Royce White Headed to Iowa State

Royce White went to the University of Minnesota as a homegrown talent, but ended up never appearing in one game for the Golden Gophers. He won the state's 2009 Mr. Basketball award, but was looking for a new home after two arrests during his disappointing freshman year.

Enter rebuilding Iowa State and first-year head coach Fred Hoiberg, who couldn't turn down the upside White can provide, should he keep his nose clean.

"The thing I like best about Royce is that he's a very unselfish player," Hoiberg told the Associated Press. "You totally set your offense differently with Royce on the basketball floor. Use him as a facilitator, and you put him on the elbows, you let him attack and make plays. And he's a very willing passer."

Bringing White aboard is a solid move by Hoiberg. It's entirely possible being forced out of his hometown school was the wake up call White needed -- "I definitely think that the hurdles that I have overcome definitely changed me in a way where I'm very, very cautious about what I do on a day-to-day basis," White stated -- in which case grabbing a player with White's talent is a coup for the Cyclones.

White stands 6-foot-8 and was touted as one of the top 20 players in last season's incoming freshman class according to several outlets. He would have logged significant minutes with Minnesota had he not been suspended after being arrested for theft and disorderly conduct. He then was arrested for trespassing in connection to an alleged theft of a laptop computer in a dorm room.

So Iowa State has either landed one of the more talented players in the country or someone who can provide off-court distractions. Hoiberg is counting on the former.

"He's a very engaging kid, a very smart kid, and he fully admits to making a mistake," Hoiberg said. "Everybody involved with it, they all thought that he was genuine about it and that he deserved another chance. We're excited to have him on board."

White also was kicked out of school his junior year of high school, so the problems didn't just begin when he enrolled at Minnesota.

He still has four years of eligibility remaining and is applying for a waiver from the NCAA so he can play for Iowa State this season. Reportedly, Coach Hoiberg is confident the waiver will be granted and that White will be suiting up for the 2010-2011 Cyclones. If he's right, they just got a lot more talented.