T.J. Otzelberger Thinks Iowa State Basketball Transfer ‘Has Tremendous Value'

A transfer portal addition is going to have some high expectations with the Iowa State Cyclones.

Iowa State men's basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger speaks during Iowa State men's basketball media day at Hilton Coliseum on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, in Ames. | Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team is going to be counting on a lot of new faces to help the team win games during the 2026-27 season.

Gone are Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson, Nate Heise and Milan Momcilovic from the rotation. Filling their spots will be a group of three incoming freshmen in the Class of 2026 and five players from the transfer portal.

Head coach T.J. Otzelberger is expecting all five incoming transfers to be a part of the team’s rotation next season. There is a nice mixture of talent coming to Ames, with one of the most intriguing being Ryan Prather Jr.

A transfer from the Robert Morris Colonials, Otzelberger did not hold back when discussing one of the newest guards in the program. He brings an added dimension to the team on the offensive side of the ball.

T.J. Otzelberger excited for Ryan Prather Jr.s' offensive game

Mar 20, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; Robert Morris Colonials guard Ryan Prather Jr. (2) shoots during practice at Rocket Arena. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

“The other perimeter player, Ryan Prather, from Robert Morris, led the nation in assist-to-turnover (ratio), so another guy that has tremendous value in terms of making plays for his teammates, also is a really good three-point shooter, and then he’s got great positioning, size, and strength. All three of those guys, we see an impact that they’ll be able to make on the perimeter,” the head coach said, via Bill Seals of Cyclone Report (subscription required).

Prather took his production to another level during his second season with Robert Morris. He averaged 15.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and only 0.8 turnovers in 34.1 minutes per game.

His assist-to-turnover ratio, which Otzelberger mentioned as being the best in the country, is all the more impressive when taking into account how much the ball was in his hands. He had a miniscule 5.6% turnover rate despite a 21.5% usage rate.

An Offensive Win Shares of 4.0 was the best mark in the Horizon League, where he was also selected to the All-Horizon Second Team.

Robert Morris Guard Ryan Prather Jr is entering the transfer portal according to 247 Sports. Prather will be a coveted player in this portal cycle. 👇
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Prather led the country in assist to turnover ratio at 4.44. Prather Jr averaged 15.7 PPG, 3.9 REB and 3.6 AST. He carried… pic.twitter.com/mmDViwFwY3

— CBBCarter (@CBBCarter) March 25, 2026

The steadiness that he brings to the court as someone who doesn’t turn the ball over will be important for Iowa State. Replacing a player of Lipsey's caliber is virtually impossible, but Prather can combine with his new teammates to help replace specific parts of his production.

It is going to take a complete team effort to replicate what Lipsey, Jefferson, Momcilovic and Heise brought to the court. The former Colonial star is going to be a big part of the game plan to replace them as a dynamic offensive threat.

A true three-level scorer, his playing time will likely be determined by how well he picks things up defensively. It wasn’t a strong suit of his with Robert Morris, but if he buys in and plays at even an average level on that end, he will be a net positive for the Cyclones based on what he can provide offensively.