Former Iowa State MBB stars chasing basketball titles around the globe
A look at Cyclones competing for championships
From the NBA Finals to international hardwoods, former Iowa State men’s basketball players are making waves as their teams battle for championships. With titles on the line, the legacy continues to thrive beyond Hilton Coliseum, proving that the road from Ames can lead straight to the top of the basketball world.
Won a title
Naz Mitrou‑Long, an Iowa State men’s basketball player from 2012–2017, was with Olympiacos Piraeus throughout the 2024–25 season, contributing in the Greek Basket League (first tier).
In the Greek domestic league, he appeared in 12 games, averaging 7.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, and one assist across roughly 14 minutes per game.
Mitrou-Long scored a season high 16 points against Panionios and on two separate occasions the former Cyclone connected on four 3-pointers.
Mitrou-Long also represented Greece in three European Championship qualifying games this season, scoring 12 points in back-to-back wins over Great Britain (73–72 and 77–67).
Jiří Hubálek, who played for the Cyclones from 2005 to 2008, continued his extensive international career during the 2024–25 season with Innovyou Pallacanestro Sennori, a club competing in Italy’s Serie C (fourth tier).
Sennori captured the league championship and secured promotion to Serie B, Italy’s third-tier professional division.
Sherron Dorsey-Walker suited up for the Cyclones from 2012 to fall 2014, then transferred to Oakland to finish his college career. This season, he played in the Netherlands for Heroes Den Bosch in the BNXT League.
In Game 1 of the semifinals against Donar Groningen, Dorsey-Walker connected on five 3-pointers and scored a game high 21 points in Heroes Den Bosch’s 105-72 victory.
His 2024-25 averages included 11.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
In the finals against ZZ Leiden, he totaled 10 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, and two steals over three games.
Former Iowa State forward Dustin Hogue (2013–2015) spent the 2024–25 season with Acqua San Bernardo Cantù in Italy’s Serie A2. Hogue brought size and efficiency, averaging approximately nine points and seven rebounds per game, while shooting an impressive 62% from the field.
Against Cento in February, Hogue tallied 19 points, a season high for the Yonkers native. Against Orzinuovi on Jan. 12, Hogue pulled down 13 rebounds, a season high.
A standout guard at Iowa State (2011–2013), Tyrus McGee played the 2024–25 season for Acqua San Bernardo Cantù in the same Italian A2 league. Over 38 games, he averaged 14.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 0.9 steals per contest, connecting on 40% of his 3-pointers
His season bests include: 31 points against Nardo in April, five 3-pointers made against Fortitudo Bo, nine assists against Rimini Crabs and three steals against Torino.
Following four seasons (redshirted the 2014-15 season) at Old Dominion, Zoran Talley played two seasons for the Cyclones (2017-2019). This season, Talley played with Universidad de Concepción. UdeC plays in the Liga Nacional de Básquetbol de Chile, the first tier of Chilean basketball.
He logged a season high 29 points against Putrajaya on 10-of-14 shooting from the field and 6-of-9 from the charity stripe. Talley tallied 12 rebounds against Puente Alto on March 6. Two days later, against Español de Talca, he recorded five steals.
Tre Jackson III played three seasons for the Cyclones (2019-2022). Following two seasons at Western Carolina, he broke onto the international scene this season by playing in 45 games for Polish club Miasto Szkła Krosno in the Bank Pekao S.A. I Liga (second tier).
He logged a professional career-high 30 points against Opole.
The MVP of both the regular season and the finals, Jackson averaged a team high 19.1 points per game and in steals with 1.8 per game. He posted 94 points, 30 rebounds, 21 assists and nine steals in the finals (five games) against Astoria.
In the decisive fifth game, an 89-80 victory, Jackson tallied 21 points, six rebounds, seven assists and three steals.
By winning the championship, Miasto Szkła Krosno earned promotion to the Orlen Basket Liga (Polish Basketball League) for the 2025–26 season.
Will Clyburn, a redshirt in 2011-12 and the leading scorer on the 2012-13 Iowa State squad, appeared in 24 games for Italian side Virtus Segafredo Bologna.
A plantar fasciitis injury in a game against Panathinaikos sidelined Clyburn from Jan. 10 to March 20.
Clyburn had the following averages: 13.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
In two semifinal games, Clyburn scored a total of 24 points before a muscle injury sidelined the Detroit native for the rest of the postseason.
In the finals
Tyrese Haliburton, a member of the 2018-19 and 2019-20 Iowa State teams and a two time NBA All-Star is coming off a standout 2024–25 season in which he averaged 18.6 points and 9.2 assists per game.
Haliburton’s efficiency and vision have been central to the Pacers’ postseason run, highlighted by a triple-double masterpiece in the Eastern Conference Finals that featured 32 points, 12 rebounds, 15 assists and zero turnovers.
Game 6, the Pacers trail the series 3-2, will be played in Indianapolis tonight (June 19). Haliburton is a going to play, but he does have a lower leg (calf) injury.
Former Cyclone Nick Weiler-Babb, who played at Iowa State from 2016 to 2019, has become a fixture in European basketball. Now in his fifth season (and final, as Turkish club Anadolu Efes signed the Olympian on June 13) with Bayern Munich, he continues to play a central role in the team’s success.
This season, he averaged 8.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. Weiler-Babb’s shooting percentages include 56.7% shooting inside the arc and 43.5% from deep.
Named the German Bundesliga Best Defender, EuroLeague Best Defender and the leader in steals in the EuroLeague, Weiler-Babb looks to help his team win back to back Bundesliga titles.
The series is tied at 1-1, and Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday (June 21). In Bayern’s 82-66 win, Weiler-Babb scored six points, pulled down two rebounds, dished out eight assists and tallied three steals.
Rasir Bolton, a Cyclone for two seasons (2019-20 and 2020-21), embarked on his professional career in Belgium before signing with Spartak Office Shoes of the Serbian League and ABA League for the 2024–25 season.
Through 30 ABA League games, Bolton averaged 13.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per matchup. His impact was clear early as he was named MVP for both Round 3 and Round 7 of the season, including a standout 28 point, three rebound and two assist performance against Krka.
Bolton’s power surge lifted Spartak beyond expectations. He earned ABA League MVP of the Month for November following a stretch where he averaged 21 points, 2.7 rebounds and five assists, which pushed Spartak to three consecutive wins.
Spartak Office Shoes won the semifinals 2-0 over Crvena zvezda Meridianbet, one of the largest upsets in Serbian League history. The finals start Sunday (June 22) against Partizan.
In the semifinals
Cameron Lard played for Iowa State from 2017 to 2019, where he showed flashes of dominance as an athletic rim-runner and shot blocker.
Lard plays for Metapán of El Salvador’s Liga Mayor de Baloncesto, a team one win away from the finals.
In 10 games played, his averages include 11.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per contest.
Lard posted a season-high 23 points against Lobos on June 13 and has two double-doubles on the season.
Metapán lead the semifinals 2-1 over Lobos.