Tamin Lipsey Named Mr. Basketball

After leading one of the most dominant runs through 4A postseason basketball that we’ve seen in recent years, Ames point guard Tamin Lipsey Tamin Lipsey 6'2" | PG Ames | 2022 State #163 Nation IA can add one more bullet point to his resume as the future Iowa State Cyclone has been named 2022 Iowa Mr. Basketball by the Iowa Print Sportswriters Association, who bestowed the honor upon Lipsey at their annual meeting on Saturday. 

The Little Cyclones were clearly the best team in the state this season, and they made that fact known during their tournament run, winning their five postseason games by an average of 23.2 points a game, including a 31-point victory over Johnston in the 4A championship game. Lipsey was at the forefront of that charge on both ends of the floor, using his quickness and excellent change of pace to dictate the tempo, get to the rim, get others involved, and dominate games on the defensive end.

The epitome of a point guard, Lipsey has always been a team-first player, but admitted that adding a big individual award like Mr. Basketball was something that he cherished. "It’s a blessing and I’m very grateful. I never really play for individual awards, I just want team success. But when you are able to do both it feels amazing," Lipsey said. 

Lipsey missed his sophomore year with a torn ACL, which of course hurt his career stats a bit, but he still finished his career averaging 16.3 points, 5.3 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals a game while shooting 53.4% from the floor. A highly efficient guard who can get to the rim at will, he helped Ames qualify for the state tournament in all three seasons that he was on the floor, something that he was very proud of. When asked what his favorite memory was outside of the 4A state title, that fact was what he mentioned. "Besides the state title, it would be just playing at state, making it all three years I played," Lipsey said.

Lipsey has been committed to play his college ball at hometown Iowa State for a little over a year now and will certainly bring a ton of toughness, athleticism, quickness, and talent to the Cyclones backcourt. He showed his ability to impact the game across the board with his stat line in the 4A championship game, posting 11 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and 3 steals.