BEN HUTCHENS Iowa State University beat reporter
AMES — The basketball world is starting to realize Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton is a superstar.
Wednesday night, Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers will host the Oklahoma City Thunder for game three of the NBA Finals (7:30 p.m. ABC). Haliburton will continue ISU’s recent representation in the NBA Finals as one of four Cyclones to play for the Larry O’ Brien Championship Trophy.
Haliburton played two seasons at Iowa State before being selected 12th in the 2020 NBA Draft. ISU players, coaches and fans have known about Haliburton’s ability long before his national profile skyrocketed after he bounced in a game-winner against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals made a go-ahead jumper with 0.3 seconds left in game one of the NBA Finals.
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Here are moments in Haliburton’s Iowa State career where his coach and teammates knew he was special:
Nov. 9, 2018 against Missouri, first career start
Former ISU coach Steve Prohm said throughout his career he liked to consult with his assistants about starting lineup decisions. When guard Lindell Wigginton got hurt following the season-opener, Prohm didn’t bother asking for a second opinion.
“It was, 'All right, Haliburton is starting. No questions asked. This is a no brainer,'” Prohm told The Quad-City Times.
Not only did Haliburton start against Missouri, he played 39 minutes. In a 76-59 win in Hilton Coliseum, Haliburton scored eight points and came up with four steals and two blocks.
Why did Prohm trust a freshman to play almost the entire 40 minutes of his second college basketball game? More simple reasoning: Because he never wanted him off the court.
“I think you saw he was special right away,” Prohm said. “I mean, you don't play 39 minutes as a freshman against another power five school and win and not think that kid has got a great, bright future.”
There were signs Haliburton was different from the beginning. Prohm first watched Haliburton play as a rising senior in a Las Vegas summer tournament. Prohm noticed the intangibles like the positive way Haliburton interacted with the referees and within two minutes of watching decided to offer.
Now, Prohm said he believes Haliburton could be an NBA Hall of Famer. But he’s not limiting him there.
“He could be the governor of Wisconsin, the senator of Wisconsin ... he could run for president,” Prohm said. “He can win over every any room he walks into.”
Thanksgiving 2019, Battle 4 Atlantis
The sight of Haliburton walking into the gym was a relief for walk-on guard Eric Steyer. Steyer, who weighed about 170 pounds at the time, realized he wasn’t the skinniest player on the team.
Haliburton’s introduction to some of his teammates came in summer 2018 at a youth basketball clinic. The way Haliburton used his magnetic personality and smile to connect with kids sticks out to Steyer, now working as an analytics engineer in Austin. It was a good sign for what kind of teammate he would be.
“Once you saw that, you just kind of knew that he'd be a great leader for a basketball team,” Steyer said. “And, you know, it may be something small, interacting with the kids at a camp, but just something like that could kind of just kind of show you a glimpse into what kind of person he is.”
Where Haliburton distinguished himself in Steyer’s mind is when the Cyclones traveled to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. The Cyclones played against Michigan, Alabama and Seton Hall, going 2-1. Haliburton led ISU in scoring that week, averaging 22.3 points.
After that performance, Steyer started noticing Haliburton’s name appearing toward the top of mock drafts.
“I think that was kind of his big coming out party, as far as, like, on a national stage," Steyer said.
Jan. 4, 2020 at TCU, road triple-double
Iowa St TCU Basketball Haliburton TCU
TCU guard Alex Robinson, left, defends against a fall away shot by Iowa State's Tyrese Haliburton (22) in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Fort Worth, Texas, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) Tony Gutierrez
Prentiss Nixon and Haliburton both arrived in Ames in summer 2018. Because of NCAA rules regarding his transfer from Colorado State, Nixon had to sit out the 2018-19 season, so he spent a lot of time watching Haliburton — always a “bright, happy, smiley kid.”
From his vantage point, Nixon said Haliburton’s development as a player was exponential. The fifth-seeded Cyclones' run through the 2019 Big 12 Tournament was one of the strides Haliburton made.
“I just remember that Big 12 run we had down in Kansas City where the kid was just kind of lights out,” Nixon said. “That's kind of where everyone kind of could see what he could be, the kind of moxie he had, the aura, the energy he brings to the game.”
Nixon and Haliburton lived together the following season. Haliburton liked to play video games and even brought his old Playstation 2 with wired controllers so they could play the NCAA Football game.
On the last play of the Cyclones' second practice back from Christmas break, Haliburton sprained his left wrist. He played in the Big 12 opener at TCU with a bandage on his wrist and it may have been the best game of his college career.
Haliburton put up a triple-double against the Horned Frogs: 22 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. With one minute remaining, he made a corner 3-pointer to give the Cyclones a 70-67 lead. TCU guard RJ Nembhard banked in a 40-foot 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left to set up an 81-79 TCU win in overtime.
“(Haliburton) had a phenomenal game, and he hit a really big shot off a little pin-down in front of our bench to put us up late,” Prohm said. “And the way basketball gods work, they end up hitting a half court shot to tie it to go into overtime.”
Nixon, who plays professionally in the United Kingdom with the Sheffield Sharks, remembers conferring with his family after the game. Someone mentioned Haliburton recorded a triple-double, just the sixth in team history.
“That moment right there kind of just showed me, like, yo, this guy is an NBA basketball player,” Nixon said.
Texas Tech Iowa St Basketball Prentiss Nixon
Iowa State guard Prentiss Nixon (11) drives past Texas Tech guard Kevin McCullar (15) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, in Ames, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) Charlie Neibergall
Ben Hutchens is an Iowa State University beat writer for the Lee Enterprises network. Follow him on X or send him an email at Ben.Hutchens@lee.net.
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