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We continue our 2016-17 season preview interview series with Iowa State SR SG Naz Mitrou-Long…or more accurately, Nazareth Jersey Mitrou-Long. He spent his sophomore year showing the nation how lethal his 3-PT stroke is: 8-11 in a season-opening win against UNC-Wilmington, a 30-footer at the buzzer against Oklahoma State, 4-6 in the Big 12 tourney title game against Baylor, and a trio of threes in the final 6 minutes of a win over North Carolina in the NCAA tourney. His chances of becoming the most prolific long-range shooter in Cyclone history were halted last season after 8 games when he took a medical redshirt after off-season hip surgery, but if he can remain healthy this season then he has a legitimate shot to break the school record. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Naz about growing up in Canada and coming back from an injury.
You were born/raised in Canada: how did you 1st get into basketball? There was a basketball net inside this boxing gym I used to go to. During breaks in boxing I would gravitate toward the hoop, and later I would play outside on the playground.
2 of your AAU teammates were Cory Joseph/Tristan Thompson: how good were they back in the day, and how exciting was it to see them face off in the Eastern Conference Finals last spring? They were the best! I was a little younger than them but I remember going to watch my older friends play on our varsity team and see them get it done. It was pretty cool to watch the Eastern Conference Finals: the entire country of Canada was tuned in. They definitely deserve it because they set the bar so high.
You received scholarship offers from many schools including Creighton/Dayton/Miami: what made you choose the Cyclones? Ultimately it was the fan base. Coach Fred Hoiberg was great when he came up to recruit me. I did not plan to commit during my campus visit but I just came here and fell in love with it. Once I heard that the practice facility was open 24 hours, I told Coach that it was a done deal. It is a different type of place here: I can free my mind and get to work.
In the 2013 season opener you scored a career-high 26 PTS (including 8-11 3PM) in 26 minutes in a win over UNC-Wilmington: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? It was definitely a situation where I felt like I could throw a rock into the ocean. I did not play very much as a freshman so I wanted to prove that I could play in the best conference in the country: my teammates did a great job of finding me that night.
In February 2014 against Oklahoma State you made your only 3-PT shot of the game at the end of the 2nd OT en route to a 1-PT 3-OT win, and 1 month later you scored 14 PTS including a 30-footer at the end of regulation en route to a 4-PT OT win: do Cowboy fans just start crying whenever you show up to Gallagher-Iba Arena?! Something like that! I work basketball camps at Iowa State and 1 kid mentioned that he thinks about those shots even today.
Last year you played 8 games before deciding to sit out the rest of the season due to continuing pain from a pair of hip surgeries the previous offseason: did you think that you would receive a medical redshirt, and how is your health at the moment? I honestly was unsure about getting a redshirt: you never know until you know but it was a weight off my shoulders. My health is the best that it has ever been. I know it is hard to believe but I have more mobility now than I have ever had in my life.
Your non-conference schedule includes games against Miami/Stanford/Cincinnati/Iowa/Vanderbilt: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? All of them will be big tests. Vandy on the road is a big deal and Miami is at a neutral site. Iowa is always a hostile environment: it does not make sense to me why road games are so tough but they just are.
You play for Coach Steve Prohm: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? He wants to build relationships and preaches about doing things the right way. He challenges us every single day and brings the same type of energy when it is time to get onto the court.
You are a part of a loaded backcourt that includes Monte Morris/Matt Thomas/Deonte Burton: do you feel that you have 1 of the best/deepest crops of guards in the nation? I definitely do. I am sure that other players feel the same way about their own backcourt, but we are excited to show the country our mix of talent/experience.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I want to finish the season with a “W” in the NCAA tourney and there is only 1 team who can do that. I want to win with my guys and finish my career on the right note.