Iowa State men’s basketball inks four to 2025-26 class including top Wisconsin prep Jamarion Bateman

Cyclones put together Top 10 recruiting class for second time under TJ Otzelberger with four signings

The Iowa State men's basketball team announced their 2025-26 recruiting class on Wednesday. / Iowa State Athletics

The Iowa State men’s basketball team took advantage of a successful season and top national ranking to sign another Top 10 recruiting class. 

With four commitments putting pen to paper on Wednesday, the Cyclones signed their second Top 10 class under TJ Otzelberger in four recruiting cycles. The class is regarded as the best in program history.

Topping the list is Milwaukee native Jamarion Batemon, a 6-foot-3 guard. Fellow Wisconsin prep Xzavion Mitchell joins him out of Oshkosh who is a 6-6 forward. Macari Moore, a 6-3 guard from Ann Arbor, Mich. and France’s Killyah Toure round out the group.

According to 247sports and Rivals, the class is rated No. 8 in the nation, while ESPN has it ranked ninth. Iowa State is the highest-ranked Big 12 Conference team.

Batemon, a consensus four-star recruit, is the sixth-highest-ranked recruit in the modern era for Iowa State. The top player in Wisconsin, he averaged over 22 points on the Adidas 3SSB Circuit over the summer. 

Otzelberger on Batemon: “Jamarion has great long-range ability but is also terrific at attacking the closeout and getting downhill as a playmaker. He’s an elite scoring guard, who has range as soon as he steps on the court. He takes tremendous pride in guarding the basketball and picking guys up full court. He’ll make an immediate impact on our program.”

Mitchell, also a four-star recruit by several services, played for Team Herro on the Nike EYBL Circuit this past summer. He was named Nike EYBL Session II MVP after averaging 28 points and almost seven rebounds per game.

Otzelberger on Mitchell: “Xzavion is a versatile, bit win who has the ability to attack off the dribble. He’s somebody that has been a great rebounder and defensively he has tremendous versatility with an ability to guard all positions on the floor. He’ll make an immediate impact on our program with his toughness and consistency.”

Moore was the first player to commit to the Cyclones in the class, earning a Top 25 guard ranking by multiple services. He helped Huron High School in Michigan to a 23-5 record last year and a trip to the semifinals, surpassing 1,000 points in his career. He also played on the Nike EYBL Circuit over the summer.

Otzelberger on Moore: “Macari gets in the paint, making plays for himself and his teammates. He is a physical, downhill playmaking guard. He takes tremendous pride in being a physical, on-ball defender and he can rebound the basketball well from the guard position.”

Toure comes to Ames from Pamiers, France where he was involved in several leagues including the French ProA U21. He has been at Brewster Academy since arriving in the United States and earned defensive MVP honors in 2023 at NBA Basketball Without Borders Europe.

Otzelberger on Toure: “Killyah is a dynamic, open-court playmaking guard. He’s somebody who operates best in transition, seeing the play a step ahead. He takes tremendous pride in guarding the basketball and being disruptive. "