St. Bonaventure ahead Osun Osunniyi (21) appears to cross throughout a recreation in March. He has since transferred to Iowa State. (AP Photograph/David Zalubowski, File)

AMES — Virginia by no means had an opportunity.

Within the closing seconds of an NIT males’s basketball quarterfinal final recreation final season, the Cavaliers trailed St. Bonaventure 52-51, however a layup try within the remaining fractions of a second may have modified the end result.

It didn’t — as a result of former Bonnie and present Iowa State Cyclone Osun Osunniyi stood in the way in which.

The 6-foot-10 defensive wunderkind sprang up and swatted away the basketball, bouncing it off a handful of dejected Virginia followers because the buzzer blared.

“If I don’t block that shot, solely God is aware of what occurs,” mentioned Osunniyi, considered one of school basketball’s most gifted shot erasers. “It’d go in and we could be going residence.”

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As an alternative, Osunniyi and his teammates reached the NIT semifinals. Now two of them — Osunniyi and gifted guard Jaren Holmes — are graduate transfers excited to go well with up for the Cyclones this season on a much bigger stage, with bigger objectives beckoning.

“I take pleasure in being that final line of protection,” mentioned Osunniyi, whose 315 profession blocks dwarf the present ISU document of 235 set by Jared Homan from 2002-05. “Having the ability to block pictures and shield the rim. However what I look to get out of this 12 months is simply to progress my offensive recreation. Be capable of work my method out, be capable of knock down perimeter pictures and be capable of be extra snug on the perimeter making performs; ball dealing with, being a playmaker on the similar time.”

If Osunniyi is ready to develop as a fringe risk, the Cyclones’ prospects for a return journey to the NCAA Match spike upward.

And ISU head coach T.J. Otzelberger not solely believes that it’s attainable. It’s crucial, he mentioned, for each Osunniyi and the Cyclones to succeed in peak potential.

“We’ve confidence in his skill to do this,” Otzelberger mentioned. “And as we broaden his recreation, that’s one thing that we’re going to carry him accountable to, to be aggressive and knock that shot down.”

Osunniyi, a two-time Atlantic 10 defensive participant of the 12 months, has by no means tried a 3-point shot in school. He’s additionally a profession 59.5 p.c area aim shooter, which is essentially a product of discovering methods to attain virtually completely on the block. So when Otzelberger talks about wanting — no, needing — him to shoot and make trailer 3-pointers, it’s fairly an adjustment.

Osunniyi welcomes it.

“(Otzelberger) mentioned, ‘There’s gonna be occasions that (you’re) gonna be open,’ and he’s anticipating me to shoot the shot,” Osunniyi mentioned. “He instructed me if I don’t shoot the shot, he’s gonna make the workforce run, as a result of he has that confidence in me. … That’s one of many issues that drew me extra to coming right here, as a result of they’re going to demand that I shoot these pictures. They need me to shoot these pictures.”

The Cyclones additionally need him to proceed to swat away pictures at an elite fee, after all. Including one component to his recreation gained’t subtract from the opposite.

“He is someone that’s elite when it comes to his skill to run and transfer at his dimension, which permits him to be actually impactful in ball display protection,” Otzelberger mentioned. “It permits him to be impactful working the ground in transition, offensive rebounding, attending to a lane and conserving performs alive after which, you recognize, his skill to dam pictures.”

Few of Osunniyi’s blocks had been extra impactful than the one final season at Virginia. After he’d saved the sport, he waved to the gang and wagged his finger as if to say, “no-no.” Consider that play as a coming sights kind of spotlight for the Cyclones. Osunniyi definitely does.

“When that occurs, particularly in hostile territory, you are feeling the gang type of simply die and shut down,” Osunniyi mentioned. “To have the ability to have a good time with my teammates in that kind of atmosphere was particular, so I can’t wait to have the ability to try this in Hilton quickly — simply to dam pictures and get the gang concerned. I feed off that. I get the gang concerned, it helps me play higher.”

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