Colorado State University Athletics
Rams Set to Reboot Season With Mountain West Play
1/2/2022 2:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
No. 20 Rams open MW slate with Air Force on Tuesday
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – So much can happen in a month.
On Dec. 11, an unranked Colorado State men's basketball team was working its way to an impressive 66-63 victory over Mississippi State on a neutral court in Texas. A few days later, the 10-0 Rams cracked the polls for the first time since 2014-15, coming in at No. 23
A week later, they bumped up to No. 21. A week after, the Rams were No. 20.
All without playing a game.
"It seems a little weird. We took care of those 10 games, but then we had the COVID outbreak, so we had to sit out, but I felt like we did all we could to control what we could, so not too bad," Chandler Jacobs said. "When the results kept coming back, it was man, but just control what you can and let the rest be. Coach has been preaching that all year, and it's holding true, now.
"I think with Christmas break with it, we haven't played in three weeks. By the time we play, it will be 25-plus days. I think these practices and just the games, we have to value the brotherhood and camaraderie we have. It's big, and that big break in time when people were home and isolated definitely reminded us that we've got to cherish those moments."
A fully vaccinated program missed a game with Tulsa, then another with Alabama and eventually the scheduled Mountain West opener at New Mexico on Dec. 28 – all due to COVID-19 protocols.
It's been a reminder to head coach Niko Medved and his program that despite following all the rules, there are still no guarantees. A reminder, because the Rams went through it – twice – a season ago.
"You've got to get over circumstances that are out of your control," Medved said prior to the team's New Year's Eve practice. "If you don't, it's just going to eat you alive. Nobody anticipated we'd be back in this situation again, but here we are.
"Our charge is, I felt we handled the COVID situation as a team really well last year, and I think that's one of the reasons why we had success. Our challenge is we have to handle it better this year with us starting conference play right now. The timing of it is different. We know when conference play starts, the intensity in the games ramps up to another level. Everybody know everybody, so we're going to have to find a way to come out of this pause even better than we were last year."
In the 2020-21 campaign, the Rams got off to a late start to the season, losing the first three scheduled games, then lost three more late in the year – keeping them off the court for 21 days.
Both instances taught the Rams some lessons about how to get going and also how to get restarted. With Air Force coming to Moby Arena on Jan 4, the team feels it can revert back to what they learned to be ready for a Falcons' squad which stunned Utah State 49-47 to open their conference run.
"It's just figuring out ways to stay in shape and staying together. Basically you can't do anything, so it's staying in shape any way possible," Dischon Thomas said. "We've been here before, so it was quicker coming back this time.
"It was staying engaged, whether that's watching film or studying opponent's that we have coming ahead. It was being more prepared."
When the Rams finally cleared to return to the court to practice, Medved knew his group was going to have to be fully committed to the task at hand. It required squeezing everything they could out of each session, be it team work or just getting up shots.
In some ways, it's not so much a reboot of a season as a start to a new one. Medved breaks up the slate in three parts to start with – non-conference, conference and then postseason play. The pause cut short the first part, which has the Rams sitting as one of only three unbeaten teams remaining in the country, and it takes them into the second phase, which is the Mountain West.
"We're really starting a whole new point, 0-0 in conference," he said. "It feels strange, and it's almost like – I don't want to say numb – but I think our guys are just itching to get back out there, and I don't think it matters where we're ranked or anything. It's hey, let's just go play."
Which has been the mood in practice. While being sideline was not wanted, it happened. It wasn't ideal, because once again, they were forced apart after creating some major momentum in their season. The truth is, deep down, they were bored.
In some ways, it brought a new feeling back to practice, one Jacobs likened to preseason sessions. There was energy, but what was different was they had actually started. They are a perfect 10-0 carrying a strong feeling there is so much more to look forward to this season.
"Everybody is eager to get back, because everybody was sitting at home forever, so everybody is ready to get back. It's very odd, especially moving up while we weren't playing, but we're in a great spot," Thomas said. "I know a lot of teams are going to be coming for us, so we have to be prepared. Every game is going to be a tough game. Air Force is a team that's definitely gotten better."
