AMES, Iowa – Iowa State guard Tyrese Haliburton was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the No. 12 pick in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft. He is the third-highest draft pick in school history.
Haliburton was selected with the No. 12 pick to become the 41st Cyclone to be drafted. Iowa State has had 14 players drafted since the Big 12 was formed in 1996-97, the third-best total in the league.
The Oshkosh, Wisconsin native’s story is one for the movies.
Haliburton arrived at Iowa State as the No. 172 ranked player in the nation following a successful prep career at Oshkosh North High School. As a freshman, he averaged just 6.8 points but his impact on the floor was impossible to ignore. He ranked second nationally and led the Big 12 Conference with a 4.5 assist-to-turnover ratio, while leading all conference freshmen in minutes played (33.2 per game).
The summer following his freshman season saw Haliburton lead the 2019 USA Basketball Men’s U19 World Cup Team to a Gold Medal in Greece. He was named to the All-Star Five of the tournament, averaging 7.9 points and a tournament-best 6.9 assists. His efficiency was off the charts, connecting on 68.9 percent of field-goal attempts and 10-of-18 three-pointers.
As a sophomore, Haliburton took on a heavier load of the offense and responded. He averaged 15.2 points, 6.5 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 2.5 steals before his season was cut short after 22 games due to a left wrist fracture. He earned All-Big 12 Second-Team accolades.
At the time of his injury he was sixth in the big 12 in scoring, second in field goal percentage (50.4), first in assists, first in steals, second in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3), third in 3-point field goal percentage (41.9) and 13th in rebounding.
Haliburton had four double-doubles and posted the sixth triple-double in school history, finishing with 22 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists at TCU.
He was a Cousy Award Finalist and on the Wooden Award Midseason Top-25 and the Lute Olson Award Midseason Watch List. He earned all-district honors from both the USBWA and NABC despite his shortened season.
An all-around student-athlete, Haliburton was an Academic All-Big 12 First-Team honoree and an ISU Scholar-Athlete last season.
Haliburton is the eighth player that Iowa State head coach Steve Prohm has had drafted in his nine years as a college coach (Murray State and Iowa State), which includes six Cyclones. Haliburton is Prohm’s fourth point guard to be drafted, giving him the second-most point guards selected since he became a head coach.
