Colorado State University Athletics
Saturday, November 3
Fort Collins, Colo.
2 p.m. MT
Colorado State
vs
CSU-Pueblo (Exh.)
Niko Medved will start his CSU head coaching career in Saturday's exhibition versus CSU-Pueblo
Rams To Play Only Exhibition Versus CSU-Pueblo, Nov. 3
11/2/2018 11:20:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CSU hosts the Timberwolves at 2 pm in Moby Arena
2018-19 Colorado State Men's Basketball
Exhibition Game - Colorado State vs. CSU-Pueblo
Nov. 3, 2018 • 2 p.m. MT • Moby Arena (8,745) - Fort Collins, Colo.
Video: N/A
Radio: N/A
Live Stats: https://csurams.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
2018-19 Rams Quick Hits
• Colorado State is under new direction, as Niko Medved has taken over the helm of the Rams' program in 2018-19. In his sixth season as a head coach, Medved has a 79-87 record overall but improved on the previous season's record in each of his five years as a head coach.
• Colorado State men's basketball concluded the 2017-18 season in the Mountain West Tournament first round and finished the year with an 11-21 overall record, including 4-14 in MW play.
• The 2017-18 season marked the 115th in the history of the Colorado State men's basketball program. The Rams are 1,251-1,252 (.500) in 2,503 games all-time.
• Colorado State basketball is hoping to earn its eighth invitation for postseason play in the last 10 years.
• CSU returns four starters and seven letterwinners to this year's squad along with seven newcomers to the program.
• Overall, the Rams return four players with 23 or more starts from the 2017-18 campaign, led by Honorable Mention All-Mountain West selection Nico Carvacho. The redshirt-junior center will be expected to pace this squad along with senior guard J.D. Paige, redshirt-junior guard Anthony Masinton-Bonner and senior forward Deion James.
• Also returning to the floor are three other letterwinners in redshirt-senior guard Robbie Berwick, redshirt-junior guard Lorenzo Jenkins and sophomore forward Logan Ryan.
• Among the seven newcomers, the Rams have a three players who have spent at least a semester with the program. Redshirt juniors forward Zo Tyson and Kris Martin are anticipated to see their first playing time this fall, while redshirt-junior guard Hyron Edwards should be on the floor at the conclusion of the fall semester.
• Four freshman will make their debut for the Rams, as forwards Adam Thistlewood and Jack Schoemann and guards Kendle Moore and Sam Bannec joined the program this year.
A New Leader But Familiar Face
• Colorado State Head Coach Niko Medved (Minnesota, 97) is in his first season at CSU as head coach and has a 79-97 overall record as he starts his sixth season as a head coach.
• While he may be in his first season in charge of the program, Medved is already a familiar face around Fort Collins and to Rams' fans. Medved previously was on the coaching staff from 2007-13 under both Tim Miles (five seasons) and Larry Eustachy (one season). He was a key part of recruiting players that helped the Rams to four consecutive postseason appearances, the last two in the NCAA Tournament that included a win over Missouri in 2013.
Postseason Experience
• Head coach Niko Medved has had extensive success wherever he has coached, both as a head and an assistant.
• As an assistant coach, he helped turn around the CSU program to improving its win totals from his first year in each successive year, ending in four straight postseason appearances.
• He continued that trend at Furman and Drake, improving both programs' win totals from the previous year in each of his five seasons as a head coach, finishing his last three years in postseason play.
Basketball Staff
• Head coach Niko Medved brought four members of his staff from Drake with him. Dave Thorson, JR Blount and Ali Farokhmanesh were assistant coaches with Medved, while Aaron Katsuma joined him again as Director of Basketball Operations. Thorson has extensive experience as a high school coach and had previously worked with Medved at the University of Minnesota. Blount and Farokhmanesh also bring extensive recent playing experience with them as Blount played at Loyola Chicago, graduating in 2009, and Farokhmanesh was a key part of a Northern Iowa squad that knocked off No. 1 Kansas in the NCAA Tournament in his senior year in 2010.
