Lilly Taulelei ready to bring international style to Iowa State women's basketball

Incoming Iowa State transfer Lilly Taulelei, a New Zealand native, remembers the first time she went to a movie theater in the United States.

Approaching the counter, she asked for a small bucket of popcorn and was immediately taken aback.

"It was honestly probably the biggest bucket of popcorn I've gotten in my life," Taulelei joked. "Everything (in the United States) is just kind of what we had back in New Zealand times five."

Taulelei, a 6-foot-3 center/forward, was born in the United States and is a dual citizen of New Zealand and the U.S. Outside of a three-month stint at a prep school in Florida, her freshman season at the University of Massachusetts was her first time living alone in the States. It was then she learned that everything is bigger than it was back home.

While in the transfer portal, Iowa State began to contact Taulelei and pitched her on being a Cyclone late in her recruitment process. At that point, she was eager to find her next home. When head coach Bill Fennelly told her that Hilton Coliseum regularly has 10,000 fans in attendance for women's basketball games, she was stunned again by the sheer size of crowds that Iowa State could offer.

"I was absolutely blown away," Taulelei said. "I don't even think we get 10,000 fans for our men's games back home."

More: Transfers Lilly Taulelei, Lily Hansford commit to Iowa State women's basketball

It was pretty quickly after that Taulelei made her choice to be a Cyclone. She said the primary reason she chose Iowa State was the "family environment" Iowa State and the coaching staff have fostered. Coming from a large and proud Polynesian family, Taulelei said that when you get her, you get her family as well. It's a package deal.

When she saw a similar vibe around Iowa State, it made it that much easier.

"After committing, I've already connected with all the girls on the team, all of the coaches have reached out and the fan base has already started to follow me on all my social-media platforms," Taulelei said. "I can really feel the family environment. That is one of the big reasons that I committed to Iowa State."

Taulelei admits she knows little about the state of Iowa. When she was at UMass this past season, she had moments of homesickness like many do when they leave their home country. She knows that will still happen from time to time while at ISU, but she's already planning to have her parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles come to Ames for a Christmastime visit to see some games.

Taulelei praised the coaching staff for their vision of the experiences she'll have in Ames.

"I just love the way they talk about the future of the program," Taulelei said. "I'm a very forward-thinking person. I kind of always want to know what's next. Being able to hear from them the plan they have for the program with the players that they have and the players that they want to get, it was all very exciting and I really wanted to be a part of that."

What is Iowa State getting in Lilly Taulelei?

Taulelei said that when she was following the NCAA Tournament with her teammates at UMass, Iowa State and Audi Crooks were her favorite team to watch.

As an international player, Taulelei is thrilled to bring her "high IQ" game to the frontcourt with Crooks. She promised to bring a physical, high-energy presence to the floor. Her physical style of play can lead to whistles, but Taulelei said she will work to limit her fouls.

Perhaps the most intriguing part of her game is her ability to stretch the floor. She has a lot of confidence in her mid-range jumper and is hoping the staff can help her expand her shot to beyond the arc as well.

“When we first talked to Lilly, we knew she was the perfect fit for our team on and off the court," Fennelly said in a press release. "Lilly will give us depth and experience (playing for New Zealand and in college) in the post, which we felt was (something) we wanted to add to next year’s roster. I know our fans are going to love to get to know her and her family background.”

While at UMass, Taulelei averaged 6.7 points and 2.5 rebounds in 24.2 minutes per game. She shot 45.3% from the floor and about 48% from the charity stripe. With that, she made the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team.

"Nothing is promised, so I'm just looking forward to the opportunity to play with an amazing group, be under an amazing coaching staff, advance my personal development and fit into a system that leads us to some big wins," Taulelei said.

Taulelei is one of four transfers to join Iowa State this off-season. The others are Lily Hansford (Oregon State), Kenzie Hare (Marquette) and Sydney Harris (TCU).

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com . Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Lilly Taulelei ready to bring international style to Iowa State women's basketball