On Dec. 11, an unranked Colorado State men's basketball team was working its way to an impressive 66-63 victory over Mississippi State on a neutral court in Texas. A few days later, the 10-0 Rams cracked the polls for the first time since 2014-15, coming in at No. 23
A week later, they bumped up to No. 21. A week after, the Rams were No. 20.
All without playing a game.
"It seems a little weird. We took care of those 10 games, but then we had the COVID outbreak, so we had to sit out, but I felt like we did all we could to control what we could, so not too bad," Chandler Jacobs said. "When the results kept coming back, it was man, but just control what you can and let the rest be. Coach has been preaching that all year, and it's holding true, now.
"I think with Christmas break with it, we haven't played in three weeks. By the time we play, it will be 25-plus days. I think these practices and just the games, we have to value the brotherhood and camaraderie we have. It's big, and that big break in time when people were home and isolated definitely reminded us that we've got to cherish those moments."
A fully vaccinated program missed a game with Tulsa, then another with Alabama and eventually the scheduled Mountain West opener at New Mexico on Dec. 28 – all due to COVID-19 protocols.
It's been a reminder to head coach Niko Medved and his program that despite following all the rules, there are still no guarantees. A reminder, because the Rams went through it – twice – a season ago.
"You've got to get over circumstances that are out of your control," Medved said prior to the team's New Year's Eve practice. "If you don't, it's just going to eat you alive. Nobody anticipated we'd be back in this situation again, but here we are.
"Our charge is, I felt we handled the COVID situation as a team really well last year, and I think that's one of the reasons why we had success. Our challenge is we have to handle it better this year with us starting conference play right now. The timing of it is different. We know when conference play starts, the intensity in the games ramps up to another level. Everybody know everybody, so we're going to have to find a way to come out of this pause even better than we were last year."
In the 2020-21 campaign, the Rams got off to a late start to the season, losing the first three scheduled games, then lost three more late in the year – keeping them off the court for 21 days.
Both instances taught the Rams some lessons about how to get going and also how to get restarted. With Air Force coming to Moby Arena on Jan 4, the team feels it can revert back to what they learned to be ready for a Falcons' squad which stunned Utah State 49-47 to open their conference run.
"It's just figuring out ways to stay in shape and staying together. Basically you can't do anything, so it's staying in shape any way possible," Dischon Thomas said. "We've been here before, so it was quicker coming back this time.
"It was staying engaged, whether that's watching film or studying opponent's that we have coming ahead. It was being more prepared."
When the Rams finally cleared to return to the court to practice, Medved knew his group was going to have to be fully committed to the task at hand. It required squeezing everything they could out of each session, be it team work or just getting up shots.
In some ways, it's not so much a reboot of a season as a start to a new one. Medved breaks up the slate in three parts to start with – non-conference, conference and then postseason play. The pause cut short the first part, which has the Rams sitting as one of only three unbeaten teams remaining in the country, and it takes them into the second phase, which is the Mountain West.
"We're really starting a whole new point, 0-0 in conference," he said. "It feels strange, and it's almost like – I don't want to say numb – but I think our guys are just itching to get back out there, and I don't think it matters where we're ranked or anything. It's hey, let's just go play."
Which has been the mood in practice. While being sideline was not wanted, it happened. It wasn't ideal, because once again, they were forced apart after creating some major momentum in their season. The truth is, deep down, they were bored.
In some ways, it brought a new feeling back to practice, one Jacobs likened to preseason sessions. There was energy, but what was different was they had actually started. They are a perfect 10-0 carrying a strong feeling there is so much more to look forward to this season.
"Everybody is eager to get back, because everybody was sitting at home forever, so everybody is ready to get back. It's very odd, especially moving up while we weren't playing, but we're in a great spot," Thomas said. "I know a lot of teams are going to be coming for us, so we have to be prepared. Every game is going to be a tough game. Air Force is a team that's definitely gotten better."
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Basketball
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