Men's Hoops To Take On Tulane in 2017 Jamaica Classic, Nov. 17

2017-18 Colorado State Men's Basketball
Game #3 - Colorado State (2-0) vs. Tulane (2-0)
November 17, 2017 • 12 p.m. MT • Montego Bay Convention Center - Montego Bay, Jamaica

Video: CBS Sports Network - Play-by-Play: Bill Roth / Color Analyst: Daymeon Fishback (DirectTV: 221, Dish Network: 158, Comcast Digital: 412 (HD))
Colorado State Sports Network -- Play-by-Play: Brian Roth / Color Analyst: Adam Nigon
Flagship: KARS 102.9 FM (Fort Collins); Affiliates: KDCO 104.7 FM (Denver), KMTS 99.1 FM (Glenwood Springs), KJME 890 AM (Colorado Springs), KKVT 100.7 FM (Grand Junction), KRFD 100.1 FM (Sterling)

Opening Tip
•   For the first time in Ram history, Colorado State and Tulane will meet on the basketball court when the pair play in the 2017 Jamaica Classic in Montego Bay, Jamaica on Fri., Nov. 17 at 12 p.m. MT
• The contest will be televised live on CBS Sports Network, with Bill Roth on the play-by-play and Daymeon Fishback serving as the analyst.
•   Live audio is available on the Colorado State Sports Network, including KARS 102.9 FM (flagship). Kyle Huson is on the play-by-play for the Rams, with Adam Nigon handling the analysis.
• The game will also have live audio on CSURams.com in partnership with SIDEARM Sports and live stats on CSURams.com.

Rams Quick Hits
• The 2017-18 season marks the 116th in the history of the Colorado State men's basketball program. The Rams are 1,242-1,231 (.503) in 2,473 games all-time.
•   Colorado State is under the direction of coaching veteran Larry Eustachy, who is starting his sixth season as the leader of the Rams' program and his 27th as a Division I head coach in 2017-18. Last season, Eustachy reached the 500-win plateau in his coaching career and the 100-victory mark at CSU along with being named the Mountain West Coach of the Year.
• Colorado State basketball is looking for its eighth invitation for postseason play in the last nine years, advancing to the second round of the 2017 National Invitation Tournament.
• CSU lost two of last year's five starters, including Mountain West Player of the Year Gian Clavell and First Team All-MW forward Emmanuel Omogbo, who set a new record for double-doubles in league play in 2016-17.
• Overall, the Rams return three players with significant starting experience in redshirt-junior J.D. Paige, junior Prentiss Nixon and redshirt-sophomore Nico Carvacho. Nixon, an honorable mention All-MW pick by the media last year, averaged 13.2 points per game, while Paige was at 8.8 points and a team-best 2.5 assists per game. Carvacho posted 5.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, ranking third on the team in boards.
• For broadcasting quick hits, current averages and career highs on individual players, go to the back page of the notes for a Radio/TV chart that includes that information.

The Coaches
• Colorado State Head Coach Larry Eustachy (Long Beach State, '79) starts his sixth season at the helm of the Rams and holds a 113-60 (.653) record at CSU and 515-318 (.618) overall coaching record in his 27th season. In 2016-17, CSU posted an 24-12 mark, including 13-4 in Mountain West play, advanced to the MW Championship game and played in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament.
• Tulane Head Coach Mike Dunleavy, Sr. (South Carolina, '78) is in his second season coaching the Green Wave and as a head coach overall, holding an 8-25 mark. Dunleavy has extensive experience in the NBA as both a player and a coach.

Scouting Tulane
• The Green Wave are 2-0 after defeating Southeastern Louisiana, 89-66, Nov. 13.
•   Picked to finish 10th out of 12 teams in the strong American Athletich Conference preseason poll, Tulane returns three starters and nine total letterwinners from last year's squad.
•   This season, the Green Wave are led by 2017 American Conference Most Improved Player of the Year and senior Cameron Reynolds who averaged 17.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Rising junior Melvin Frazier averaged 11.5 points and led the league in steals per game, while rising sophomore Ray Ona Embo was a two-time conference freshman of the week choice during his debut campaign.

A Win Over Tulane Will...
•   Give the Rams victories in their first three games for the fifth time in six years under Head Coach Larry Eustachy
•   Improve the Rams' record against current members of the American Athletic Conference to 10-9, including 3-3 at neutral sites.
•   Give Larry Eustachy his 114th win in five-plus seasons at CSU and the 516th of his 27-year career as a head coach.
•   Improve Eustachy to 12-6 all-time against Tulane and 47-47 in contests against teams currently in the American Athletic Conference.

