Iowa State Cyclones Freshman Finding His Groove in Larger Role

Which player on the Iowa State Cyclones is performing better of late?

Feb 14, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger reacts while watching his team play the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half at James H. Hilton Coliseum. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones were able to get back in the win column on Tuesday night with a victory against the Utah Utes. In the win, a young player continued to see his role expanding. 

It has been a fantastic season for the Cyclones up until this point. Iowa State is ranked fourth in the nation currently and is seeking to be a one seed come March Madness. While there are going to be some big games coming up soon for the team to end the regular season and in the Big 12 tournament, they have been able to rise to the occasion so far this year. 

While Iowa State was expected to be a good team, they have blown away most expectations so far. The development of some key players like Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic has played a significant part in that. However, the depth of the unit has also been a strength. 

The Cyclones have run an eight-man rotation for most of the campaign, but the bench unit has been a strength and a difference maker at times. Recently, freshman Jamarion Batemon has really been elevating his game and has been a great boost for the team and the second unit. 

Batemon Playing a Larger Role 

Iowa State Cyclones guard Jamarion Batemon | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the regular season nearly over for Iowa State, Batemon is closer to a second-year player at this point than a freshman. That time and experience have clearly been paying dividends of late, and he has been excelling for the team. 

While he might be averaging just 6.6 points per game so far this season, the numbers of late have been noticeably better. In three out of the last four games, he has been able to score in double figures for the Cyclones off the bench. With a bit of an increase in minutes, he has been able to provide a nice spark and give the team another scorer and shooter from the perimeter. 

With Batemon starting to play a larger role, it has given the team another scorer and helped create some more floor spacing. Even though the team has been much better than expected offensively, they will need to sustain that if they are going to have success in March. 

Overall, it has been great to see his development over the last couple of weeks, and he is going to be a key piece for the team not only this year, but hopefully for years to come.