Rams To Open Season Against Colorado Christian, Nov. 7

2018-19 Colorado State Men's Basketball
Game #1 - Colorado State vs. Colorado Christian
Nov. 7, 2018 • 7 p.m. MT • Moby Arena (8,745) - Fort Collins, Colo.

(Game Day Information, including clear bag policy)
Buy Tickets Now
Video: Mountain West Network
Radio: 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), KMTS 96.7 FM (West Glenwood Springs), KRDO 105.5 FM (Colorado Springs), KKVT 100.7 FM (Grand Junction), KMTS/KKVT 99.5/100.3 FM (Rifle), KKVT 97.1 FM (Delta), KKVT 98.1 FM (Montrose), KRFD 100.1 FM (Sterling), KNEC 100.9 FM (Yuma), KNAB 1140 AM (Burlington), KLMR 920 AM (Lamar)
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 three starters and six 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 and redshirt-junior guard Anthony Masinton-Bonner.
• 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 three players who have spent at least a semester with the program. Redshirt juniors forward Zo Tyson and guard 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.

• 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 Leaders
• 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.
• Colorado Christian Head Coach Jeff Hironaka (Eastern Oregon, 80) is in his second season at CCU as head coach with a 4-24 mark and ninth as a head coach overall, sporting a 138-91 record, including five appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament.

A Quick Look at Colorado Christian
• The Cougars return three starters from last year's squad but lost their leading scorer in Isaiah Hanson. Jeremiah Hanson is the top returner at 15.0 points per game with Stefan Hackethal just behind at 13.7.
• CCU already faced a Mountain West foe in exhibition play on Nov. 1, falling late at Wyoming, 72-69.
• In two exhibitions, the Cougars have been paced by Hanson at 14.0 points per game, with Justin Engesser just behind at 13.5. CCU, who is shooting just 41.5 percent from the field, also fell at Northern Colorado on Oct. 30.

History Versus CCU
• This will be the first time that Colorado State and Colorado Christian have met on the basketball court. It also will be a counting game for the Rams but an exhibition for CCU.

A New Leader But Familiar Face
• While he may be in his first season in charge of the program, head coach 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.

Medved vs. 2018-19 Opponents
School                  Overall     Home      Away    Neut.
Air Force                           First Meeting
Arkansas                           First Meeting
Arkansas-Pine Bluff             First Meeting
Boise State                        First Meeting
Colorado                   0-1            -             -         0-1
Colorado Christian
Florida Gulf Coast       0-2          0-1          0-1         -
Fresno State                      First Meeting
Long Beach State                First Meeting
Louisiana                  0-1           0-1           -          -
Montana State                    First Meeting
Nevada                             First Meeting
New Mexico                       First Meeting
New Mexico State               First Meeting
Sam Houston State              First Meeting
San Diego State                  First Meeting
San Jose State                   First Meeting
South Dakota             0-1            -           0-1         -
South Dakota St.         0-1            -           0-1         -
Southern Illinois          1-1           0-1          1-0         -
Toledo                             First Meeting
Tulane                              First Meeting
UC Irvine                           First Meeting
UNLV                               First Meeting
UT-San Antonio                  First Meeting
Utah State                         First Meeting
Wyoming                  0-1            -           0-1         -
Totals                      1-8          0-3         1-4        0-1

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 is 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 Home Court 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...
• In its only exhibition prior to the 2018-19 season, Colorado State used an early second-half surge to pull away from CSU-Pueblo and earn a 87-67 victory, Nov. 3.
• After leading by seven at the break at 38-31, the Rams took control of the game at the start of the second half with a 20-8 run over the first six minutes to take a 19-point lead. The margin would grow to as many as 24 and CSU-Pueblo could not get closer than 14 the remainder of the contest.
• Colorado State shot 48.2 percent (27-of-56) from the floor while holding the ThunderWolves to just 35.7 percent (25-of-70) for the contest. The Rams dominated the glass 49-34 and outscored the visitors 36-16 in the paint.
• CSU was led by a pair of freshmen in the scoring column, as guard Kendle Moore led all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting and forward Adam Thistlewood had 16, including 11-of-12 at the charity stripe. Senior J.D. Paige finished with 12, with redshirt-junior Lorenzo Jenkins chipping in 11. Redshirt-junior Nico Carvacho had a game-high 13 rebounds to go with his nine points. Gavin Liggett was the only CSU-Pueblo player in double figures with 10.
(See page 18 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, 2017.
• 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
------
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.

Newcomers Jumping In Early
• Five Rams made their debut in the Green and Gold in Saturday's exhibition win over CSU-Pueblo.
• Freshman Kendle Moore started and scored a game-high 19 points in 31 minutes of action. He was solid, going 7-of-9 from the floor and a perfect 4-of-4 at the charity stripe. He also added five rebounds, three assists and one steal.
• Freshman Adam Thistlewood had 16 points off the bench, connecting on 11 of his 12 free throw attempts and grabbing seven rebounds in 25 minutes.
• Also seeing time were redshirt-junior Zo Tyson and freshmen Jack Schoemann and Sam Bannec.

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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