Xavier Foster, Two Others Cleared to Play for Iowa State Basketball: Report
Xavier Foster, Blake Hinson and Gabe Kalscheur have been cleared for basketball-related activities, as reported by CBSSports.com’s Jon Rothstein.
Rothstein, who also works for CollegeHoopsToday.com, noted that the report came via a conversation with Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger.
This is significant news for the Cyclones, who are trying to rebuild under Otzelberger. The former Iowa State assistant is taking over a program that went through one of its worst seasons in program history, winning just two games in 2020-21. That led to the firing of head coach Steve Prohm.
Foster was a four-star recruit and Top 70 national player coming out of Oskaloosa High School in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and was the ‘big get’ of Prohm’s 2020 recruiting class. Foster played just seven games before injuring his right foot. Surgery on the foot ended his season and he redshirted.
He averaged 4.0 points per game in just 7.8 minutes per game. As a 7-footer, Foster should get an opportunity to play more in 2021-22.
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Hinson never played for the Cyclones last season after a medical condition forced him to miss the campaign, something Prohm openly lamented when ISU made the announcement. Hinson’s condition was not disclosed, but it was not related to COVID-19.
The redshirt sophomore started two seasons at Ole Miss, as he averaged 10.1 points per game in 2019-20 and 8.3 points per game in 2018-19. The Sunrise Christian product was the No. 1 player in Kansas coming out of high school.
Kalscheur transferred to Iowa State from Minnesota this past offseason and is recovering from a finger injury. The senior was a three-year starter with the Gophers who averaged more than 10 points per game with Minnesota. The 6-foot-4 guard adds instant depth to the backcourt and is a candidate to start.
You can reach Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
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