Iowa State men’s basketball gains 5 transfers

The 2026-27 Iowa State men’s basketball will feature a quintet of new faces. Leon Bond III, Tre Singleton, Taj Manning, Jaquan Johnson and Ryan Prather Jr. announced over the weekend they’ll suit up in the cardinal and gold to play for T.J. Otzelberger in his sixth season at the helm of Iowa State.

Leon Bond III, a 6-foot-5 junior transfer, is expected to make a significant impact at Iowa State after spending two seasons at Northern Iowa. Bond committed to the Cyclones on Friday. He originally began his collegiate career at Virginia, where he played alongside current Iowa State forward Blake Buchanan.

Bond is viewed as a versatile perimeter defender and a logical replacement for fellow UNI transfer Nate Heise in the rotation.

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His defensive credentials include a selection to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Defensive Team and consistently high advanced metrics, such as a 98.6 defensive rating (fifth in the MVC) and a 2.0 Defensive Box Plus/Minus.

While primarily known for his defense, Bond is also an effective offensive contributor, averaging 11.9 points per game with a .473/.362/.750 shooting split, along with 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

Former Kansas State forward Taj Manning is the second to transfer in to the Iowa State basketball program for his final year of eligibility.

Manning, a 6-foot-7 forward from Missouri, spent four years at Kansas State, including a redshirt season during the team’s 2022-23 Elite Eight run and two subsequent years of limited playing time. His role increased substantially this past season as a redshirt junior, where he started 17 games and averaged 4.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest while shooting 48.5% from the field.

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The Cyclones are familiar with Manning, as he faced them twice during his time with the Wildcats. In their most recent matchup in February 2026, he played 27 minutes, recording four rebounds and two blocks.

Manning’s Big 12 experience is expected to provide depth for Iowa State as they look to…

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Publish date : 2026-04-13 01:03:00

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