AMES – Iowa State freshman Jalynn Bristow was struggling with her transition to college over the summer.

Then the young forward for the Cyclones women’s basketball team grabbed her phone and called her mom, Kat Bristow, back in Texas one evening. Kat, who speaks with her daughter multiple times a day, gave her the same advice she had been giving her most evenings.

Pray.

“I was crying a little bit,” Jalynn Bristow said. “She was too.”

For one reason or another, the advice she had been getting for weeks suddenly struck a chord. The next morning, Bristow woke up happy, upbeat and showing signs of the usually positive person that had made her a high school basketball star and one of the prized players in Iowa State’s new recruiting class that arrived in Ames over the summer.

“Everything was perfect,” Bristow said.

That’s when things turned around for Bristow, a 6-foot-2 forward who has become an asset off the bench for the Cyclones this season. Bristow will now try to build off the success of one of the best games of her young college career when Iowa State hosts UNCW at Hilton Coliseum on Sunday at 1 p.m.

“She obviously feels a lot more comfortable and I think it’s shown in everything she’s doing,” said Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly.

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It took some time for Bristow to get comfortable. She was used to her mom being in the stands for all her games and traveling with her across the country for AAU events. But that changed when Bristow packed her bags and moved 10 hours away from her home in Holliday, Texas to Ames. She said it took a toll on her not being able to see her family, especially her mom.

“She struggled early,” Fennelly said. “I think every kid goes through a little homesickness and I think she went through another level of it.”

The issues carried over onto the court. Bristow, ranked No. 47 on HoopGurlz Recruiting espnW100, wasn’t bringing the same level of energy and intensity the Cyclones hoped she’d have. Bristow wanted to be back home and with her mother. Fennelly said the transition was so tough that he and his staff even talked in a meeting over the summer about redshirting her.

“You’re sitting there going, ‘I don’t know if she’s going to be ready,’” Fennelly said.

But then came the call from her mom. The two had many others like it. But this one, for a reason Bristow doesn’t even know, changed her. It came a few weeks before Iowa State left the country for a summer trip to Italy. It also helped Bristow focus on basketball and not worry about being back home.

She and Fennelly saw an immediate impact in her game.

“Everything kind of kicked in,” Bristow said.

Bristow started shining at practice. She became one of Iowa State’s stars during its trip overseas. Through the first six games of the season, Bristow is averaging 5.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. The Cyclones have utilized her length and athleticism to come off the bench and play all over the floor.

“She’s a matchup nightmare and she can matchup against anybody,” said Iowa State freshman post player Audi Crooks. “So, she’s just a really key piece. I might even call her the glue because wherever we’re lacking, if we need something, throw her in there. I promise you she’ll probably get it done.”

More:Iowa State women’s basketball freshman Audi Crooks earns starting spot for Cyclones

Bristow did that during a dominating win at St. Thomas earlier in the week when she tallied career highs in points (10), field goals made (four) and 3-pointers made (two). Fennelly said she could be an X-factor for the Cyclones this season. It’s a role carved out by other young up-and-coming players on Fennelly’s previous rosters who have gone on to play even bigger roles down the road.

“She’s really done a good job and I think she’s just going to get better and better,” Fennelly said.

With things back on track, Bristow said she appreciates all the support she got through the tough time from her teammates, coaches and of course, her family, especially her mom.

“I can’t be more thankful for the people I’m surrounded by,” she said.

Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at [email protected] or 515-284-8468.