Coors Light Coaches Show Is Back
• The Coors Light Basketball Head Coaches Show returns to Lucky Joe's Sidewalk Saloon in Old Town Fort Collins this year. Join men's head coach Niko Medved and women's head coach Ryun Williams starting at 6 p.m. on the Mondays listed below to hear their thoughts on the previous week and look forward to upcoming action
• November: 12 & 26
• December: 3 & 10
• January: 7, 14, 21 & 28
• February: 4, 11, 18 & 25
Mountain West Record
• Colorado State - a charter member of the Mountain West - is now 123-171 (.418) in regular-season action against MW foes since the formation of the league in 1999-2000.
CSU vs. Mountain West Conference
School Overall Home Away Neut.
Air Force 78-33 42-11 32-18 4-4
Boise State 10-10 8-2 1-8 1-0
Fresno State 17-17 13-3 2-12 2-2
Nevada 9-11 5-3 4-7 0-1
New Mexico 46-77 33-26 12-49 1-2
San Diego State 41-42 26-12 13-26 2-4
San Jose State 17-0 8-0 7-0 2-0
UNLV 16-38 11-15 5-22 0-1
Utah State 39-54 28-18 11-34 0-2
Wyoming 93-135 51-56 39-75 3-4
Totals 366-417 225-146 126-251 15-20
2018-19 Schedule Is Home Laden
• The Rams will play a good schedule in head coach Niko Medved's first season as the leader in Fort Collins.
• Of the 13 non-conference games on the schedule, eight of them are in the friendly confines of Moby Arena, including the first three to start the season.
• The program will first play away from home on Nov. 19-21 at the Gulf Coast Showcase, a three-game tournament that are all neutral games unless the Rams take on co-host Florida Gulf Coast.
• CSU is scheduled for just a pair of true road games and only a single plane trip for those. The Rams will play their first true road conetest at Colorado on Sat. Dec. 1, with the flight trip to Long Beach to take on the 49ers on Dec. 22.
• The Rams also welcome a Southeastern Conference team to Moby Arena on Dec. 5, as Arkansas makes the return trip after last year's meeting in Fayetteville. This will be just the third meeting with a SEC foe since 2010 and the first time a squad from that league has come to Moby since Nov. 28, 2005, when the Rams defeated Auburn, 77-67. Versus the SEC, CSU is 5-1 all-time at home and 10-7 overall.
• Non-conference play wraps up on Dec. 30, with CSU hosting New Mexico State.
Rams On the Tube
• The Rams' package has 18 televised games, with 11 of them occurring at Moby Arena, including all nine league contests.
• In the 17 televised games, CSU will appear on the ESPN family of networks three times, CBS Sports Network five times, AT&T SportsNet on eight occasions and Stadium and Pac-12 Network once each.
• Two non-conference games will be televised from Moby Arena, with the Arkansas contest on Dec. 5 on CBS Sports Network and the New Mexico State matchup on Dec. 30 on AT&T SportsNet.
• As part of the Mountain West conference slate, four home games were moved from Wednesday to Tuesday to accommodate broadcast requests. The Air Force game moved from Jan. 9 to Jan. 8, Boise State goes from Jan. 30 to Jan. 29 as both will be shown on AT&T SportsNet. San Diego State will now come to town on Tue., Feb. 12 for a battle on ESPN, while the Utah State game was bumped to Tue., March 5 to be shown on AT&T SportsNet.
ESPN Networks (3)
Tue. Feb. 12 San Diego State* (ESPN2) 9 p.m.
Sat. March 2 at New Mexico* (ESPNU) 8 p.m.
Sat. March 9 UNLV* (ESPN3) 2 p.m.
CBS Sports Network (5)
Wed. Dec. 5 Arkansas 8 p.m.
Wed. Jan. 2 at UNLV* 8:30 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 12 New Mexico* 2 p.m.
Wed. Jan. 23 at Nevada* 9 p.m.
Wed. Feb. 6 Nevada* 8 p.m.
AT&T SportsNet (8)
Sun. Dec. 30 New Mexico State 2 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 5 at Fresno State* 8 p.m.
Tue. Jan. 8 Air Force* 7 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 26 Fresno State* 2 p.m.
Tue. Jan. 29 Boise State* 7 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 9 at Wyoming* 12 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 23 Wyoming* 12 p.m.
Tue. March 5 Utah State* 7 p.m.
Pac-12 Network (1)
Sat. Dec. 1 at Colorado 1 p.m.
Stadium (1)
Wed. Feb. 27 at Boise State* 7 p.m.
