RON MALY HAS BEEN WATCHING THE PARADE GO BY FOR A LONG TIME. THIS IS ONE OF HIS WEBSITES.

Monday, May 19, 2014

By Georgios, Cyclones' Fred Hoiberg Signs a 7-1 Center from Greece. Georgios Tsalmpouris Says, 'I Feel Blessed Because My Dream Came True On the Best Possible Scenario.' Hoiberg Says, 'Geoprgios Gives Us Another Big Man That Is Able To Run the Floor and Shoot hte Ball.'


Good for Fred Hoiberg. Good for Iowa State. 
Hoiberg is keeping the Cyclones' basketball cupboard filled with talent, and retaining Iowa State's place as a national power.
Today he added a 7-foot 1-inch player--center Georgios Tsalmpouris of Greece--to his roster.  Myron Medcalf of ESPN.com wrote that Hoiberg signed Tsalmpouris of Greek's national team.
Tsalmpouris, who is from Veria, Greece, won't turn 18 until June. He will compete in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain this summer before joining the Cyclones in the fall. Tsalmpouris will be eligible to play for Iowa State immediately.
"As an elementary school student in Greece I started playing basketball having a dream, a big dream, for a country boy from a small rural town named Katerini," Tsalmpouris said via the school's release on the signing. "I hoped that one day I would be able to cross the Atlantic Ocean and playing basketball at a big university.
"Today I feel blessed because my dream came true on the best possible scenario. I am joining the Iowa State basketball team. I am so grateful to Coach Hoiberg and Coach [Matt] Abdelmassih, who recruited me and gave me the opportunity to learn from the best and contribute to the future success of the Iowa State basketball program."
The teenager rejected interest from Greek professional teams and instead joined the Cyclones, where he'll likely come off the bench next season, per a source close to the program.
Tsalmpouris is just the fifth 7-footer the program has signed.
Last year, Hoiberg started 6-6 Melvin Ejim and 6-7 Georges Niang inside. But the Cyclones will utilize a bigger rotation next season.
Marquette transfer Jameel McKay is a 6-9 forward who is expected to join Monte Morris, UNLV transfer Bryce Dejean-Jones, Dustin Hogue and Niang in next season's starting lineup. Tsalmpouris will add frontcourt depth and size that Hoiberg hasn't had during his time in Ames.
Iowa State's offseason moves have positioned the program to compete with Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma for the Big 12 title.
"Georgios gives us another big man that is able to run the floor and shoot the ball," Hoiberg said in the school's release. "He fits with how we want to play while giving us more length. I'm looking forward to helping him continue to develop as a basketball player."