Rams Just Want to Know Where and When
Men's basketball team anxious and excited for upcoming season
Mike Brohard
They’ve been told the season starts on Nov. 25, yet they have no opponents on the schedule.
It’s just the belief they are going to play somebody, sometime, somewhere that has carried Colorado State’s men’s basketball program through a crazy time, a pandemic that wiped out a postseason opportunity and has extended into the beginning of the 2020-21 season.
Isaiah Stevens doesn’t care. Just tell him where and when. He’s just anxious to play again.
“I definitely am, especially since by this time last year we were already multiple games in,” the sophomore guard said. “This late start has definitely ramped up the anxiousness a little bit, not only myself, but our team as a whole. Guys are just ready to get out there and just start competing against new faces.
“It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced or seen before, but I feel that’s what’s going to make this season so unique is the ability to adapt on the fly and be able to go out there and compete regardless.”
The Rams are coming off a 20-12 campaign, one which saw them challenge for a top-three spot in the Mountain West most of the season, but ended abruptly in the conference tournament. It was a season of growth, as Stevens won Freshman of the Year honors, with his greatest challenger being teammate David Roddy.
What everybody witnessed has the team and fans alike optimistic about the upcoming season – when it finally starts. Optimism, Stevens said, isn’t a plan, however.
“Even though we had a 20-win season and we were knocking on the door of the top half of the conference, all that stuff was just a taste,” he said. “We all want more, and we’re all very competitive in this locker room, so we’re trying to continue to push forward, push that needle and set expectations for ourselves.”
Head coach Niko Medved thinks everybody is anxious because of the unknown. Games can be canceled last minute, and teams are still racing to fill in some non-conference games. At this point, all Medved wants is a normal basketball game, whatever that looks like.
But he’s also excited, as is everybody associated with the program, and for good reason. Not just for what transpired last year on the court, but what he’s seen develop in practice.
“I think it’s a combination of both. We’re a program that’s growing, a team that’s growing,” said Medved, who along with Stevens represented the program during the Mountain West’s Virtual Media Days on Wednesday. “I think we have guys who really care and want to be really good players and want to be a good team. It’s knowing and seeing what guys were able to do last year. Again, the excitement in practice of the guys’ work ethic and commitment to what we’re doing, all those things. I think we’re really excited, but I think we’re also pretty humble to know we still have quite a ways to go to get where I want to.”
It’s really unique in that we have no seniors, but even being young, we have a lot of guys who have played a lot of minutes and important roles returning.Niko Medved, Men's Basketball Coach
Junior Adam Thistlewood said the offseason was a challenge for everybody, and the starts and stops made it feel chaotic at times. What felt normal was the time the team was on the court, working through the progressions they need to make while filling in open spots.
While it could have led to idle time, Thistlewood saw the opposite, teammates and a team as a whole attacking practices with an intentionality and focus.
“This offseason definitely brought a lot of challenges I don’t think anyone was expecting. Just the ability to come back from something like this and be able to still perform at a high level is definitely something we’re looking forward to, and we want to show that we actually got better, not just maintained from last year,” he said. “I don’t think internally it was very difficult. I know for a fact all the guys, we have a get-better mindset. Internally, I think the whole time we were very focused, but with all the stops … You get going for a little bit, then here’s a new roadblock. Honestly, I think it just adds to the fire in our bellies, because it’s frustrating when things don’t go the way you wanted them to.”
The team lost a trio of talented seniors in Nico Carvacho, Kris Martin and Hyron Edwards, the latter two the main components off the bench. This year’s roster is void of seniors, and while some might see that as a problem, Thistlewood sees the opposite.
Medved looks at the same topic from a different angle. Yes, the team is young. In fact, it’s the youngest roster he’s ever had. But the flip side is dynamic.
“I like young players. We are young,” Medved said. “There’s definitely that belief in what we are right now, but that belief we’re always growing.
“What’s unique about this team, we’re actually younger than we’ve ever been, but we also have a lot of experience returning as far as minutes played. It’s really unique in that we have no seniors, but even being young, we have a lot of guys who have played a lot of minutes and important roles returning. I think that’s exciting. We have youth, but youth that has some experience. I think it bodes really well for us, not just now, but in the future.”
Ah, the future. Who knows what it holds. The conference is expected to release a new schedule this week. And Medved hopes to have some dates set for non-conference play.
Just the idea of being able to play a game is seeing them all through right now
“I wanted to play October 31,” Thistlewood said. “I’m just sitting back and praying every night we get a game in. I think either way, I’m really confident in a league season, if anything. If non-conference doesn’t work out, that gives us more time to prepare. If the cards fall right, we’ll be happy. If not, we’ll continue to get better and push forward.”