Iowa State senior Melvin Ejim is one of the top candidates for player of the year in the Big-12 Conference. The native of Toronto is the leading scorer in Big 12 player at just under 19 points per game and is third in the league in rebounding at nearly eight and a half per game. “I think he’s improved from year to year. The last two summers he has had a chance to play with two different national teams — with Nigeria two years ago and then with Canada this past summer —   and he has worked extensively on his game,” Iowa State coach Fred Hoiberg says.

He says Ejim has become a go to guy for them and is just as successful off the court as a first-tem academic all-American.

The Cyclones return to action on Wednesday night by hosting West Virginia.