Roster Size... But Inexperienced
• The Rams will start the year with 14 eligible players on the roster, one of the largest opening day rosters in recent history. CSU had 11 players available to start the 2017-18 season. Of those 14 this season, a total of 11 were part of the program last season, with seven having played, with four returners who did play and also four newcomers to the lineup this year.
• Last year's Rams combined for just 7.5 seasons of NCAA Division I experience to start the season, but this year's squad comes in with 17 combined Division I seasons, a marked improvement.
Returning/Lost...By the Numbers
• The Rams added several key newcomers for 2018-19 as Colorado State looked to fill some gaps from last year's production on the floor, though CSU returns a significant portion on all categories.
• Here is a quick look at what the Rams returned in major statistical categories:
Category Total (R/L) % Returning
> Scoring 2314 (1353 / 961) 58.5%
> Rebounding 1126 (764 / 362) 67.9%
> Assists 409 (251 / 158) 61.4%
> Blocks 102 (55 / 47) 53.9%
> Steals 190 (100 / 90) 52.6%
> Minutes 6475 (4110 / 2365) 63.5%
Newcomers (Lots of)
• The Rams will have a strong group of newcomers to the floor this year, made up of three transfers and four freshmen.
• The class distribution among those that could see the floor for CSU the first time this season is:
-- Juniors (Hyron Edwards, Kris Martin, Zo Tyson)
-- Freshmen (Sam Bannec, Kendle Moore,
Jack Schoemann, Adam Thistlewood)
Moby Arena Homecourt Advantage
• CSU has a record of 546-226 (.707) record all-time at Moby Arena.
• The Rams have finished at least .500 in each of the last nine years, dating back to the 2008-09 season when the program was 6-9.
• Current head coach Niko Medved was part of a coaching staff at CSU that posted two of the top records in program history at home, as the 2012-13 team set the best mark at 16-1 with the 2011-12 team going 14-1. Overall as an assistant at CSU, he was part of a team that went 97-97 overall and 59-30 in Moby Arena and improved their overall record in each successive season.
Moby & Record Improvement WIth Medved (CSU Asst.)
Overall Moby Total Attend. Avg Att.
2012-13 26-9 16-1 92,488 5,440
2011-12 20-12 14-1 62,889 4,193
2010-11 19-13 9-5 68.305 4.879
2009-10 16-16 11-4 50,878 3,392
2008-09 9-22 6-9 48,858 3,257
2007-08 7-25 3-10 43,588 3,353
Totals 97-97 59-30
Last Time Out...
• No. 10 Colorado State let a 15-point first-half lead slip away and eventually fell to No. 7 Utah State, 76-65, in the Mountain West Tournament First Round, March 7. With the loss, the Rams ended their season at 11-21, while the Aggies improved to 16-16 and advanced to tomorrow's quarterfinal meeting with No. 2 seed Boise State.
• With just two points separating the teams at the break, Utah State grabbed its first lead of the game on a conventional three-point play by Koby McEwen. The teams exchanged small leads before the Aggies grabbed the lead for good on back-to-back jumpers by Sam Merrill to go up 47-44 with 14:13 remaining. CSU cut it to one on several occasions and had it down to a one-possession game at 68-65 with 4:28 to play. However, those would be the last points the Rams would score, as the Aggies scored the final eight points of the game over the last 4:28 to earn the victory.
• The Rams opened the game strong, scoring 20 of the first 25 points in the contest to take a 15-point lead with 11:22 to go in the first half. Utah State chipped away at the lead, eventually tying at 30 with under two minutes to go. The teams exchanged three pointers before redshirt-sophomore Nico Carvacho hit a pair of free throws and the Rams made a stop on the final possession to give CSU a slim 35-33 halftime lead. Junior Prentiss Nixon led CSU with 11 points, while Julion Pearre had 12 in the opening 20 minutes for Utah State.
• Colorado State finished the game at just 39.1 percent (25-of-64) from the floor but a solid 42.1 percent (8-of-19) from beyond the arc. Utah State was 50.0 percent (28-of-56) on field goal attempts but just 28.0 percent (7-of-25) on three pointers. The Aggies were 13-of-18 at the free throw line as compared to just 7-of-14 for the Rams. USU won the boards 40-31, but turned over seven more times (15 to 8) that resulted in a 14-2 advantage in points off turnovers for CSU.
