Medved Uses Homecoming to Reintroduce Team to Fan Interaction

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FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The workout was important, but the reality was it took a back seat to the atmosphere.

Taking advantage of a full campus for Homecoming weekend, Colorado State men's basketball coach Niko Medved scheduled an intrasquad scrimmage for Saturday at Moby Arena and sent out an open invitation for all to take a gander at a team full of promise 30 days before they take the court for real.

"I think today was all about for the fans," Medved said. "I told the players to have fun and engage. Of course compete, play hard and do all that stuff, but for the most part, this was just an opportunity for them to enjoy being back out here and playing in front of fans. Hopefully it was fun for the fans; I know it was fun for our guys. I think it's such a natural opportunity to do that with Homecoming weekend."

They had fun with it, for sure. Seniors Adam Thistlewood and Kendle Moore sat out with minor ailments, so Medved made them "honorary" coaches. They talked trash to each other, some of their teammates on the court and even took a few moments to draw up some plays.

Isaiah Stevens heard a few words from the sidelines, so he calmly drained a 3 from the wing and thanked Moore and assistant Ali Farokhmanesh for the "encouragement" as he backstepped on by.

But the best part was looking up and seeing hundreds of fans in the stands, ready to cheer.

"Man, obviously it was the fans coming back," John Tonje said. "That was amazing. The energy was electric in here. I feel like I wanted to show the people what we have, what we've been working on. We've been working in the dark, but now it's time to bring our work to the light."

Part of the reason Medved loves this particular group is the competitiveness they bring to every session. A scrimmage brings it out even more, even if the team is conducting one in the indoor practice facility with no one around.

Having a morning alarm was no issues, especially inside Moby Arena with a set of stands pulled out for spectators. Some sat upstairs on the opposite side, and the crowd was filled with family and friends on campus for Homecoming. Medved structured it for a trio of 6-minute sets, with an additional minute tacked on at the end of each.

Dischon Thomas said there was a pinch of nerves with people back, since the team rarely played in front of fans a year ago during the pandemic, but they also amplified the day.

"Just the fans, the fan interaction with us and having fans in the building, really," Thomas said. "This year's going to be special. We've been putting work outside the court and on the court, and we wanted the fans to see what we've been up to. The fans give us energy, and you feed off them. Just having the crowd atmosphere is a big part of the game."

Which, bottom line, was part of Medved's decision. Last year, the Rams learned how to energize themselves when they played in empty arenas with pumped-in crowd noise. This year, the atmosphere will be real for the exhibition on Oct. 31 with Adams State, and the program is hoping for a packed arena when they open the season officially on Nov. 9 at home with a date against 2021 Sweet 16 team Oral Roberts.

Getting used to the noise, and learning to control those emotions once again, will be important.

"I don't think there's any question," Medved said. "Whether they're being honest or not, they'd probably tell you when the ball was tipped, there was probably a bit of nerves, like, 'oh my gosh.' It's the first time we've been in here and get to see all the fans. I think they kind of loosened up, and telling some guys to smile and enjoy it. I think it was good for us to get out here and do this for that reason."

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