Iowa State Cyclones Guard Not in Running for Freshman of the Year

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team is relying on three freshmen to play vital roles in the team’s rotation: Killyan Toure, Jamarion Batemon and Dominykas Pleta.

Among them, the biggest surprise has likely been Toure. An unheralded prospect coming into his first collegiate season, it was a shock when he was announced as a starter in place of Tamin Lipsey while he was sidelined during training camp because of injury.

He held onto that starting role once the senior guard returned to the lineup and has not relinquished it since. Toure has started all 30 games he has played in, but has seen his playing time wane as he has hit the proverbial freshman wall.

As a result, it comes as little surprise that he has no longer featured as a contender for Freshman of the Year. Over at ESPN, first-year college players were ranked as contenders for the award, but Toure didn’t make the cut.

Killyan Toure falls out of Freshman of the Year Award race

Iowa State Cyclones guard Killyan Toure celebrating after 3-pointer. — Feb 16, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Killyan Toure (27) celebrates after making a three pointer against the Houston Cougars during the first half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

He wasn’t even one of two honorable mentions in what is the deepest class of freshman men’s basketball has seen, maybe ever.

Duke Blue Devils power forward Cameron Boozer is ranked No. 1, followed by AJ Dybantsa of the BYU Cougars, who leads the country in scoring with 24.8 points per game.

Toure was always going to struggle keeping up with some of the other players on the list because of the role that he held with the Cyclones. He was down the pecking order offensively, not having a chance to put up gaudy stats like his peers.

What T.J. Otzelberger asked of him was to make an impact defensively. He has certainly done that, with Lipsey offering him incredible praise for his work on that end of the floor.

Watch Killyan Toure defend throughout this possession. Beautiful stuff. pic.twitter.com/9KmKpGqZ3r
— Tyler Metcalf (@tmetcalf11) February 15, 2026

However, Toure did showcase what he could do with an expanded role offensively when his backcourt running mate was injured earlier in the season. Against the Creighton Bluejays and Syracuse Orange in the Players Era Festival, the French freshman scored 38 points to help Iowa State to two blowout victories.

There is certainly room for development. The Cyclones have run into issues recently with opponents completely ignoring Toure on the offensive end of the floor, clogging up the lane, and throwing even more defenders at Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic.

He is making only 29.4% of his 3-point attempts, but remains solid inside the arc, making 54.3% of his 3-pointers. His presence is still felt defensively with 1.5 steals per game, and he is only scratching the surface of his potential.

Iowa State should be in very good hands in the backcourt with Toure and Batemon moving forward, with Lipsey’s career coming to an end.