Iowa State lands elite JUCO forward Emmanuel Malou

Star junior college forward Emmanuel Malou announced Friday that his basketball career will continue back in central Iowa.

The high-level post-prep recruit chose Iowa State over scholarship offers from Arizona, Kansas and 10 other Division I schools.

"I just felt like it was the right spot for me," Malou said. "It happened over time. I'm really familiar with Iowa, Iowa State's program and the staff.

"I went to most the home games when I lived there."

The Australia native was a coveted prospect in 2014 while living in Des Moines and playing at the now-defunct ABCD Prep, and he has garnered even more attention for his 2016 commitment out of Yuba College in Marysville, Calif.

Iowa State was the front-runner in Malou's recruitment out of prep school and again after his freshman season at Yuba. Assistant coach T.J. Otzelberger led the charge as the 6-foot-9, 210-pound athlete adjusted to the switch from head coach Fred Hoiberg to Steve Prohm.

"I feel like I can fit in like a Georges Niang-type of player. Maybe a little bit more explosive," Malou said with a laugh. "I can bring versatility and mismatches and the ability to guard different positions."

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Malou averaged 14.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game last season with Yuba, shooting 47.3 percent from 3-point range.

"By the time it's all said and done, I don't think there will be any question he will end up being the best player this campus has ever seen, and maybe even the best player in the entire state of California," Yuba College coach Doug Cornelius told the Marysville Appeal-Democrat last season. "I've talked to scouts all around the country that say he's the best junior college player in the country."

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"Manny" visited Ames in early August, but was also receiving interest from Pac-12 programs Arizona State and Oregon, Big 12 squads West Virginia, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, and Big East contender Marquette. It took a couple years to get back to Iowa and give the Cyclones more thorough consideration, but Malou considers it time well-spent.

"It's made me more mature, more patient and even hungrier to play at Iowa State and play Division I basketball," Malou said. "It's been a process to get here. But I'm almost on the other side."

Malou is Iowa State's third commitment in the 2016 class, after Iowa Western guard Donovan Jackson and Sacramento, Calif.-based forward Solomon Young made their verbals at the end of August.