Colorado State University Athletics
Lake Carves Out His Own Niche in Rotation
12/16/2021 12:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Freshman has been as asset on both ends of the floor
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The thought process is somewhat of a misnomer, that coaches create roles for players on their team.
That's not really true. Players dictate their roles, based on what they first show in practice, then in games. Before Colorado State's men's basketball season started, it appeared a new player carving out their niche would be a tough task.
All five starters returned for coach Niko Medved. So did most of his key bench players. The task may have looked tall for an incoming freshman, but the truth is, if there is value provided, there is a role.
Jalen Lake has provided value.
"One of the things we tell guys is, ultimately you're going to have to find a role, but you don't come in here as a freshman just trying. You should coming in trying to figure out, I want to play, I believe in myself and I want to prove to these guys that I belong," Medved said, his team 10-0 and ranked No. 23 in the country heading into Saturday's game with Tulsa. "Clearly he had that mentality, and you could see very quickly this wasn't too big for him as a freshman, even on this kind of team. I think he's taken that confidence and talent and started to find a role.
"He started to figure out these are the things I do well, these are the shots I can take, this is when I should move the ball; it's started to slow down for him. What's really separated him is his ability to defend. For a young guy, you don't know that as a coach, but he's come in and a lot of times I think defense is where young players, really, really struggle, and he's clearly shown he can have an impact for us on that end of the floor."
Lake is a fairly quiet kid. Medved and his teammates will tell you he doesn't say much, but his actions speak volumes, long before he arrived on campus. Coming out of Texas, he sought out Isaiah Stevens before arriving on campus, wanting to work out with the Colorado State point guard.
Stevens took it as a personal compliment, but also took note of the fact his new teammate was already looking to fit in, to pick his brain and learn about his new team. They weren't exactly neighbors, either, which meant Lake was going to have to travel a bit to meet up with Stevens, but he did it anyway.
"It told me he's a gym rat. He didn't have to do that, and it's not like we live super close to each other, either," Stevens said. "It meant a lot, and I think it says a lot about who he is as a player and a person. The one thing I noticed in him right away was his confidence in his abilities. He's more of a quiet kid, doesn't say a whole lot, but his game just oozes a confidence he might not always express verbally. When we worked out together in Texas before coming to CSU, I saw that right away. I could definitely tell then he was going to come up here and try to play right away, and I told him flat out, don't try to take a back seat to anybody. They recruited you here for a reason, just go out and listen, play hard, put your best foot forward and try to compete for minutes."
Stevens was convinced more than ever Lake was out to help the team immediately after just one summer pick-up session on campus. Stevens recalls the youngster hitting 3 after 3 in various ways, but also playing defense and doing so with intensity.
Lake appreciated the fact Stevens not only picked up the phone, but the willingness he showed in letting him join him for workouts. The advice he received was welcomed, and he carried it with him, right along in his personal belief.
"Before each game, I have to have confidence and believe when I'm out there, I'm the best player on the court and I have to have confidence," Lake said. "That's kind of my mentality. I go in with a defensive mentality, then it works itself out offensively."
Medved said the defensive end of the floor is generally the hardest transition for a young player, but Lake has been a sponge. It's helped him pick up the concepts the team uses, which are far different in more numerous than high school. Lake admitted he relied more on athleticism than knowledge to be a decent defender as a prep.
In a team system, that's just not enough. Medved noted they don't have to tell Lake things more than once, and he's a frequent visitor to the office of assistant coach Ali Farokhmanesh, watching film and discussing concepts.
"I was OK as a defensive player, but I think I've really stepped it up when I got here," Lake said. "I still have a lot of work to do defensively, but it's just a learning process. I'm going to have really good days and down days, but it's all a process. Defense is import in college basket. It's a different pace and more physical than the high school level. If you want to play, you have to play defense.
"I feel like I was a pretty good on ball defensive player, but there are so many things you have to do off the ball as well, so I really had to get better off the ball."
Medved and his staff knew they'd found a shooter with a smooth stroke, but because of the pandemic, they didn't get to see him play as much as a normal recruit. What they found once he was on campus was Lake carried with him tremendous instincts which allows him to slow down the game.
It didn't take long for them to see Lake was going to create a role for himself in the rotation, and day after day, he proved it was not going to be one dimensional.
He has appeared in every game, averaging 17 minutes a night. He scores a bit, averaging 5.5 points per outing, shooting just a hair under 40 percent from behind the arc, and his defense has been an asset.
"It's that thing of everyone's role is important, everyone's role is different and your role is different on every team you play," Medved said. "It's finding that niche of what you bring to the table; how do you help us win. For him, he's been able to do that. He's got a tremendous amount of maturity; he doesn't get too up, he doesn't get too down. He just gets it. Again, to me, it's his ability to play both ends of the floor as a young player and have an impact which has allowed him to be such a key for us."
Seeing action is what he hoped for, and Lake didn't set any parameters on himself then, nor is he now. His role can change, and if it does, it will be based upon his play. In practice and in games. And each night out, his goal is to do things a little bit better.
That understanding of how things works is just a crucial as knowing why he's on the floor at a particular moment.
"This has been fun. I've been enjoying it," he said. "I've just been trying to buy in to my role, and I feel like each game I've been getting more comfortable out there. My teammates are always helping me. I feel like I've been doing pretty well, but like I said, I have to take it day by day to get better."
