Iowa State men's basketball sets December visits with Omaha Biliew, four other major 2023 targets
Matthew Bain
Iowa State men's basketball is striking while the iron is hot.
The undefeated No. 19 Cyclones are set to host five high-end targets for a mix of official and unofficial visits in December, a source with direct knowledge of Iowa State recruiting told the Des Moines Register on Monday, giving those targets a chance to see the program energized like it hasn't been in several years.
Omaha Biliew, the five-star forward who played his first two seasons in Iowa and is now starring at Link Year Prep in Branson, Missouri, will unofficially visit Iowa State on Dec. 21 for the Cyclones' game against Chicago State. Behind closed doors, the chatter is that Biliew is planning to release a top five in late December or early January, and it would be a shock if Iowa State doesn't make the cut.
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Milwaukee four-star forward Milan Momcilovic will take an official visit to Iowa State Dec. 11-12, getting a chance to see the Cyclones host Jackson State on Dec. 12. Iowa State was one of the first programs to offer the 6-8 Momcilovic in September. Since then, he's blossomed into a top-50 national prospect with high-majors all over him.
Ohio three-star wing Devin Royal and Chicagoland three-star guard Cam Christie will officially visit Iowa State Dec. 18-20, during which they'll see the Cyclones host Southeastern Louisiana. Christie, the younger brother of Michigan State freshman and likely one-and-done star Max Christie, picked up an Iowa State offer in late July when he became one of the top early 2023 priorities. The Cyclones offered Royal in October and tried to get him on campus as soon as possible.
The soonest visit of them all will come from Illinois three-star wing Ty Pence, who will officially visit Iowa State Dec. 8-10 and see the Cyclones host Iowa this Thursday. He unofficially visited Ames already in late October, after landing his Cyclones offer earlier in the month.
Matthew Bain is the deputy sports editor for the Des Moines Register. He still covers some recruiting, too. Contact him at mbain@dmreg.com and follow him on Twitter @MatthewBain_.