Ames, Iowa ? Tim Barnes figures it’s time to prove his worth as a leader.

Barnes, Iowa State’s basketball point guard, said it was up to him to rally his teammates and urge them to stay following coach Larry Eustachy’s resignation.

Some players, Barnes included, had said last week they would leave if Eustachy was fired. But with Eustachy resigning Monday and receiving a $960,000 settlement, Barnes said he was staying.

“It’s a great opportunity for me,” said Barnes, who’ll be a senior next season. “I’m not willing to let it slip away that easy.”

Barnes said he would work hard to encourage the other players to stay.

“It’s going to be a higher step I need to take to get the team back together considering all the mixed emotions on the team,” he said. “But I’m up to the challenge. I know I’m going to get it done.”

If everyone returns, Iowa State would have its top six scorers back from a team that finished 17-14 overall and 5-11 in the Big 12 Conference. Eustachy had signed five recruits, and he said Monday night he hoped they all still would come.

Eustachy resigned one week after a newspaper story in the Des Moines Register revealed that he had partied with college students in Columbia, Mo., and Manhattan after games in those cities.

Athletic director Bruce Van De Velde had recommended Wednesday that Eustachy be fired. That same day, Eustachy announced he was an alcoholic and was receiving treatment.

Players Jackson Vroman and Jared Homan were among the most vocal in supporting Eustachy, saying he deserved a second chance and that they seriously would consider leaving unless he kept his job.

Another player, Jake Sullivan, said he was determined to stay and urged Eustachy to get help for his drinking.

“The last week it’s been difficult,” reserve center Andrew Skoglund said. “Everybody’s got their own take on things. We’re still trying to stay together as a team. In families, you fight a little bit. You’ve just got to stick together.”

Skoglund said he had never considered leaving.

“I came here to play for Iowa State,” he said. “When Coach was here, I came to play for Coach and I’m going to play for whoever’s new.”

Barnes said the settlement Eustachy received, which includes health insurance coverage through the end of the year, made him more comfortable about staying.