• CSU was paced by redshirt-sophomore Anthony Bonner's 15 points, with Nixon right behind at 14 and seven rebounds. Senior Che Bob finished with 12 while Carvacho and junior Deion James tied for game-high honors with 10 rebounds each. Utah State had four players in double figures, led by McEwen with 25 points along with six rebounds and four assists.
(See page 19 for complete box score)
Carvacho Growing On the Floor
• Redshirt-sophomore center Nico Carvacho showed his increased comfort level on the floor for the Rams in 2017-18.
• 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.
• Last season, Carvacho was the leader on the glass for CSU with 331 boards (125 offensive) in 32 games (the only Ram to start all 32 last year). His 10.3 boards per game average ranked second in the Mountain West, as he had double-digit boards in the last 16 games (averaging 13.6 per game in that span). He also just had the sixth-ever individual 300-rebound season in CSU history, surpassing the mark at Nevada, Feb. 25.
• He averaged 11.1 points and 12.3 rebounds in Mountain West play, leading by a wide margin in rebounding for league games only (next was 9.6 per game). He also had seven of the top 14 single-game totals in MW action.
• He had double-doubles in 10 of the last 16 games he has played in and had a higher rebound average in MW league contests than Emmanuel Omogbo had in 2016-17 (10.9).
• He had his third career double-double with 11 points and a career-best 20 boards (still a league season-best mark) in the home win over Winthrop, Nov. 14.
• In the win at Utah State, Jan. 10, Carvacho had 10 points, a game-high 15 rebounds for his second straight double-double and a career-high four assists.
• Carvacho posted a career-high 26 points and tied a career best with 20 rebounds in the win over San Jose State, Feb. 10. The last Ram to have a 20-point/20-rebound game prior to that one was current Washington Wizards' Jason Smith, with 27 & 22 in a win over Wyoming on Feb. 24, 2007.
• With his 20-rebound game against San Jose State, he moved up from 17th to eighth on CSU's single-season list. He finished the season in fifth with 331 boards, surpassing former standout and current Washington Wizard Jason Smith in sixth.
• For his play this year, Carvacho was named Honorable Mention All-Mountain West by both the league's coaches and media members in two separate votes.
Carvacho's MW/National Rankings Stat MW NCAA
Rebounds Per Game 10.3 2nd 15th
Offensive Rebounds Per Game 3.91 1st 7th
Defensive Rebounds Per Game 6.44 5th 49th
Double-Doubles 11 4th 55th
Total Rebounds 331 2nd 17th
Carvacho's '17-18 Double-Doubles Date Pts Reb
Sacramento State 11/10/17 11 20
Fresno State 1/6/18 10 19
at Utah State 1/10/18 10 15
Air Force 1/17/18 12 13
at San Diego State 1/24/18 14 12
at New Mexico 1/27/18 14 15
Wyoming 1/31/18 10 13
at Air Force 2/6/18 16 12
San Jose State 2/10/18 26 20
at Fresno State 2/17/18 14 11
at Nevada 2/25/18 13 14
CSU Single-Season Total Rebounding Ranks
1. 392 Mike Childress (23 Games) - 1969-70
2. 373 Emmanuel Omogbo (101O-272D) - 2016-17
3. 349 Mike Childress (25 Games) - 1970-71
4. 342 Colton Iverson (117O-225D) - 2012-13
5. 331 Nico Carvacho (125O-206D) 2017-18
6. 304 Jason Smith (98O-206D) 2006-07
Current CSU Single-Season Defensive Rebounds
1. 272 Emmanuel Omogbo (101O-272D) 2016-17
2. 225 Colton Iverson (117O-225D) 2012-13
3. 219 Pat Durham (52O-219D) 1986-87
4. 206 Nico Carvacho (125O-206D) 2017-18
206 Jason Smith (98O-206D) 2006-07
6. 194 Daniel Bejarano (73O-194D) 2013-14
Current CSU Single-Season Offensive Rebounds
1. 133 Pierce Hornung (133O-160D) 2012-13
2. 125 Nico Carvacho (125O-206D) 2017-18
3. 121 Tiel Daniels (121O-139D) 2015-16
4. 117 Colton Iverson (117O-225D) 2012-13
5. 102 Emmanuel Omogbo (102O-163D) 2015-16
CSU Career Rebounding Ranks
1. 851 Pat Durham (52O-799D) 1985-89
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16. 577 Matt Nelson (152O-425D) 2000-05
17. 569 Sonny Bustion (70 Games) 1963-65,66-67
18. 564 Gary Rhoades (77 Games) 1970-73
19. 555 Gary Hibbard (73 Games) 1953-56
20. 536 Nico Carvacho (68 Games) 2016-18
21. 531 Greg Smith (156O-375D) 2009-13
Paige Wheels & Deals
• Redshirt-senior J.D. Paige adjusted well to his new role within CSU's offense the last two years.
