Former Jayhawk Tristan Enaruna returns to Kansas as starter for Iowa State basketball
Tristan Enaruna was part of 27 victories against two defeats at Allen Fieldhouse during his two seasons as a Kansas men’s basketball player.
His job Tuesday night is to try to become one of those rare individuals to prevail as a member of the visiting team in the Jayhawks’ tradition-rich building where KU is 283-15 during the 19-year Bill Self era.
“i think It’s going to be a lot of fun,” Enaruna, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound guard forward who transferred from Kansas to Iowa State last offseason said of Tuesday’s 7 p.m. game.
“Obviously still having a good relationship with those guys … (I) left there in good spirits. So I think it’s going to be fun to go back there and compete,” Enaruna added.
He was asked by a media member who covers Iowa State on Monday in Ames what he might tell Cyclones freshman point guard Tyrese Hunter about competing in Allen.
“The crowd (and) how loud it gets — I feel that’s something that we can’t even let it take away our focus,” Enaruna said. “That’s really what they want. They’re going to try to speed you up. I feel keeping his calm his composure (will be important).”
Enaruna, who has started all 15 games for the No. 15-ranked Cyclones (13-2, 1-2 Big 12), has averaged 6.8 points (on 55.4% shooting) and 4.2 rebounds per game after averaging 2.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per game in 2020-21 for KU (12-2, 1-1).
As a reserve, Enaruna averaged 9.4 minutes in 25 games last season. He has averaged 17.6 minutes per contest this season in Ames.
“The reason why I transferred was just because I felt like I needed a different environment for me to develop,” Enaruna said Monday. “I think I learned a lot when I was over there, but I just had to take another step. I felt like it was going to be better for me to do that somewhere else.”
Enaruna, who said he still keeps in contact with former KU teammates via text and social media, said KU coach Bill Self supported his entering the transfer portal.
“He thought it was a good thing for me,” Enaruna said. “It’s not that he wanted me gone, but he felt like I needed a different opportunity as well. He was very optimistic and very supportive of it, even coming here (ISU). He knew T.J. (Otzelberger) was a good coach. He pretty much wished me the best.”
Self spoke highly of Enaruna on Monday.
“There’s not a better individual that we’ve ever recruited,” Self said. “Nobody wanted him to leave, but it was a better opportunity for him to do that. And now we see that that’s true, it was a good decision for him to do that, even though nobody liked it. I’m really happy for him.”
Self said the move has worked out well for Enaruna.
“I think he’s more aggressive. I think he’s gotten better. I think he’s stronger. I think he’s more confident offensively. They’re playing him in a way that can take advantage of his size some and his athletic ability inside. I think he’s done really well,” Self said.
Enaruna scored a career-high 23 points in the Cyclones’ 77-72 loss to No. 1 Baylor on Jan. 1 in Ames. He had two points and three boards in Saturday’s 79-66 loss at Oklahoma. ISU squandered an 11-point lead in the second half, fading badly down the stretch.
“We kind of lost our grip of the game, gave them a couple easy baskets at the end of the game which was totally unnecessary,” Enaruna said. “We kind of slipped away from the game. Obviously having this game against Kansas, we can’t keep our head down, can’t be caught up with it (OU loss) too much. Adversity is a good thing kind of, you’ve got to learn from it. This happening earlier in the conference season is better than it happening late. I think it will only help us.”
Tuesday’s game also matches former Cyclone Jalen Coleman-Lands against his old school. Coleman-Lands transferred from ISU to KU after last season.
KU’s 6-4, 190-pound senior forward from Indianapolis, has averaged 5.3 points in 11.1 minutes a game. He’s made 16 of 37 three-point attempts for 43.2%.
Last year, in his one season in Ames, Coleman-Lands averaged 14.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists while starting 22 of 23 games. He cashed 58 of 147 threes for 39.5%.
“I’m sure they (Cyclones) will be looking forward to it as I will,” Coleman-Lands said of playing ISU in a recent interview. “I had a good time, good relationships at Iowa State. In this game, with college you have a limited amount of time and have got to do what’s best for you. There’s mutual respect. With the players it’ll be competitive as expected, a great environment.”
