Colorado State University Athletics
Medved Counting on Better Shooting Days Ahead
1/8/2020 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Rams' coach sees a constantly developing team
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Put Niko Medved in the glass-half-full camp.
At 10-7 on the season (1-3 in Mountain West play), his Colorado State men's team has – as the record suggests – seen some ebbs and flows. Naturally, he and the Rams are targeting what can make them better, and some of it is what has held them down at times.
Shooting, primarily behind the arc. The game with Colorado was there for the taking if the Rams had only hit a reasonable amount of 3s, but they were just 2-of-22 from long range in a 56-48 home loss. The Rams have struggled there in three of four Mountain West games, too, including the win over Wyoming.
"The good news for us is I feel we can get a lot better, we haven't hit our stride," Medved said. "I still think we're a ways away from our ceiling."
CSU sits 78th in the country in 3s attempted, and he's fine there. His belief is, at least in most games, about of third of the shots should be from deep. That's the issue, because the Rams rank 199th in 3-point percentage, just 204th in 3s made per game.
Getting Adam Thistlewood back -- who is shooting at a 43.5-percent clip – after a four-game absence, isn't the simple answer. The right guys need to be shooting the shots, and those players need to be making more of them.
They've considered it all. For instance, the 3-point line was bumped back more than a foot to the international line, and for incoming freshman, it's more than a simple step back, it's nearly 3 feet.
While Medved doesn't like to tell his players they can't do something, he is all in favor of pointing out a more productive path. For instance, David Roddy's stroke looks good and mostly fluid, but he's only hitting 16.3 percent from behind the arc, while he's proven to be a monster inside.
On the flip side, Medved feels a veteran like Kris Martin will eventually find his rhythm, and he's seen improvement from Kendle Moore of late, even Isaiah Stevens in spurts.
In the end, there has to be a blend, and it falls in line with the team's offensive thinking.
"Our motto is, like the 3 but love the paint," Moore said. "Everybody on our team gets in extra work in, shooting on your own, shooting with a coach, working on your shot every day before or after practice. Coach said if you're wide open, make sure you get it up.
"If you make two or three one game, your confidence will be up, and the next game you'll try to do the same thing. At the same time, you don't want to think too much about it. You don't want to just go in jacking 3s. You want to make a play, get in the paint, get a layup first and then find your shot."
The free-throw line hasn't been as much of an issue, but Nico Carvacho is shooting more than any other Mountain West player, but he's making fewer than 50 percent. In the win over Wyoming, the Rams missed the front end of two one-and-ones, something Medved feels confident won't happen often, as six players in the regular rotation hit at a clip of 73 percent or better.
Same as with his perimeter mates, Carvacho is not trying to overthink things, feeling he can get back to the 60-percent free-throw shooter he was as a sophomore. If not, teams are going to continue to take their chances at the line.
"I'm good. I'm confident in it," he said. "Just from the past, there are things I have to work on it, and I feel good about it."
Medved's tone remains encouraged when covering the workings of the season so far. Who the Rams are now and how they operate differs from the beginning of the campaign. He likes watching this team reinvent itself over time, and at this point, the Rams are getting into the paint and to the line with success.
There just has to be the balance, and he admits, he likes a high percentage of the shots they've attempted from deep. He'd just like them better if the finish was smoother.
Again, not worried.
"I think the good news for us is that we can get a lot better, and we will continue to get a lot better," Medved said. "I really believe this team can shoot the ball a lot better than they are, and I believe we will."
At 10-7 on the season (1-3 in Mountain West play), his Colorado State men's team has – as the record suggests – seen some ebbs and flows. Naturally, he and the Rams are targeting what can make them better, and some of it is what has held them down at times.
Shooting, primarily behind the arc. The game with Colorado was there for the taking if the Rams had only hit a reasonable amount of 3s, but they were just 2-of-22 from long range in a 56-48 home loss. The Rams have struggled there in three of four Mountain West games, too, including the win over Wyoming.
"The good news for us is I feel we can get a lot better, we haven't hit our stride," Medved said. "I still think we're a ways away from our ceiling."
CSU sits 78th in the country in 3s attempted, and he's fine there. His belief is, at least in most games, about of third of the shots should be from deep. That's the issue, because the Rams rank 199th in 3-point percentage, just 204th in 3s made per game.
Getting Adam Thistlewood back -- who is shooting at a 43.5-percent clip – after a four-game absence, isn't the simple answer. The right guys need to be shooting the shots, and those players need to be making more of them.
They've considered it all. For instance, the 3-point line was bumped back more than a foot to the international line, and for incoming freshman, it's more than a simple step back, it's nearly 3 feet.
While Medved doesn't like to tell his players they can't do something, he is all in favor of pointing out a more productive path. For instance, David Roddy's stroke looks good and mostly fluid, but he's only hitting 16.3 percent from behind the arc, while he's proven to be a monster inside.
On the flip side, Medved feels a veteran like Kris Martin will eventually find his rhythm, and he's seen improvement from Kendle Moore of late, even Isaiah Stevens in spurts.
In the end, there has to be a blend, and it falls in line with the team's offensive thinking.
"Our motto is, like the 3 but love the paint," Moore said. "Everybody on our team gets in extra work in, shooting on your own, shooting with a coach, working on your shot every day before or after practice. Coach said if you're wide open, make sure you get it up.
"If you make two or three one game, your confidence will be up, and the next game you'll try to do the same thing. At the same time, you don't want to think too much about it. You don't want to just go in jacking 3s. You want to make a play, get in the paint, get a layup first and then find your shot."
The free-throw line hasn't been as much of an issue, but Nico Carvacho is shooting more than any other Mountain West player, but he's making fewer than 50 percent. In the win over Wyoming, the Rams missed the front end of two one-and-ones, something Medved feels confident won't happen often, as six players in the regular rotation hit at a clip of 73 percent or better.
Same as with his perimeter mates, Carvacho is not trying to overthink things, feeling he can get back to the 60-percent free-throw shooter he was as a sophomore. If not, teams are going to continue to take their chances at the line.
"I'm good. I'm confident in it," he said. "Just from the past, there are things I have to work on it, and I feel good about it."
Medved's tone remains encouraged when covering the workings of the season so far. Who the Rams are now and how they operate differs from the beginning of the campaign. He likes watching this team reinvent itself over time, and at this point, the Rams are getting into the paint and to the line with success.
There just has to be the balance, and he admits, he likes a high percentage of the shots they've attempted from deep. He'd just like them better if the finish was smoother.
Again, not worried.
"I think the good news for us is that we can get a lot better, and we will continue to get a lot better," Medved said. "I really believe this team can shoot the ball a lot better than they are, and I believe we will."
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