Iowa State Cyclones Freshman Rightfully Garnering Confidence From T.J. Otzelberger

T.J. Otzelberger loves what he is seeing from one of his Iowa State Cyclones freshmen.

Feb 7, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger watches his team play the Baylor Bears during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

There are a lot of reasons why the Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team is in the midst of the best season in program history.

After defeating the Baylor Bears 72-69, the Cyclones are now 21-2 on the year. They have won five games in a row, responding well following their first two defeats of the campaign, making some ugly Big 12 history after winning their first 16 games.

In their most recent victory, head coach T.J. Otzelberger tried a few different lineup combinations that haven’t previously been seen too often. In a physical contest, it made sense to mix and match, finding ways to get people rest.

One of the players who saw a little bit of a different role was freshman guard Jamarion Batemon. He is starting to move into the same realm of confidence from the coaching staff as fellow freshman Killyan Toure.

T.J. Otzelberger has confidence in his young players

Feb 1, 2026; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger watches his team during the second half against the Kansas State Wildcats at Bramlage Coliseum. | Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

“And we've got tremendous confidence in both those freshman guards (Killyan Toure, Jamarion Batemon). I mean, they were both out there in crunch time. Killyan has been all year, but they played impactful, meaningful minutes down the stretch,” Otzelberger said after the win over Baylor, via Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports Network.

Coming into the season, many predicted that Batemon would be starting in the backcourt alongside Tamin Lipsey. The highest-ranked recruit in the Class of 2025, his 3-point shooting prowess looked like a great fit for the starting five.

Alas, it was Toure that the coaching staff had confidence in out of the gate. He has started all 23 games thus far in his career, with Batemon growing into a role off the bench.

The Wisconsin native has seen his playing time grow steadily as the season has moved along. While he is still working on his consistency, Otzelberger is fully confident in him getting the job done when his number is called.

Jamarion Batemon growing into role with Cyclones

Iowa State Cyclones guard Jamarion Batemon (1) drives with the ball around Baylor Bears guard Obi Agbim (5) during the first half in the Big-12 men’s basketball on Feb. 7, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“And then as you mentioned, there's certainly going to be other lineups that show up. But we got a lot of confidence in Batemon, and he'll continue to get more opportunities as we move forward. It was great to see that lineup really work well. And I think Batemon was a huge part of it,” Otzelberger said.

Against the Bears, he played 13 minutes, scoring three points while grabbing three rebounds. While the box score may not always indicate that Batemon is having a major impact on the court, the coaching staff likes what he brings to the table.

And, they are going to need a lot more of that moving forward from their stellar supporting cast.

The difficulty of their schedule is going to pick up. After playing the TCU Horned Frogs, Iowa State is set to face a ranked opponent in five out of six games, including three straight after TCU visits Ames.