Rams vs. Tulane
First Meeting

History with American
• CSU has played 18 games in its history against current members of Tulane's league, spltting the meetings at nine wins each. On neutral courts, the Rams are 2-3 against American Athletic Conference foes. The last time that Colorado State played a current AAC squad was on Nov. 14, 2011, as the Rams defeated SMU 75-56 at the Indiana Classic in Bloomington, Ind.
• Head Coach Larry Eustachy is 46-47 against AAC teams, including an 11-5 mark all-time against Tulane, going 2-0 in neutral site games.

Rams vs. American Athl. Conference
School   Overall   H   A   N
East Carolina   1-1   1-0   0-1   -
Houston   1-1   1-0   -   0-1
South Florida   2-0   1-0   1-0   -
SMU   3-4   1-0   0-2   2-2
Tulsa   2-3   1-1   1-2   -
Totals   9-9   5-1   2-5   2-3

Eustachy vs. AAC
School   Overall   H   A   N
Cincinnati   0-3   0-0   0-1   0-2
East Carolina   13-2   7-0   5-2   1-0
Houston   4-7   3-1   1-4   0-2
Memphis   1-17   1-7   0-9   0-1
South Florida   2-1   1-1   1-0   0-0
SMU   5-3   3-0   1-3   1-0
Tulane   11-5   5-2   4-3   2-0
Tulsa   3-5   2-1   0-4   1-0
UCF   7-4   4-1   1-3   2-0
Totals   46-47   26-13   13-29   7-5

Eustachy Among the Elite
• CSU head coach Larry Eustachy has ranked among the best coaches in his sport for nearly two and a half decades. Now in his 27th season as a mentor at the NCAA Division I level, he got his 500th career win against Air Force in conference play last year, becoming the 62nd Division I head coach (solely counting wins at the Division I level) to ever reach that milestone.
• His 514 wins ranks 15th among active NCAA Division I coaches (same standard) and is No. 57 all-time (list below)
Current Rankings of Division I Wins for Head Coaches
55.   Rick Majerus (four schools)   517
56.   John Chaney (Temple)   516
57.   Larry Eustachy (current CSU)   515
58.   Don DeVoe (five schools)   512
59.   Nolan Richardson (Tulsa, Arkansas)   509
   Jay Wright (current Villanova)   509
   John Beilein (current Michigan)   509
62.   Hec Edmundson (Idaho, Washington)   508
63.   Harold Anderson (Toledo, Bowling Green)   504
   Leonard Hamilton (current Florida State)   504
   Mark Few (current Gonzaga)   504
65.   Billy Donovan (Marshall, Florida)   502

• In his first season as the top man of the Rams' program, Eustachy became the only head coach in NCAA Division I history to lead five different programs - CSU, Southern Miss, Iowa State, Utah State and Idaho - to 24 or more wins in a season.
•   With a career record of 515-318 (.618), Eustachy ranks as one of just 75 head coaches (out of 351 Division I programs) to have a .600 or better win percentage with a minimum of five years experience. He enters the season tied for 57th on the list, and is one of just 32 coaches in the ranking with at least 20 years of Division I experience.

Moving Up the CSU Coaching Ranks
•   CSU head coach Larry Eustachy continues to move up the record chart for the Rams in victories.
•   Already starting the season with the highest winning percentage among coaches with at least four years at the school, Eustachy reached the 100-win plateau at CSU faster than any other coach in school history and passed Dale Layer (103, 2001-07) for third during the 2016-17 campaign.
•   Three of his teams have the three-highest single-season win totals in program history with 27 (2014-15), 26 (2012-13) and adding 24 victories last season.
Rk   Name   Yrs   Gms   Won   Lost   Pct.
1.   Jim Williams (1955-80)   26   645   352   293   .546
2.   Stew Morrill (1992-98)   7   207   121   86   .585
3.   Larry Eustachy (2012-17)   6   173   113   60   .653
4.   Dale Layer (2001-07)   7   209   103   106   .493
5.   Boyd Grant (1988-91)   4   127   81   46   .638

