Suiting Up Takes on New Meaning for Men's Basketball
Special day had bittersweet feel for Medved
The setup was a normal day of practice. Watch a bit of film, then get after it.
But the film wasn’t working. It wasn’t going to work, a ploy set up by Niko Medved and his coaching staff, a way to redirect the Colorado State men’s basketball team to a surprise, one which had been years in the making.
So they traveled up to Bob Davis Hall within Moby Arena, where they were greeted by a row of tailored suits. Some of the players had been measured more than a year prior, an idea concocted between Medved and local clothier Scott Barber.
“We had all the suits set out, and I think they obviously smelled what was going on pretty quick,” Medved said. “It was really cool to see them all put them on, custom, tailor-made suits for these guys. Just to see the smile on their face, and you could just tell they had a little extra. Their chests were puffed out, feeling good about themselves. Some of those guys, that’s the first time they’ve ever had something like that. It was a pretty cool day.”
They had been fitted for the suits many months prior, but like many things, the pandemic put a pause button on the project. The players all remembered the process, but didn’t know when they were going to see the final product.
So it wasn’t a complete surprise, but still a very special day for the players. Immediately, guard Kendle Moore said, he felt “professional.”
“I don’t know, there’s just something about putting on a suit,” he said. “I like dressing up. Looking all nice and spiffy, what not. It just seemed like a nice environment. You feel good when you put on a suit.”
It was a day filled with smiles, but there was a sad undertone for Medved. Barber was not there to see the project through.
Barber has been friends with members of Colorado State’s various coaching staffs, which was how Medved met him years ago, before he was an assistant. When he was hired as the head coach, the two reconnected, and they both shared the idea of suiting up the team for special reasons.
Together they drew out the plan, but during the course of the pandemic, Barber was tragically lost in a one-person auto accident in April of 2020. His wife, Tonya, knows her husband would have wanted to see the project come to a finish. She said his reasons for being involved were simple: He was always looking for a way to help out young men early in their lives, something he felt strongly about as a person who started his own name-brand clothing company in Fort Collins.
He cared, and he knew from his line of work, there was something about putting on a fine suit. Especially for someone who may have never had one previously.
As a special touch, each player had their name embroidered into the inside lining of the suit coat.
So as the players tried on their suits, then strutted around and posed for one another, Medved’s thoughts went to Barber.
Every time to you put on a suit, I feel something good is going to happen, you’re going to have a good time, enjoy yourself. Have a good day.Kendle Moore
“I immediately did. When I could see the guys trying them on, and I know how much fun he was having and meeting the guys and fitting them individually and hanging out a little bit,” Medved said. “He just had an unbelievable sense of humor. It put a smile on my face, and I could only think of the jokes that he would have been telling as the guys were trying on their suits. It was a cool moment. It kind of came full circle. That was the first person I thought in that moment.”
The idea wasn’t about the here and now – though the players have some ideas of their own now – but more for the future. For Medved, it is step in showing they care about the young man, not just the player on the court. There are situations in life where one needs to look their best, and they can’t always be planned out. When they approach their first job interview, they will be well dressed. If they have a function to attend while still on campus, they will look sharp.
The sentiment hit the players in a very meaningful context.
“We always talk about like things are bigger than basketball, and I feel that’s one of those things,” Moore said. “We can use the suit for anything after college, get job interviews, just go out, maybe you want to put on a suit and look nice. You can do a lot of things, and I feel coach Niko understands that. He knows everything is bigger that basketball, and he embraces that with us.”
And yes, they loved getting “suited up” in a very different fashion.
Most of them have worn a suit, but not all of them have owned one, at least not as a young adult. Most of them could tie a tie, but not all of them, and Medved suggested that group may include an assistant coach or two. They had fun with it, and made fun of each other. But in the end, putting on a well-tailored suit made them feel very special, which is something they look forward to doing again down the road.
Moore figured the last time he had worn a suit was in middle school. He was one who had forgotten how to tie a tie, leaning toward clip-ons and bow ties. The phones immediately came out as players started snapping pictures and taking video.
“It’s just a good feeling to me,” he said. “Every time to you put on a suit, I feel something good is going to happen, you’re going to have a good time, enjoy yourself. Have a good day.”
Medved isn’t going to require his team to wear a suit when they travel, but the players have already talked among themselves they believe the suits should be pulled out to travel on a few select road trips. Nothing specially planned out yet, mind you, but something they’d like to do. Moore figures the team may wear them on road trips two or three times during the season.
Medved has taken steps to make sure this is a permanent part of the program. When new players arrive, they will be measure out for clothes, and the team will work locally in the future with Men’s Warehouse. For Medved, it will be a way to honor an old friend, and to continue to make a commitment to his players well beyond their years of play.
“I think initially this was thinking long-term for these guys. It was thinking about life after CSU and whatever that looks like,” Medved said. “That was the genesis of this, but as we also look at this, there’s opportunities while they’re still student-athletes here at CSU, that wearing a suit, dressing nice, being in a more formal setting or something like that will be a great experience for these guys. Providing them with opportunity to do that is great for them.”