That's not really true. Players dictate their roles, based on what they first show in practice, then in games. Before Colorado State's men's basketball season started, it appeared a new player carving out their niche would be a tough task.
All five starters returned for coach Niko Medved. So did most of his key bench players. The task may have looked tall for an incoming freshman, but the truth is, if there is value provided, there is a role.
Jalen Lake has provided value.
"One of the things we tell guys is, ultimately you're going to have to find a role, but you don't come in here as a freshman just trying. You should coming in trying to figure out, I want to play, I believe in myself and I want to prove to these guys that I belong," Medved said, his team 10-0 and ranked No. 23 in the country heading into Saturday's game with Tulsa. "Clearly he had that mentality, and you could see very quickly this wasn't too big for him as a freshman, even on this kind of team. I think he's taken that confidence and talent and started to find a role.
"He started to figure out these are the things I do well, these are the shots I can take, this is when I should move the ball; it's started to slow down for him. What's really separated him is his ability to defend. For a young guy, you don't know that as a coach, but he's come in and a lot of times I think defense is where young players, really, really struggle, and he's clearly shown he can have an impact for us on that end of the floor."
Lake is a fairly quiet kid. Medved and his teammates will tell you he doesn't say much, but his actions speak volumes, long before he arrived on campus. Coming out of Texas, he sought out Isaiah Stevens before arriving on campus, wanting to work out with the Colorado State point guard.
Stevens took it as a personal compliment, but also took note of the fact his new teammate was already looking to fit in, to pick his brain and learn about his new team. They weren't exactly neighbors, either, which meant Lake was going to have to travel a bit to meet up with Stevens, but he did it anyway.
"It told me he's a gym rat. He didn't have to do that, and it's not like we live super close to each other, either," Stevens said. "It meant a lot, and I think it says a lot about who he is as a player and a person. The one thing I noticed in him right away was his confidence in his abilities. He's more of a quiet kid, doesn't say a whole lot, but his game just oozes a confidence he might not always express verbally. When we worked out together in Texas before coming to CSU, I saw that right away. I could definitely tell then he was going to come up here and try to play right away, and I told him flat out, don't try to take a back seat to anybody. They recruited you here for a reason, just go out and listen, play hard, put your best foot forward and try to compete for minutes."
Stevens was convinced more than ever Lake was out to help the team immediately after just one summer pick-up session on campus. Stevens recalls the youngster hitting 3 after 3 in various ways, but also playing defense and doing so with intensity.
Lake appreciated the fact Stevens not only picked up the phone, but the willingness he showed in letting him join him for workouts. The advice he received was welcomed, and he carried it with him, right along in his personal belief.
"Before each game, I have to have confidence and believe when I'm out there, I'm the best player on the court and I have to have confidence," Lake said. "That's kind of my mentality. I go in with a defensive mentality, then it works itself out offensively."
Medved said the defensive end of the floor is generally the hardest transition for a young player, but Lake has been a sponge. It's helped him pick up the concepts the team uses, which are far different in more numerous than high school. Lake admitted he relied more on athleticism than knowledge to be a decent defender as a prep.
In a team system, that's just not enough. Medved noted they don't have to tell Lake things more than once, and he's a frequent visitor to the office of assistant coach Ali Farokhmanesh, watching film and discussing concepts.
"I was OK as a defensive player, but I think I've really stepped it up when I got here," Lake said. "I still have a lot of work to do defensively, but it's just a learning process. I'm going to have really good days and down days, but it's all a process. Defense is import in college basket. It's a different pace and more physical than the high school level. If you want to play, you have to play defense.
"I feel like I was a pretty good on ball defensive player, but there are so many things you have to do off the ball as well, so I really had to get better off the ball."
Medved and his staff knew they'd found a shooter with a smooth stroke, but because of the pandemic, they didn't get to see him play as much as a normal recruit. What they found once he was on campus was Lake carried with him tremendous instincts which allows him to slow down the game.
It didn't take long for them to see Lake was going to create a role for himself in the rotation, and day after day, he proved it was not going to be one dimensional.
He has appeared in every game, averaging 17 minutes a night. He scores a bit, averaging 5.5 points per outing, shooting just a hair under 40 percent from behind the arc, and his defense has been an asset.
"It's that thing of everyone's role is important, everyone's role is different and your role is different on every team you play," Medved said. "It's finding that niche of what you bring to the table; how do you help us win. For him, he's been able to do that. He's got a tremendous amount of maturity; he doesn't get too up, he doesn't get too down. He just gets it. Again, to me, it's his ability to play both ends of the floor as a young player and have an impact which has allowed him to be such a key for us."
Seeing action is what he hoped for, and Lake didn't set any parameters on himself then, nor is he now. His role can change, and if it does, it will be based upon his play. In practice and in games. And each night out, his goal is to do things a little bit better.
That understanding of how things works is just a crucial as knowing why he's on the floor at a particular moment.
"This has been fun. I've been enjoying it," he said. "I've just been trying to buy in to my role, and I feel like each game I've been getting more comfortable out there. My teammates are always helping me. I feel like I've been doing pretty well, but like I said, I have to take it day by day to get better."
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballFriday, June 05
Saturday, March 07
Saturday, March 07
Friday, March 06