Eustachy Versus Non-Conference Opponent Leagues
Conference   Record
American Athletic Conference   46-47
Atlantic Coast Conference   1-6
Big Sky Conference   49-15
Big South Conference   4-0
Big West Conference   30-15
Missouri Valley Conference    11-12
Pac-12 Conference    14-18
Southeastern Conference   17-16
Southland Conference    17-5
Sun Belt Conference    12-4
Western Athletic Conference    19-5
Division II/Other    63-2
Totals           283-145

Eustachy vs. This Year's Non-Conference Opponents
       Overall   Home   Road   Neutral
Arkansas   1-1   0-0   0-1   1-0
Arkansas-Fort Smith   3-0   3-0   0-0   0-0
Colorado   8-8   5-2   3-5   0-1
Florida State   0-1   0-0   0-1   0-0
Long Beach State   5-7   3-2   0-5   2-0
Missouri State   1-1   0-0   0-1   1-0
New Mexico St.   11-4   7-1   3-3   1-0
Northwestern State       First Meeting
Oregon   0-1   0-0   0-1   0-0
Sacramento State   4-0   2-0   2-0   0-0
Texas State       First Meeting
Tulane   11-5   5-2   4-3   2-0
Winthrop   1-0   1-0   0-0   0-0
Totals   45-28   26-7   12-20   7-1

CSU All-Time Vs. 2017-18 Opponents
       Overall   Home   Road   Neutral
Air Force   78-31   42-10   32-17   4-4
Arkansas       First Meeting
Arkansas-Fort Smith   3-0   3-0   -   -
Boise State   10-9   8-2   1-7   1-0
Colorado   37-89   27-36   9-53   1-0
Florida State   0-1   -   -   0-1
Fresno State   17-15   13-2   2-11   2-2
Long Beach State   2-2   1-1   1-1   -
Missouri State   1-0   -   -   1-0
Nevada   9-10   5-2   4-7   0-1
New Mexico   46-75   33-25   12-48   1-2
New Mexico State   5-1   4-0   1-1   -
Northwestern State   2-0   1-0   1-0   -
Oregon   1-8   0-1   0-4   1-3
Sacramento State   5-0   4-0   1-0   -
San Diego State   41-40   26-11   13-25   2-4
San Jose State   15-0   7-0   6-0   2-0
Texas State   1-0   1-0   -   -
Tulane       First Meeting
UNLV   16-37   11-14   5-22   0-1
Utah State   38-53   28-18   10-34   0-1
Winthrop   1-0   1-0   0-0   0-0
Wyoming   92-134   51-55   38-75   3-4
Totals   420-505   266-177   136-305   18-23

Mountain West Record
•   Colorado State - a charter member of the Mountain West - is now 119-159 (.428) in regular-season action against MW foes since the formation of the league in 1999-2000.
•   Head coach Larry Eustachy is 52-36 (.591) in MW regular-season action in his time at Colorado State and 58-41 including tournament games.

Coaches Shows Back at Lucky Joe's
•   The Coors Light Basketball Coaches' Show is back again, hosted at Lucky Joe's Sidewalk Saloon in Old Town Fort Collins. The show starts at 6 pm with women's coach Ryun Williams, followed by men's coach Larry Eustachy for the second half-hour. Remaining dates of the shows are:
•   December: Monday, Dec. 11 and Wednesday, Dec. 20
•   January: Mondays, Jan. 8, 15, 22 & 29
•   February: Thursday, Feb. 8 and Mondays, Feb. 12 & 19
•   March: Thursday, March 1

