As a basketball star at Des Moines Roosevelt High School, Arianna Jackson could have easily transferred to another school to have a better shot at winning and gain more notoriety.
But Jackson stayed put at Roosevelt while still becoming one of the top players in the state.
Now, she is showing her loyalty again.
The Iowa State women’s basketball star announced on social media on Tuesday, March 31, that, amid a massive roster shakeup for the Cyclones, she will be coming back for her senior season. Jackson’s return is the biggest for the Cyclones, who at the start of the day had already lost nine players to the transfer portal.
With Jackson coming back, the Cyclones get a tenacious defender, a strong ball handler, and retain one of their best shooters. The 5-foot-9 guard played in 95 games during her first three seasons at Iowa State, starting all but 10 of them.
In high school, as one of the best athletes in Iowa, she could have left the public school system in Des Moines and played for another program that had more historical success. But she stayed and cemented himself as one of the top players in Roosevelt history as a four-year captain for the Roughriders.
There wasn’t much doubt about where Jackson would play in college, either. Her dad, Hez, and brother Kendell Jackson played football for the Cyclones. As a diehard Iowa State fan, Arianna Jackson chose to play for the Cyclones and quickly carved out her own legacy in the cardinal and gold.
Jackson was part of the recruiting class that featured Audi Crooks, Addy Brown, Kelsey Joens and Jalynn Bristow. Those five helped Iowa State reach the Big 12 Tournament title game and earn an NCAA Tournament win as freshmen. That was as good as it got, though.
The Cyclones were bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament the last two seasons. Without Jackson, Iowa State may not have even reached the event in 2026. She missed three games during the 2025-26 campaign with a knee injury. The Cyclones lost all three games she missed, which came during a five game losing streak.
When Jackson returned from the injury, the Cyclones were a completely different team and won their next five contests to help save the season and earn an at-large bid to March Madness. Jackson’s defense and strong shooting were a big reason why. She had her best season with the Cyclones, averaging 6.8 points a game while shooting 42% from beyond the arc.
Jackson has been a steady contributor during her first three seasons in Ames, averaging 5.6 points and 2.7 rebounds in 25.1 minutes per game. She’s expected to be one of the faces of an Iowa State squad that is undergoing massive changes.
Joens and Bristow had already transferred away from the Cyclones, but Brown decided after this past season that she was entering the portal as well. Crooks, one of the best post players in the country, told The Des Moines Register in March that she’s still mulling over whether she’ll come back to Iowa State for her senior season.
Besides Jackson, the Cyclones also bring back guard Evangelia Paulk, who started five games last season.
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020, 2023 and 2025 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State women’s basketball starter Arianna Jackson returning to Cyclones
Reporting by Tommy Birch, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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