Last season, there may not have been a more versatile offensive player in the country than Iowa State's Georges Niang.
Combining lethal efficiency from either block with floor vision that most point guards could only dream of, the incoming junior is the only returning forward in any of the power eight conferences to average 16 points along with an assist rate of at least 20 percent. However, Niang will be on his own this season as the Cyclones lose Melvin Ejim and DeAndre Kane, the other two pieces of what was unquestionably the best triumvirate in college basketball last season. So what did the Massachusetts native do to prepare for the increased defensive attention?
Oh, just lose 25 pounds, get into the best shape of his life and look like a completely new man.
"At the end of the season, we all have meetings with [Coach Fred Hoiberg]," Niang told me when I spoke to him over the phone. "He really stressed to me that if I want to have future goals in this game, I have to work on my body because that's going to be the question people have about me. After breaking my foot, I gained a newfound love for the game and really pushed myself to the limits in order to excel and stay in great shape."
The foot injury that he references occurred during the second half of their second-round NCAA Tournament game against North Carolina Central. Niang had already scored 24 points in what was turning out to be a rout when he went up for a block and came down on the foot of a teammate who was trying to take a charge. That sidelined Niang for nine to 10 weeks and dashed the hopes of what some considered to be a dark horse national championship contender. But if the work that he's put into his body off the court extends to the games that count in 2015, the long-term impact of the injury on his play could be immense.
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Beyond working on his body -- which has been sculpted by, in his words, "staying away from high carbs and making healthier decisions rather than eating whatever if I worked hard throughout the day" -- Niang has also been working on different aspects of his game, particularly taking people off the dribble in face-up situations.
"I'm really working on my face-up game and handle to really get things fine-tuned," Niang said. "I'm always looking to work on my post moves and jump shot, but I really want to be able to make moves off of the face-up."
Facing up was one of the few weaknesses he portrayed offensively last year, and he'll definitely need to do more of it this year for the Cyclones' offense to succeed. The Iowa State offense thrived last season due largely to Kane's ability to get into the paint whenever he wanted -- which, in broader strokes, was possible because Niang often pulled the center away from the rim with his ability to stretch the floor. That led to a remarkably efficient offense that was centered around taking only threes and shots at the rim.
Photo credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Without that All-American-level offensive creator at point guard, Niang will be counted on to create more offense for the team by himself away from the post. However, you shouldn't expect more midrange jumpers this season just because the Cyclones will probably initiate much more of their offense through their 6'7 forward.
"We do take a lot of shots at the rim or three-pointers," Niang said. "That's an efficient way to play the game. Long contested twos are tough shots to make, and guys like that are the last of a dying breed because not many guys can make the pull-up anymore. I feel like it's something of a lost art now, and we try to take advantage of that."
Plus, Niang should end up playing more on the perimeter this year anyway. Incoming JUCO transfer Jameel McKay should man the center position that Niang was often forced into last season for the Cyclones. That will allow Niang to shift into his more natural 4 position, where he can take advantage of matchups both in the post with his quickness and on the perimeter with his ball skill.
Those matchup advantages will be critical, as the Cyclones bring in transfer Abdel Nader to help try to replace Ejim's inside-out production. To replace Kane, the program has high hopes for rising sophomore Monte Morris, a 6'2 point guard who shot 40.6 percent from three and had a 4.6 assist-to-turnover ratio last season. There's also UNLV transfer Bryce Dejean-Jones, a player everyone in Ames is hoping can have a similar effect on the offense to what Kane did a year ago as a transfer from Marshall. Losing two players the caliber of Ejim and Kane is always difficult for a team, but Niang feels that the Cyclones have the talent to overcome it.
"I think we have more weapons now, which creates a lot more one-on-one situations and less double teams for people, and that should help us out tremendously," Niang said.
While Hoiberg is undoubtedly salivating at the idea of more space for his offense to attack, ultimately the Cyclones' season will come down to how Niang is able to adjust to being the number one focus of defensive schemes. The laid-back forward says that he doesn't put too much pressure on himself, but he does feel the need to be a leader for the team.
"I'm confident in who I am and what I can do, and I feel like I've somewhat proven myself the past two years," Niang said. "I'm not saying I'm done proving myself, but I feel like it's my team now and I have to become a leader and show people how to get things done. Whether it's working out extra or going hard through every rep, that's how I look at it."
As the leader, he has very lofty ultimate goals for Iowa State this season.
"The team goals are to go undefeated, win the national championship and win the Big 12 regular season championship," Niang said. "I know those are hard goals to achieve, but I've always said to shoot for the stars and that's how you end up where you want to be."
If the Cyclones somehow do achieve those towering aspirations, assuredly it will be in large part because of Georges Niang's skill, newfound fitness and leadership.