Last Time Out...
•   The Colorado State men's basketball team rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit and came away with a thrilling 80-76 win over defending Big South Conference champion Winthrop, Nov. 14. In its first game of the 2017 Jamaica Classic, the Rams improved to 2-0 on the year, while the Eagles fell to 0-2.
•   With 15:06 remaining in the contest, the visitors built their biggest lead of the game at 50-36 on a pair of free throws by Nych Smith. CSU went on an 8-0 run over the next 2:12 on buckets by four different Rams to trim the margin to six. The teams battled for the next six minutes before CSU took the lead for good with six minutes remaining on a put-back bucket by redshirt-sophomore Nico Carvacho to go up 69-68. From that point, the Rams led by as many as seven before junior guard Prentiss Nixon's free throw with 15 seconds left sealed the victory.
•   The first half was a similar to two heavyweights going at it early, with seven ties and a pair of lead changes. The Rams led by as many as four, but the Eagles never trailed again in the first half after taking a 24-22 lead with just under seven minutes to go and built it into a 39-32 halftime advantage behind seven three-pointers.
•   CSU finished the game shooting 46.2 percent from the field (30-of-65), including a stellar 51.5 percent (17-of-33) in the second half. Winthrop shot 41.3 percent (26-of-63) from the floor, but were even better from the three-point arc in almost getting the win, shooting 41.7 percent (15-of-36). The Rams hit 13-of-19 at the free throw line, compared to just 9-of-14 for the Eagles.
•   Junior guard Prentiss Nixon led five Rams in double figures with 16 points along with six assists and five rebounds. Junior Deion James chipped in 14 points and five boards off the bench, while redshirt-sophomore Nico Carvacho had a double-double with 11 points and a career-high 20 rebounds. Redshirt-sophomore Raquan Mitchell and redshirt-junior J.D. Paige added 11 and 10, respectively. Winthrop was led by Anders Broman's 22 points, as Xavier Cooks, a preseason All-Big South selection, was held to 11 points on 5-of-17 shooting, and nine rebounds.
(See page 18 for complete box score)

Moby Arena Homecourt Advantage
•   CSU has a record of 540-217 (.713) record all-time at Moby Arena.
• The Rams are 74-19 (.796 under Larry Eustachy in games played at Moby Arena.
• CSU completed the 2016-17 regular-season home slate at 14-5 (7-2 in Mountain West), giving the program a winning home record for the eighth straight season, including all five under head coach Larry Eustachy.
•   Colorado State finished the 2015-16 regular season 12-5 at Moby Arena.
•    At 15-5 in 2016-17 at Moby Arena, it marked the fifth time in program history that CSU won at least 15 home games. Last season's 15 victories was the sixth season of 15-plus wins at the Rams' arena.
• The Rams finished the 2014-15 regular-season one win shy (15-2) of the best home mark in program history (16-1 in 2012-13). CSU went 15-2 at Moby in 1987-88.

Returning/Lost...By the Numbers
•   The Rams added several key newcomers for 2017-18 as Colorado State looked to fill some gaps from last year's production on the floor.
•   Here is a quick look at what the Rams returned in major statistical categories:
   Category   Total (R/L)   % Returning
   > Scoring   2611 (1255 / 1356)   48.1%
   > Rebounding   1293 (518 / 775)   40.1%
   > Assists   397 (235 / 162)   59.2%
   > Blocks   123 (62 / 61)   50.4%
   > Steals   218 (98 / 120)   45.0%
   > Minutes   7200 (3941 / 3259)   54.7%

Roster Size
•   CSU will have 11 players available for action during the 2017-18 season. Of those, eight were part of the program last season, with six having played, with two newcomers to the lineup.
•   Senior Che Bob and juniors J.D. Paige and Prentiss Nixon will be looked at to lead the squad. Redshirt-sophomores Nico Carvacho and Anthony Bonner also saw extensive action last year. Redshirt-sophomore Juan Sabino II came in at midseason and played limited minutes in 2016-17.
•   Redshirt-junior Robbie Berwick and redshirt-sophomore Lorenzo Jenkins will see their first playing time at Colorado State. Transfers junior Deion James and redshirt-sophomore Raquan Mitchell as well as freshman Logan Ryan join the program and are expected to contribute.

Newcomers
•   Robbie Berwick and Lorenzo Jenkins saw their first action for the Rams against Sacramento State after sitting out last year due to NCAA D-I transfer rules. Transfers Raquan Mitchell and Deion James also saw their first playing time at Colorado State against the Hornets, while true freshman Logan Ryan got his first collegiate playing time in the home win over Winthrop.

Road Improvements
•   Last season, CSU picked up its fifth straight MW road win and sixth in conference play at New Mexico, Feb. 21, a streak snapped at Nevada March 4, but the Rams finished 9-6 in games away from home in 2016-17.
•   The Rams won five straight MW road games for the first time ever under head coach Larry Eustachy and for the second time in school history.
•   The only other time CSU won five consecutive conference road games occurred over the last four games of the 1988-89 and first game of the 1989-90 season in the WAC.
•   Under Eustachy, CSU is 26-34 (.433) on the road, above the national average of 32.4 percent.
•   For comparison in 2015-16, the Rams were 6-11 in games away from Moby Arena.

