“Reggie Miller twin”: College hoops fans hail Tyrese Haliburton as ex-Iowa State star’s highlights resurface

Indiana Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton is poised to lead his squad to another deep postseason run in the 2024-2025 season. On Tuesday, Haliburton led the fourth-seeded Pacers to a one-point victory, 119-118, over the fifth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round matchup to advance to the second round after winning the series, 4-1.

Haliburton made the go-ahead layup over Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo to give Indiana a one-point edge with two seconds remaining in the fixture. He finished the game with 26 points, five rebounds, a team-high nine assists, three steals, and three blocks in 42 minutes played.

As his stardom continues to rise in the league, many are looking back at his time with the Iowa State Cyclones back in his college basketball years. Haliburton was the floor general for the program during his days, and @br_hoops on Instagram compiled some of his best highlights earlier on Wednesday, April 30.

College basketball fans and spectators hailed Haliburton for his highlights from his collegiate hoops days by comparing him to both past and present NBA players.

"Reggie Miller twin," one user claimed.

"He a better LaMelo," another user said.

"Modern day J. Kidd/Nash," another shared.

"The Pistons drafted Killian Hayes over Tyrese," a user wrote.

Other users all over the comment section then raved on Haliburton as he was a budding talent even back in his Cyclones tenure.

"That boy is a walking bucket," one fan commented with a fire emoji.

"Always been a problem," another fan posted.

"Nah y'all act like y'all forgot or something. That's why I love watching college basketball because you see the spark, then in the league, you see the product," a user explained with a laughing emoji.

During his time under the tutelage of then-coach Steve Prohm, Haliburton averaged 10.1 markers, 4.4 boards, 4.7 dimes and 1.9 steals per contest in his two years with the Cyclones.

Taking a look back at Tyrese Haliburton's college career

The Cyclones won the Big 12 conference championship in Haliburton's freshman season. In a team led by guards Marial Shayok and Talen Horton-Tucker, among others, in terms of scoring, the 6-foot-5 guard appeared in all 35 games, averaging 6.8 PPG and 3.6 APG.

Haliburton saw a massive improvement in his stats in the 2019-20 season, where he led the Cyclones in scoring, assists, and was joint-second in rebounds.

Although the season was cut short due to COVID, Haliburton was named to the Second-team All-Big 12 in the 2019-2020 season with averages of 15.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 2.5 steals a game. Haliburton ended his college career shortly after and was the 12th pick in the 2020 NBA draft.

About the author

Koby del Rosario is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda who took up BS in Advertising Management at De La Salle University, one of the big "four" universities in the Philippines. Koby has over four years of experience with Complex PH, M2.0 Communications, The LaSallian, Daily Tribune, and Time Attack Manila.

Koby's favorite college team would have to be the North Carolina Tar Heels. Apart from being MJ's alma mater, Koby has always been fond of the Jordan silhouettes that release in the school's colors (being a sneakerhead himself).

His past favorite college players would have to be Russell Westbrook (UCLA) and Markelle Fultz (Washington). With Russ, his 1-2 punch with Kevin Love during their UCLA days was something Koby marveled at as Russ became his favorite player to watch post-Kobe.

Besides playing basketball, Koby enjoys nightlife, collecting sneakers, and playing video games. Apart from hosting parties and taking pictures for parties/bars/clubs, Koby is learning to DJ as a hobby with all sorts of house and hip-hop as the main genres.

Know More

Pacers Fan? Check out the latest Indiana Pacers depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash