IT’S A HARD LAST NAME. YEAH. NO NO NO, NOT NOT THAT HARD. UH, TAMING LIPSEY. THE FLOOR GENERAL FOR THE MEN. YEAH, HE WAS ALSO, YOU KNOW, THE PLAY CALLER ON THE GRIDIRON. HE DIDN’T HAVE JUST ONE NAME. HE LIVED UP TO PUT TWO. HE ONLY PLAYED FIVE GAMES. AND HE’S IN THE TOP TEN ALL TIME IN MOST RUSHING YARDS IN A SEASON FOR AMES HIGH SCHOOL. THE TEN SPOT BELONGS TO IOWA STATE. POINT GUARD TAIMANIN LIPSEY HAD THE ATTENTION OF EVERY OF EVERY DIVISION ONE COACH THAT WALKED THROUGH THIS BUILDING. I THINK I COULD PLAY, UH, AT OUR COLLEGE, NOT TRYING TO BE COCKY OR WHATEVER, BUT I’VE I’VE HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH MATT CAMPBELL AND JUST JOKING AROUND. I DON’T THINK THAT THAT’S A STRETCH. I MEAN, I’M SURE COACH CAMPBELL WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF THAT’S TRUE. I NEVER COMPLETED A FULL SEASON. I HAD A FEW DIFFERENT INJURIES, BUT FOOTBALL IS JUST A FUN SPORT. I MEAN, I’M SUPER PHYSICAL, LIKE I SAID, AND I LOVE CONTACT AND HITTING PEOPLE, WHICH IS WHY HE PLAYED SAFETY. HIS FRESHMAN SEASON. WE NOTICED AT A VERY YOUNG AGE HE’S REALLY SHARP. YOU KNOW, HE’D LEAN OUT OF COVERAGES AND MAKE PLAYS THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU THOUGHT AS A COACH, MAYBE HE CAN LEARN FROM AND TEACH OTHER KIDS. AND YOU SAY DAMIEN, WHY DID YOU MAKE THAT PLAY? AND HIS RESPONSE I CAN REMEMBER SPECIFIC ONE TIME HE JUST SAID, COACH, I THOUGHT THAT’S WHAT YOU’D WANT ME TO DO. CONVENIENT FOR COACH DOWNS, BUT IT WAS ALSO HIS SECONDARY COACH WITH THE VARSITY FOOTBALL TEAM, WHERE HE ALSO STARTED AS A FRESHMAN. I THINK YOU SEE TOUGHNESS. UM, YOU KNOW, NOT EVERY GREAT BASKETBALL PLAYER PLAYS FOOTBALL. TAYMAN PLAYED QUARTERBACK HIS JUNIOR SEASON. HE AVERAGED OVER 200 YARDS PASSING AND 185 YARDS RUSHING IN FIVE GAMES. YOUR FOOTBALL DAYS, HOW MUCH IS THAT STILL EXIST? OH, IT’S STILL IN ME. DEFINITELY. I LOVE THE SPORT OF FOOTBALL AS MUCH AS I DID DO BASKETBALL, I BASKETBALL AND NOT FOOTBALL. I DON’T EVEN KNOW. I NEVER REALLY ASKED MYSELF THAT QUESTION. I THINK I FELL IN LOVE WITH BASKETBALL BEFORE FOOTBALL, WHETHER IT’S THROWING HEAT OR DROPPING DIMES. TAIMEN IS BATTLE TESTED. I CONSIDER MYSELF MORE OF A DEFENSIVE PLAYER, BUT I PLAYED A LOT OF OFFENSE IN FOOTBALL AND PLAY MAKING ABILITIES AND BREAKING AWAY FROM DEFENDERS AND LONG TOUCHDOWNS AND STUFF. SO, UM, THE MOST MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THE PHYSICALITY. THAT’S WHAT FOOTBALL KIND OF GAVE TO THE GAME THAT I HAVE WITH BASKETBALL NOW, AND THAT I’M ABLE TO US