5-Star PF Omaha Biliew Commits to Iowa State over Kansas, Oregon, G League

Omaha Biliew, a 5-star power forward from the Link Academy in Branson, Missouri, committed to Iowa State on Tuesday, according to ESPN's Jeff Borzello.

He becomes the Cyclones' highest-ranked recruit in the modern recruiting era.

Biliew is considered the No. 12 player in the class of 2023, the No. 5 power forward and the top player from the state of Missouri, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

He has major upside, but on a talented Link Academy team that also has included Jordan Walsh, Julian Phillips and Tarris Reed, Biliew acknowledged in November 2021 that he's had to learn how to play a role and be a solid team player.

"My game is always going up," he told Eric Bossi of 247Sports. "Right now we have a lot of guys on our team so there are certain roles we have to have. My role is being a high motor guy right now. My time will come where I go out on the perimeter and touch the ball more and be more assertive with the ball. All that will come, I just have to be patient."

Iowa State surely respected that level of humility, as Biliew has gone from a state champion to finding his niche on a new squad:

He has all the upside of a future star, but Biliew's versatility and team-first attitude make him an extremely appealing addition for Iowa State as well.

The Cyclones are having one heck of a recruiting cycle.

The team already landed a pair of 4-star players in power forward Milan Momcilovic and shooting guard Jelani Hamilton. Now they've further improved their ranks, adding in Biliew as the headliner in the class. T.J. Otzelberger is building a strong team in Ames.