It's TV Time For the Rams
•   All but one of Colorado State's home conference games will be available via network broadcasts, with 15 of 18 MW handled by major partners. Of the 21 games during the entire season being available on television channels this year, 10 are on CBS Sports Network, four on AT&T SportsNet (formerly ROOT Sports), six on the ESPN family of networks and one on the Pac-12 Network.
•   Both games of the Jamaica Classic played in Montego Bay will be on CBS Sports Network, as CSU takes on Tulane (Nov. 17) and Florida State (Nov. 19).
• The Rams will first make a home national TV appearance on Saturday, Dec. 2, as the in-state rivalry game with Colorado will be televised on AT&T SportsNet at 11 a.m., the first part of a two-game doubleheader with the CSU women's team hosting BYU at 2 p.m.
• CSU starts conference action on the road at Boise State Dec. 27, with the game televised on CBS Sports Network at 7:30 p.m. MT.
•   The selection of games by the Mountain West's television partners shifted two of the Rams' league games to Tuesday nights, including San Diego State (CBS Sports Network on Jan. 2) and at Air Force (AT&T Sportsnet on Feb. 6). Additionally, the game at New Mexico on Jan. 27 is an ESPN Netflex game, where the game will be televised on ESPNU or ESPN3.

Rebounding Emphasis Noted
•    Head coach Larry Eustachy makes rebounding one of his top priorities in all practices and games and it shows in his record, as CSU is 96-30 under the leader when winning the glass.
•   The Rams won the battle of the boards in 22 of their 36 games last season, going 19-3 in those contests.
•   Colorado State was +2.6 on the glass in its 36 games with at least one player with a double-figure rebounding total in 26 of 36 games.
•   Last season, CSU finished third in the Mountain West and at 38.2 rebounds per game as well as second in the MW a +2.7 rebounding margin.

Adjusting Over the Halftime Break
•   CSU made good adjustments on both ends of the floor during the halftime intermission last season.
•   In 27 of 36 games in 2016-17, the Rams improved their shooting from the floor, percentage wise, from the first half to the second half. Combined, CSU has shot 40.3 percent (431-of-1070) in the first half as compared to 44.8 percent (448-of-1000) in the second half. When improving, the Rams were 19-8.
•   Defensive adjustments were also evident, as opponents shot a lower percentage from first to second half from the field in 21 of the 36 games (CSU 14-7 in those contests).
•   The totals definitely translated to the scoreboard, as CSU, as the Rams average scoring +0.5 compared to opponents in the opening half but improve to +4.1 in the second half.
•   In the first two games this year, CSU has shot better in the second half than the first half by a fairly significant margin -- going from 38.4 percent (25-of-65) to 46.0 percent (29-of-63).

Quick Bits Under Eustachy
•   The Rams had a seven-game Mountain West winning streak during last season, the longest MW win streak in program history from Feb. 4-28 (7-0 in February).
•   CSU is 99-7 (40-3 MW) when leading with five minutes to play under head coach Larry Eustachy and 104-7 (45-4 MW) when leading with two minutes to go.
•   The 21-point loss at Fresno State, Jan. 18, 2017 was a rarity, as it was just the second time that a Eustachy-led CSU team lost to a MW foe by more than 15 points (16-2 in his five years in MW games decided by 16 points or more.
•   The Rams are 96-27 (40-14 MW) when shooting more free throws than their opponent and 99-24 (44-12 MW) when opponent commits more fouls overall.
•   When Colorado State forces more turnovers than it gives up, the good guys have posted a 67-17 overall record.
•   When the Rams shoot at least 45 percent from the floor, they are 65-6 (27-4 MW) in five years under Eustachy.
•   Last year, CSU was 19-2 when leading at halftime, 22-2 when leading with five minutes remaining and 24-1 when ahead with two minutes to go.

Nixon Does It All
•    Junior Prentiss Nixon became an integral part of the CSU lineup this past season.
•    The guard averaged 13.2 points per game in 2016-17 (13th in MW), scoring in double figures in 27 games, including a current streak of 10 straight.
•    In all MW contests, he averaged 13.3 points per game - 17th in regular-season league only.
•    He scored a career-high 30 points against Kansas State and surpassed his season high from last year six times.
•    In the Mountain West Tournament, Nixon averaged 14.7 points per game, earning All-Tournament honors.
•    Against Nevada in the MW championship, Nixon scored 23 points, including tying the school record for a MW Tournament game with six three-pointers.
•    This year, Nixon has continued his double-figure scoring streak, moving it to 12 with a pair of 16-point performances.
•    He also continues to do the job on the defensive end, as he has drawn five offensive fouls in the first two games. Last year, he finished with 37 drawn fouls.