• In 2016-17, 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 (11/23/16), 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, 2017.
• Last season, Paige picked up a season-high 22 points versus San Diego State (1/2/18), making a career-high field goals.
• He tied for team-high honors with 16 points and earned a career-best seven boards in the win over Colorado, Dec. 2.
• Paige scored in double figures in five of his last six games in 2017-18, including the performance at San Diego State and a 14-point, six-rebound outing in the win at Wyoming, Jan. 13. He also had 19 points against UNLV, Jan. 20.
• After missing six games with a broken hand suffered at San Diego State on Jan. 24, Paige returned to the lineup against Boise State (Feb. 21) with 12 points and averaged 10.4 points per game, third on the team, and had a team-high 2.6 assists per game.
A Little Different Name, Same Face
• Redshirt-junior guard Anthony Masinton-Bonner (the guard previously known as Anthony Bonner but always "AB") is expected to take up more of the scoring load this season.
• Last year, Masinton-Bonner started in 21 of the 32 games he played in, averaging 8.9 points per contest in 27.1 minutes per game.
• He was the team leader at the three-point arc at 43.2 percent and was second from the charity stripe, connecting on 82.1 percent of his attempts.
James Making An Impact
• Junior forward Deion James got more comfortable on the court as the season went along in his first year at CSU, and the stats showed it.
• James was third on the team in scoring at 10.4 points and third in rebounding at 5.3 boards, while shooting 45.3 percent on his field goal attempts.
• He scored in double figures 16 times and grabbed five or more boards on 17 occasions.
• He tallied a then-season-high 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the win over Arkansas-Fort Smith, Dec. 19.
• He scored 14 points and had seven boards in the win over Long Beach State, Dec. 23.
• He posted his first CSU double-double of 11 points and a season-high 14 rebounds against Air Force, Jan. 17.
• He followed it up with a season-best 24 points and 14 rebounds (tying season-high) against Wyoming, Jan. 31.
• In CSU's 10 wins he played in, his numbers go up as he is averaging 10.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
CSU All-Time Vs. 2018-19 Opponents
(including possible at Gulf Coast Showcase)
Overall Home Road Neutral
Air Force 78-33 42-11 32-18 4-4
Arkansas 0-1 - 0-1 -
Arkansas-Pine Bluff 2-0 2-0 - -
Boise State 10-11 8-3 1-8 1-0
Colorado 38-89 28-36 9-53 1-0
Colorado Christian First Meeting
Florida Gulf Coast First Meeting
Fresno State 17-17 13-3 2-12 2-2
Long Beach State 3-2 2-1 1-1 -
Louisiana 1-0 1-0 - -
Montana State 11-4 7-2 4-2 -
Nevada 9-12 5-3 4-8 0-1
New Mexico 46-77 33-26 12-49 1-2
New Mexico State 5-2 4-0 1-2 -
Sam Houston State 0-1 0-1 - -
San Diego State 41-42 26-12 13-26 2-4
San Jose State 17-0 8-0 7-0 2-0
South Dakota First Meeting
South Dakota State 0-1 0-1 - -
Southern Illinois 1-2 1-0 0-1 0-1
Toledo 3-2 1-1 2-1 -
Tulane 0-1 - - 0-1
UC Irvine First Meeting
UNLV 16-38 11-15 5-22 0-1
UT-San Antonio 1-0 1-0 - -
Utah State 39-54 28-18 11-34 0-2
Wyoming 93-135 51-56 39-75 3-4
Totals 431-524 272-189 143-313 16-22
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/ Men's BasketballFriday, June 05
Saturday, March 07
Saturday, March 07
Friday, March 06