Courtesy: Cyclone Athletics
AMES, Iowa — Barry Stevens, an Iowa State men’s basketball All-Century Team member and one of the greatest basketball players in ISU history, will be honored at the Jan. 16 Iowa State-Missouri game. “Barry Stevens Day” will feature the unveiling of a banner of his retired jersey No. 35 as well as introductions of his wife (Sarita), sons (Darius and Jarius), sisters (Norma, Barbara, Rhonda and Beverly), brother (Donald) and brother-in-law (Jeff Grayer). Grayer is ISU’s all-time leading scorer, an All-Century team member and former teammate of Stevens at ISU. Stevens died suddenly from a heart attack on Feb. 21, 2007.
Stevens’ jersey will be displayed in the Hilton Coliseum rafters. Stevens will also be featured on the program flipcard and in a video scoreboard tribute during the halftime ceremony.
“I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to play against Barry Stevens,” said Iowa State head coach Greg McDermott. “He is one of the main reasons you see the unbelievable crowd support we have today in Hilton Coliseum. He is one of the best ever to put on a Cyclone uniform and he is certainly worthy of this honor.”
Stevens’ uncanny long-range shooting and outstanding athletic ability was a perfect fit in Coach Johnny Orr’s up-tempo style that helped resurrect the ISU program in the 1980s. The smooth-shooting forward ended his career as ISU’s all-time leading scorer – he now ranks second – with 2,190 points. A two-time first-team all-Big Eight selection (1984, 1985), Stevens averaged 21.7 ppg as a senior to pace ISU to its first NCAA appearance since 1944. He has the school’s second-best single game scoring mark with 47 points.
It is only fitting that Stevens, a native of Flint, Mich., will be honored when the Missouri Tigers come to town. For many people, “Hilton Magic” began 25 years ago on Feb. 8, 1983. On that day, as a sophomore, Stevens led an upstart Cyclone team to a stunning 73-72 overtime upset over the 10th-ranked Tigers. Stevens tallied a then-career-high 40 points and hit the final and deciding shot at the buzzer on his patented jumper at the top of the key.
Stevens joins six other Cyclone greats who have had their jerseys retired: Waldo Wegner (#14), Gary Thompson (#20), Zaid Abdul-Aziz (#35), Jeff Hornacek (#14), Jeff Grayer (#44) and Fred Hoiberg (#32).
