T.J. Otzelberger Reveals Plans for Tamin Lipsey Moving Forward

When it was revealed that Tamin Lipsey would not be taking the court for the Iowa State Cyclones in their first exhibition game of the year against the Creighton Bluejays, there was some uneasiness amongst the fan base.

Lipsey is one of many players in the Class of 2022 attempting to get a fifth year of eligibility under the new 5-in-5 rules that have been put into place. All of the situations are rather fluid, with lawsuits being filed across the country to gain eligibility.

When there was no reason given for his absence, people automatically assumed the worst; he was no longer eligible to participate. However, that does not seem to be the case.

As shared by Chris Williams on X, head coach T.J. Otzelberger shared a statement at the start of his post-game press conference meeting with the media following the 83-80 loss, revealing that there has been a plan in place since Lipsey was eligible to return to Ames.

T.J. Otzelberger reveals why Tamin Lipsey didn't play against Creighton

Iowa State men’s basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger speaks with the media. — Iowa State men’s basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger speaks with the media during the university’s men’s basketball media day at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. (Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune, USA TODAY Network) | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“Tamin Lipsey and I have had a plan all along when he returned of how we would integrate him back with our team. He’s been in practice, he’s done a great job, and we will integrate him with the first group and the guys each and every day in practice. We’ll be hopeful that we will be able to put him out there and play against Northwestern next Sunday,” Otzelberger said.

The head coach added that this has been the plan that has been in place between the two since practice started about a month ago. So, it sounds as if not participating in the first preseason game was always part of the plan, not a hiccup in the operation that has been put forth.

That noise you heard is a collective sign of relief from the Cyclones fan base. Things can change at the drop of a dime when it comes to eligibility, but that wasn’t part of the reasoning for Lipsey not participating in the game against Creighton.

The star point guard was battling an injury over the summer; it is why his NBA Summer League with the Indiana Pacers was cut short. Alas, if he has been practicing and participating on the court with the team, it is fair to say that injury is now behind him and he is focusing on reacclimating himself to Iowa State.

It would certainly be nice to have him back on the court against the Northwestern Wildcats to get some game action under his belt before the regular season begins on Nov. 2 with a trip to the Sanford Pentagon to face the Memphis Tigers.

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