Paige Wheels & Deals
•    Redshirt-junior J.D. (or as Coach Eustachy calls him Jeremiah) Paige adjusted well to his new role within CSU's offense last year.
•   Paige led CSU assists (2.5 apg), was third in steals (0.9 spg) and blocked shots (0.7) and fourth in scoring (8.8 ppg).
•   The Denver, Colo., native had a solid outing against Alcorn State (11/23), recording career bests of 23 points and six assists in the home victory.
•   Paige tied his career high with 23 points, including a career-best five three-pointers in the win over Fresno State, Feb. 11.
•   This season, Paige is averaging an improved 12.5 points on 40.0 percent from the field.

Young Guards Stepping Up Scoring
•   Redshirt-junior J.D. Paige and junior Prentiss Nixon both showed what another year of college basketball can do for confidence and skills.
•   In 2015-16, Paige averaged 4.9 points a game and shot just 33.8 percent from the field, while Nixon was 4.8 points and 38.9 percent from the floor.
•   This past year, the duo has increased their scoring averages by more than double combined, as Nixon finished at 13.2 points per game while Paige posted 8.8 points per contest.
•   So far in 2017-18, Nixon is leading the team at 16.0 points per game and Paige ranks second at 12.5 per contest.

Carvacho Growing On the Floor
•   Redshirt-sophomore center Nico Carvacho is showing his increased comfort level on the floor for the Rams.
•   Carvacho had a breakout game at Colorado, Nov. 30, 2016, scoring 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting and grabbing 9 rebounds.
•   Against Northern Colorado Dec. 10, 2016, he posted his first collegiate double-double of 13 points (5-of-6 FG) and 11 boards.
•   In the win over Wyoming, Feb. 28, 2017, Carvacho posted his second double-double of his collegiate career with 10 points (3-3 FG) and 10 rebounds.
•   This season, Carvacho is dominating the glass, having grabbed 35 boards (16 offensive) in the first two games.
•   He had his third career double-double with 11 points and a career-best 20 boards in the home win over Winthrop, Nov. 14.

Newcomers Getting Feet Wet
•   Coaches knew the new Rams were going to have to make an impact and have in the early stages.
•   All five have played in at least one game, with four having appeared in both. Among those, there have been three double-digit scoring games recorded
•   Two 10+ point games have been posted by junior Deion James, who is shooting .500 in the early going, and adding 6.5 rebounds a game.

Taking Charity
•   For the 2016-17 season, CSU was 73.1 percent from the charity line, ranking 34th nationally in free throws made and 33rd in free throws attempted.
•   The Rams also made 596 free throws while their opponents combined for just 663 total attempts.
•   In the win at Colorado Nov. 30, the Rams made their first 18 free throws in a row, a key reason that CSU won the road game.
•   For two games, the Rams have shot 75.0 percent from the free throw line, better than the opponents 69.4 percent. CSU has also gone to the line eight more times than its foes.

Clavell Signed by Dallas Mavericks
•    The Dallas Mavericks announced that they have exercised the two-way player conversion option in the contract of guard Gian Clavell. This option makes Clavell the Mavericks second two-way player, along with Johnathan Motley.
•    Clavell was originally signed on August 1 and played in all six preseason games for the Mavericks. He averaged 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals in 17.5 minutes per contest.
•    A native of Caguas, Puerto Rico, Clavell competed for the Miami Heat's summer league teams in both Orlando and Las Vegas. In five games in Las Vegas, he averaged 12.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 24.6 minutes while shooting 45.2 percent (19-of-42) from the field, 40.6 percent (13-of-32) from 3-point range and 91.7 percent (11-of-12) from the foul line.
•    The former Colorado State standout went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft after earning Mountain West Player of the Year honors as a redshirt senior last season. In 27 games for the Rams in 2016-17, he averaged a MW-best 20.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.0 steals in 36.6 minutes.
•    The 2017-18 season will mark the first year NBA two-way contracts will be implemented. NBA teams are allowed to have up to two players under two-way contracts who will spend the bulk of the season in the NBA G League and not more than 45 days with their NBA team. Two-way players are paid a corresponding daily amount based on the number of days they play in each league. Only players with four-or-fewer years of NBA experience are able to sign two-way contracts, which can be for either one or two seasons.

