Iowa State fan here

First off, I'm a huge ISU fan and Royce White fan. I just want to get that out of the way.

I wanted to address some stuff about Royce, as I think he is an incredibly unique player and person. I’ve watched every game he’s played and I have read pretty much every article written about him for the last 2 years.

A lot of our fanbase was really concerned about bringing him in after the fiasco up in Minnesota. There were some really, really concerned and borderline upset fans when Hoiberg decided to make bringing him in his first move. He has gone from that to maybe being one of the most beloved Cyclones in my memory in just one year.

First off, about the fear of flying thing. As Cylcones said in another thread, it’s the worst for him getting on the plane. I think it’s the most overblown thing about him. He drove to Kentucky because he wanted to be tip top, but it’s not like he didn’t fly. He flew to college station and had a triple double. He flew to Italy. He’s flown a ton. He just doesn’t like it much, and I highly doubt he’s the only player in the NBA who feels that way. He’s just honest about it.

Second, about the “character issues” at Minnesota. Like I said, plenty of ISU fans didn’t like bringing him in. He has been an absolute treat to have on the team. He’s become an advocate for mental disorders, he’s volunteered at a place in town called Orchard Place that works with kids who have disorders, going so far as to even invite all the kids to the practice facility for a draft party last night. He turned 21 about a month ago, and he rented a big building here in Ames and invited anybody that wanted to come, and it was all non-alcoholic. Since he’s come to ISU he refocused himself on basketball, music, and his family, and while I can’t guarantee it I’d be shocked if he got in any sort of trouble.

Third, he does have weaknesses in his game but he is an incredibly unique guy. I think he can start for you in the near future but in the short term I think he’ll be best served coming off the bench after Scola and he can be a great change of pace guy. He and Dragic can get a good screen and roll, inside outside game going that I think could be highly successful. He’s not the best defender but he’s the strongest player in the history of the NBA combine, so I think he can develop an excellent position defense game.

Finally, the last thing I’ll say is this. College fans are extremely picky about their stars going pro. With every guy that has gone pro at ISU early in the last 10 years, everybody has said they should stay because they need to work on their game, they aren’t ready, they owe it to the staff, etc. Granted I think this is dumb but fans are dumb about their teams and they want their best players around as long as possible.

Nobody said this about Royce. I think fans here in Iowa became personally invested in him in just one short season. People here love him and want him to succeed really badly. Considering the attitudes of a lot of our fans when he came in this is a remarkable shift in the course of one season. You guys won’t be disappointed in this pick. Well, unless your team trades him to the Lakers.