Ejim Scores 48: Iowa Time Machine February 8, 2014

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 8, 2014, Melvin Ejim hit 20 of 24 shots to set a Big 12-scoring record 48 points as Iowa State took down TCU 84-69 at Hilton Coliseum. Ejim’s big night also featured a career-high 18 rebounds in one of the most memorable performances in Iowa State men’s basketball history.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, to Nigerian parents on March 4, 1991, Ejim started playing basketball in grade 7 and eventually attended St. Mary's Ryken High School in Leonardtown, Maryland, before transferring to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. In his final year at Brewster in 2009-10, he averaged 13.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals, and 2.5 assists per game, leading Brewster to a 34-4 record and a National Prep School championship.

The 2013-14 season marked Fred Hoiberg's fourth year at Iowa State, and he brought in a talented trio of players in graduated senior transfer DeAndre Kane, JUCO transfer Dustin Hogue, and freshman Monte Morris to play alongside stalwarts Georges Niang and Melvin Ejim. The program opened the season winning a (then) school-record 14 games in a row. Kane had scored nearly 1,500 career points at Marshall, and along with Ejim made Iowa State one of seven schools nationally to enter the season with two 1,000-point scorers.

The afternoon game on Saturday, February 8, began ordinarily enough. With about 9 minutes left in the game, Georges Niang caught Ejim looking up at the giant scoreboard hanging over the center of the court, and when Niang looked up himself, Ejim had 35 points. Ejim had two 3-pointers and six dunks during his big game, including one on a spectacular fast-break lob from DeAndre Kane that gave the Cyclones a 67-52 lead and effectively put the game out of reach while Hilton rocked to the rafters. Ejim scored 20 consecutive Iowa State points during one stretch in the second half. Ejim went on to earn Big 12 Player of the Year honors for 2014, becoming the first Iowa State Cyclone to win the award since 2001. #Iowa #OTD #Basketball #CollegeBasketball #History