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AMES, Iowa — When Tamin Lipsey's name is announced in Iowa State's starting lineup, the applause will be deafening. An extra roar is expected from the Cyclone faithful traveling to the Sanford Pentagon in South Dakota for the season opener against Memphis on Nov. 2. The cheers will be even louder at Hilton Coliseum when the team hosts Southern Miss on Nov. 6.
Lipsey's return to Ames came after a preliminary court injunction granted him a fifth year of eligibility, much to the delight of fans. However, instead of a hero's welcome, the decorated guard had to reintroduce himself by making an impact on the scout team—a role he hadn't filled in years.
"There was definitely a little bit of an easing in," Lipsey said. "I had surgery on my meniscus at the end of July, so I was making sure I wasn't rushing back for that reason. At first, it was a lot of conditioning to get into shape before I jumped into practice. Initially, I was working with the scout team, getting used to playing full speed again. Just recently, I started playing with the first group and getting back into it."
Scout team players are typically backups or less experienced, tasked with pushing the starters in practice by simulating opponents' tendencies or providing a competitive look. For Lipsey, who holds a program-record 137 career starts, this was a new challenge. The different perspective allowed him to introduce himself on the court to his new teammates and re-earn his place on a squad that had built cohesion since June.
"It helps you learn a lot about your teammates when you're competing against them," said Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger. "Tamin picks up things quickly. He's such an elite competitor that he'll do everything he can to make the team win, and I think it elevates his teammates. What you learn about him is that he's another coach on the floor, and now he's even more vocal than before."
The three-time All-Big 12 point guard injured his knee during a stint with the Indiana Pacers' NBA Summer League team. As athletes across the country sued the NCAA for a fifth year of eligibility, Lipsey joined a class-action lawsuit in Indiana on Sept. 14. He was granted a preliminary injunction on Sept. 23 and enrolled at Iowa State that same day. He was added to the official roster on Sept. 28. The NCAA is appealing the decision but Lipsey remains eligible to play.
Iowa State welcomes eight new players this season, and it didn't take them long to recognize Lipsey's caliber. "It's a lot better having him out there with you than against you, I can say that firsthand," said forward Tre Singleton. "It's nice having another ball handler, a main point guard. Those 'Tamin plays' are big; you see them in practice. It's fun having him out there."
In some ways, it's as if the Ames native never left. In others, he feels like the new kid at school. After all, it's only been about a month since he resumed practicing with the Cyclones. "So many new faces that I still get to learn to play with, but I think it's good just learning about everyone's game," Lipsey said. "It's probably the same for them—they haven't played with me, besides the returners—so just getting used to it and learning day by day."
Lipsey sat out Iowa State's first preseason game, an 83-80 loss to Creighton, as part of a deliberate reintegration plan with Otzelberger. He returned to the starting five for the Cyclones' 94-59 exhibition win at Northwestern on Oct. 25, contributing 14 points, three rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. It was his first appearance in a Cyclone uniform since averaging a career-best 13.5 points and 5.1 assists per game during the 2025-26 campaign.
Now, the five-star floor general is preparing to lead the Cyclones in his fifth year, and gratitude barely captures the feeling for him, his teammates, and coaches. "He has this elite strength of disrupting the other team and making them not play as well, while also uplifting his own teammates and getting them to play better," Otzelberger said. "The third thing is how important the other guys realize he is right away and want him on their team, or see the benefit as soon as he's with them. It's immediate. A lot of things we learned, and Tamin has handled everything as well as anybody could. Now we're at the point where the season's here, and the leadership, the personality of the team, and all the things he's done for us—we need all those things even at a higher level than what we've had in the past."
Originally reported by yahoo.