Article on Shawn Taggart from the Iowa State Daily

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WALL: Shawn Taggart: addition by subtraction
ARTICLE MEDIA (Iowa State Daily)
(4.26.06)

It was just one year ago that Taggart was the highlight of ISU men's basketball coach Wayne Morgan's recruiting class.

The 7-footer from Virginia was said to have passed on the NBA to attend Iowa State. His potential was almost endless.

ISU fans spent the offseason dreaming of Taggart running and gunning with Curtis Stinson, Will Blalock and Rahshon Clark.

A player of his size and athleticism was a dream come true for Iowa State; another star center to follow in the footsteps of Kelvin Cato, Marcus Fizer, Jackson Vroman and Jared Homan.
He was the final piece to the Cyclone puzzle, an inside scoring force to complement Iowa State's trio of standout guards.

And then Taggart stepped on the basketball court and fans' hopes came crashing back down to a harsh reality of unrealized potential. His numbers were unimpressive - 5.6 points and a measly 3.6 rebounds per game - as was his overall game.

Now, one year later, Taggart is gone - the latest move in Iowa State's basketball exodus.
He joins guards Tasheed Carr and Farnold Degand and forward Mike Evanovich as players who have shown themselves the door.

Stinson and Blalock are also out testing the waters of the NBA Draft. Both can still return to the team if they so choose, provided the draft doesn't go in their favor.

Of Iowa State's offensive production from last season, only 35 percent returns, with almost half of that coming in the form of Rahshon Clark.

Clark is an exceptional player - an athletic slasher who can penetrate and score at will, and has also developed a reliable outside shot - but all that remains around him is Jiri Hubalek, Ross Marsden and Jessan Gray.

Talk about a bare cupboard.