Tough break

It seems like the past few months, all Iowa State fans have heard about the breaks the football team hasn’t been able to get. On Wednesday night, another went against the Cyclones, this time in basketball. Lucca Staiger, a freshman guard from Germany, was ruled ineligible for the 2007-08 basketball season. Talking with Staiger this morning, you could tell the news was shocking to him.
“I still don't really understand what the point is of this whole situation because I don't feel like I did anything wrong," Staiger said.
The situation is definitely an odd one. Staiger, who played three years with the Ehingen Club in Germany, was part of a team that had two of its players paid. Staiger and at least one other player has been ruled ineligible for now.
What is tough to take in about this situation is what happens to the six-foot, five-inch, 220 pound guard. I spent some time around the Cyclone basketball team this summer. Staiger was a guy I saw a lot of. Whether it was in the weight room or in the gym, he was defiantly a guy coach Greg McDermott was looking at for the guard position.
I remember running in Staiger along with freshman Clayton Vette and a number of other guys on the team. He was in the first row with some other basketball players after the Iowa vs. Iowa State football game cheering them on as Bret Culbertson was being carried off the field. Anyone could tell he just wanted to be a part of the team.
For now it looks like that’ll have to wait.