Iowa State basketball took another roster hit today with the departure of freshman guard Wes Eikmeier. The scholarship chart will be adjusted accordingly.

Eikmeier's departure is the second of this short offseason, with the departure of Clint Mann. Obviously, this is nothing new, as over half of McDermott's commitments in his first three recruiting classes (9 of 17) will have left the team early.

The loss of Eikmeier might have a greater effect down the road, and is not likely to hurt the team much in the immediate future, but he may not be the last player to leave the team this offseason. Sources have told Clone Chronicles that Craig Brackins has indeed set in motion the process of declaring for the NBA Draft (without an agent involved at this point), as well as the possible loss of Cameron Lee from the team.

Player defections have haunted Greg McDermott at Iowa State, and he faces the very possible problem of losing the team's best player for the fourth straight offseason. While the defections of Mann and Eikmeier aren't team crippling, they are troubling.