Hoops commitment: Emmanuel Malou

Although there was a brief lull during the change in coaching staffs, JUCO big man Emmanuel Malou always felt at home at Iowa State no matter if it was Steve Prohm or Fred Hoiberg running the basketball program. The Yuba College sophomore and former standout at ABCD Prep in Des Moines announced his commitment to Iowa State via Twitter on Friday afternoon.

The 6-foot-9, 210-pound Malou had been recruited by former I-State assistant coach Cornell Mann, but after the transition in head coaches, it took some time for TJ Otzelberger to pick up the trail after he began working under Prohm.

"TJ knows my coach at Yuba College, so I had them contact each other," said Malou said. "(My decision) came down to the history I had with them throughout the recruiting process, as well as the program and people. Of course I like the system and what Coach Prohm's intentions are with running the offense.

"They didn't really have to say much. They showed me a lot of film and a lot of clips of what Coach Prohm was doing at Murray State. It was the same as Fred's. Everything was similar. It's something I'd love to play in - a face-paced running game with a lot of shooting and passing. It's a free offense that suits my game. It's an NBA style of system."

Malou is the third verbal commitment for ISU's Class of 2016 and second from the JUCO ranks, joining Iowa Western point guard Donovan Jackson. Malou and Jackson both made trips to Ames on August 10th, although Malou's was an unofficial.

"I'm really excited and can't wait to play with my good friend Donovan and can't wait to meet the rest of the commitments," Malou said. "I'm hoping Coach Prohm gets all of the players he wants."

It's been a long, drawn out recruiting process for Malou and ISU was pretty much involved every stop of the way. The Australian native joined up with ABCD Prep in Des Moines under former Oklahoma State guard Glendon Alexander, but the program dissolved and Malou transitioned back overseas.

He returned to the States last year with the intention of attending the College of Southern Idaho, another JUCO program, but didn't qualify. He finally settled at California's Yuba College, where he starred last season as a freshman and averaged 14.7 points and 8.5 rebounds.

Before all was said and done, Malou - considered one of the top JUCO players in the country for 2016 - garnered offers from the likes of Arizona, Arizona State, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oregon State, Texas Tech, West Virginia and several others.

"Once TJ got involved, Iowa State was able to pick up where they left off," Malou said. "He's been doing a good job of recruiting me."

Malou said he is on pace to graduate after second-semester classes and would join the Cyclone program in early June.