Two standouts from an Iowa State team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament and finished ranked 17th in the final AP Poll will get opportunities at the professional level.
Sixth man Curtis Jones, the 30th All-American in school history, has signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Denver Nuggets. It's a good landing spot for Jones, as the franchise did not have a selection in this year's NBA Draft.
Starting point guard Keshon Gilbert has signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Washington Wizards.
Both are likely to participate for their respective teams' NBA Summer League teams next month in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Minneapolis (Minn.) native Jones earned honorable mention honors from the Associated Press this past season and was also named the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year and All-Big 12 First Team selection. He was the first player in league history to earn both in the same season. Jones led the Cyclones in scoring with 17.4 points per game, while connecting on 88 3-pointers this season.
Jones came off the bench in 25 games as a fifth-year senior, averaging 17.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.0 steals per game. His 17.2 points per game off the bench were the most in the country for anyone coming off the bench.
It marked the conclusion of a stellar two-season run in Ames for a backcourt player who began his college career in the JUCO ranks and later at Buffalo before transferring to Iowa State ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
Another transfer who experienced huge success with the Cyclones was Gilbert, who was in the same signing class as Jones.
The UNLV transfer dealt with multiple injuries during his senior season but still managed to start in 28 of 29 games and average 13.4 points, a team-best 4.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 31.4 minutes per game. Gilbert was a 48.4-percent shooter from the field and connected on 33.3-percent from long range and 72.9-percent at the free throw line.
A groin injury ended up costing Gilbert down the stretch of the season and kept him out of the NCAA Tournament as he began rehabbing for a spot on an NBA team's Summer League roster.
