radar of NBA teams heading down the stretch of his collegiate career. Jefferson is versatile, capable of filling multiple roles on both ends of the floor while making an impact.

His basketball future remains incredibly bright, with his arrow pointing upward as a borderline first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. But, he still has plenty he would love to accomplish at Iowa State before it is all said and done.