RamWire: New means exciting for Ryun Williams

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The word can be kind of intimidating.

New suggests different and unknown. Yet it can also lead the thinking toward fresh and exciting, which is the direction Ryun Williams is pointing.

Most every aspect of the 2019-20 season for his Colorado State women's basketball team will be altered – especially the roster -- and that's perfect.

"New is welcoming, it's needed and they're ready to go," Williams said, with an infusion of players on the court this summer. "Those kids sitting out, they're very talented, hungry players. I'm just anxious to get them on the floor."

Tori Williams transferred in from Utah, as did Megan Jacobs. Jamie Bonnarens is making the jump from Cameron University. Marlee Kyles hails from Arizona, Roichelle Marble from Wisconsin, and all of them were with the team last year, practicing and learning, but none of them played.

That's just a starting point. Andrea Brady injured her knee practicing with the volleyball team, so she didn't get the senior year she was anticipating, but she'll get it this season. And Makenzie Ellis comes from her most recent stop, SMU, for a one-year stay, while freshman Katia Stamatelopoulos joins the fray.

"There are new opportunities for every single one of us," Jacobs said. "We all have different backgrounds, came from junior colleges, different DI's. We're just here to make each other better, have a good season and redeem ourselves from last year."

The Rams took a step back a season ago, slipping to an 8-22 mark overall, just 2-16 in Mountain West play. Everything about the season suggests a polished approach is desired, because they are not far removed from success. As Coach Williams marches into his eighth campaign, it was just the second time in his tenure his team didn't win at least 20 games, the first time being his inaugural season.

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Those who were unable to play earned high praise from him for the way they went about their business. They made for a great scout team in practice when healthy, because Tori was nursing a knee issue (and is still not fully cleared), as was Bonnarens (she's full go now). They were students, confidants and cheerleaders, taking pride in whatever they could do in their support roles.

He knows what they went through was tough, especially since he's learned the degree of competitiveness they carry with them on the court. Watching and practicing while knowing game minutes were well in the future isn't easy.

The process is tolerable, with the correct approach.

"I think it was a good thing I sat out, because we actually learned a lot, just watching what the coaches do, seeing how people play," Tori said. "You could just read everything. Honestly, sitting out wasn't that bad because I had other people. We always -- just the competiveness in us -- we always come out and wanted to play. Just because there weren't games coming up didn't mean we weren't going to work as hard. We're always going to put our best foot forward and do what we have to do to make each other better for the upcoming season."

And make themselves better. Jacobs said she had no confidence in her outside game upon arrival. Coach Williams encouraged her to use the time to hone her skills inside and out, so she spent practice time stepping out of her comfort zone, which is led to a more well-rounded game.

Time well spent. Coach Williams couldn't have felt worse about Brady's situation. He watched her pour everything she had into her training after her junior year, only to see it come to a halt while practicing with the volleyball team. The plan when she came from Salt Lake Community College was she would play two years of basketball, then spend her final year with the volleyball team.

And the injury came in what was scheduled as her final workout, too.

Not allowing it to look like a setback, she's worked just as hard to rehab her knee, and in the process, gained an understanding of her new teammates, especially Tori.

"That's really important," she said. "Like, Tori and I are in the training room together all the time. And that's time not everybody else is in there, time not everybody else sees. You get to know each other off the court in a special way, and I think that's important to have on the court when it comes to tipping off."

The bonding away from the court was just as important in the overall progress of the program. The group of newcomers had to feel part of the team, and they had to be ready to step in and fill roles.

Through it all, the hard part for Coach Williams was to stay focused on the present and not gaze into the future. The Rams are past that point, with summer practices spirited and focused.

Those sessions have only amplified what he was feeling a year ago.

"They're hungry. They're very competitive," he said. "This is a very competitive group. The kids who were sitting out … The leadership they bring. Kids like Annie Brady, Jamie Bonnarens, those are good leaders ... Megan Jacobs, Tori Williams. The talk in the locker room is that of winning. These were very highly recruited payers out of high school. They have goals and expectations to be different, to be a champion again. They bring that mindset."

He had to have patience then, and that won't change now. Not just with the injuries still in the recovery stage, but the on-court chemistry needed to compete in the conference. He knows it will take time, but given the chance to grow, he sees a team able to play at a higher pace and with more ability to score. The roster can be strong defensively, but it has to grow into the system and learn how to work it to their advantage.

There doesn't have to be an immediate rush to get to the finish line, but getting started, well, it's kinda hard to hold them back.

Or their expectations.

"I'm super excited. I know we have a super-competitive bunch coming up," Brady said. "Everybody has a lot of personality, and everybody is really motivated and hungry. I'm just excited. We compete with each other, so I'm excited to compete against somebody else."

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