Iowa State pipeline benefits Marial Shayok during Utah Jazz pre-draft workout

SALT LAKE CITY — No. 14 hangs in the rafters of Vivint Arena in honor of Iowa State legend and Utah Jazz great Jeff Hornacek.

Naz Mitrou-Long and Georges Niang were also on the Jazz roster during the 2018-19 season, so even before Marial Shayok touched down in Utah this week, he was aware of the pipeline from Ames, Iowa, to Salt Lake City through those past Cyclones.

"I spoke to Georges a few days ago. He wished me well," Shayok said following his pre-draft workout with the Jazz on Thursday. "He told me was proud of me and to keep going and working hard so it was good to hear from him and it's always love.

"Monte (Morris) will always reach out if he sees me doing something well and obviously Naz, he's from Canada so we have a connection so we're pretty close," he continued. "It's good to see those guys doing well."

Mitrou-Long, Morris, Niang, Deonte Burton and Abdel Nader were the five ISU players on NBA rosters this past season, and Shayok is looking to become the next. He worked out alongside Boston College's Ky Bowman, South Dakota State's Skyler Flatten, Kansas' Quentin Grimes, Indiana's Juwan Morgan and Dayton's Obi Toppin where Jazz Vice President of Player Personnel Walt Perrin said, "he showed us what he can do."

"He can really shoot the ball," Perrin said of Shayok. "He did some things off the dribble that we've seen before, but it was nice to see again. He played hard and competed. Looks like he's in pretty good shape, too, because he finished strong."

The Jazz will pick No. 23 and 53 in the 2019 NBA Draft on June 20. Utah has hosted 24 prospects through four pre-draft workouts as of Thursday as the big day nears.

Shayok's Cyclones teammate Lindell Wigginton also participated in a Jazz workout on May 4.

"I think they're pretty well-coached" Perrin said of Iowa State players. "I know the coach is on them pretty hard, I know they're gonna play hard and most of them have a chip on their shoulder. So, it's something we kind of like."

Prior to the current Jazz players from ISU, Diante Garrett and Jamaal Tinsley also experienced brief tenures in Utah, but none were bigger than Hornacek — whose number is also retired at Iowa State.

Shayok averaged 18.7 points and 4.9 rebounds in his senior season at ISU while earning 2019 All-Big 12 First Team honors along the way, but he remains humble through that successful college pipeline into the professional ranks, especially in Utah.

"It's huge," Shayok said. "Just because I see them come back and I see the work they'll put in and that's the exact same formula I'm trying to follow and follow in their footsteps so I can be at the same level they're at."