Rams Take 2017 MW Awards
•   Colorado State again was among the top honorees, this time by the coaches of the Mountain West Conference, as senior guard Gian Clavell was selected as the league's 2017 Player of the Year, while Larry Eustachy was recognized as the Coach of the Year.
•   Senior forward Emmanuel Omogbo was named First Team All-MW along with Clavell, while the pair also was named to the league's All-Defensive team.
•   This is the first time in school history that CSU has had two players named to the first team all-conference in any season, as well as two in a single season named to the all-defensive squad.
•   The duo was also named to the U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-District team for District VIII.
•   The 2017 Mountain West Player of the Year according to the league media, Clavell led the MW in league scoring at 21.2 points per game, including two games of 30 points or more, as well as ranking seventh in rebounding at 6.9 per MW game. The Puerto Rico native tallied a career-high 37 points, with 30 in the second half and the game-winning layup with 3.8 seconds to play, at San Diego State. Often guarding the opponent's top backcourt player, Clavell also was second in steals (1.8 spg) and 3-pointers made (3.1 3pg) while ranking seventh in 3-point field goal percentage (.409). He scored in double figures in all 16 MW games and 21 of 22 games played overall, averaging better than 19 points a game this season. He was the second Ram ever to be recognized as the conference player of the year, joining Mike Mitchell's recognition in 1990 when CSU was part of the Western Athletic Conference.
•   Eustachy led the Rams to a 21-10 overall regular season record, 13-5 in the Mountain West and the No. 2 seed in the MW tournament. The 13 wins tied the program record for conference wins, while CSU set a new school mark with five consecutive league road wins in a single season. Under his leadership, Colorado State won seven straight conference games, also a new program record for consecutive MW victories. This is the first time in his five years in the MW and the sixth time overall that Eustachy has been selected as his conference's coach of the year.
•   Selected by the league media to First Team All-Mountain West, Omogbo became the new standard for double-doubles in the Mountain West this past season, recording a new league record with 13 during conference action. He led the conference in rebounding at 10.9 boards per conference game and ranked 11th in scoring at 15.7 points a contest. He was also third in league field goal percentage, hitting .495 of his shot attempts, and tied for eighth at 1.3 steals per game. The senior scored a career-high 24 points, with 17 coming in the final half, in the win at San Diego State, Jan. 28. He hit a 3-pointer with 4.1 seconds left for the game-winner over San Diego State, Feb. 25. For his CSU career, Omogbo now has 26 double-doubles, which is eighth all-time on the MW career list.
•   The pair's recognition on the Mountain West All-Defensive Team marked the fifth and sixth times that a CSU player has been named to the squad and fourth under Eustachy, as current Director of Player Development Pierce Hornung was selected in both 2012 and 2013.

Rams on the Radio
•   Rams basketball can be heard live worldwide on the Rams Sports Properties Colorado State Sports Network. The 2017-18 season features live game coverage of all of Colorado State's regular-season and postseason contests.
•   Brian Roth, the Voice of the Rams, is in his second season as the basketball team's full-time play-by-play announcer. He is joined for the second season by former Ram Adam Nigon who will provide color commentary for the Rams.
• In addition to the Colorado State Sports Network, Rams fans worldwide can listen to the action live streaming on CSURams.com in partnership with SIDEARM Sports.

Rams on the Web
• Fans worldwide can get an inside look into Colorado State University and Rams hoops as CSU continually expands its coverage through the use of new media. By logging onto www.CSURams.com, fans can instantly access all of the most up-to-date information on the team including game statistics, exclusive video content and more. In addition, CSU basketball fans can follow the Rams on twitter @CSUMensbball. Colorado State men's basketball is also on Facebook. Log onto facebook.com/CSUMensBasketball.

Live Statistics
• Live statistics are available for all home games and most road contests games by clicking the appropriate link on the men's basketball "Schedule" page on CSURams.com.

Looking Ahead
•   Colorado State will wrap up its action in Montego Bay, Jamaica for the two neutral games, taking on Florida State on Sunday, Nov. 19 at 3 p.m. MT.
•   The contest between the Rams and Green Wave will be televised on CBS Sports Network, with are Bill Roth & Daymeon Fishback handling the announcing duties.
•   The game will air across the Colorado State Sports Network (along with online at CSURams.com), with live stats on also on CSURams.com.

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