What's Next Will Be a Group Project

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The initial thought is understandable. It's human nature.

Now what?

Not just for the coaching staff, but for the players. Not just about them, but even more so for him.

Isaiah Stevens. They all feel bad for the senior point guard, one of the top 20 in the country at his position. A broken bone in his foot will keep him out for a timeframe to be determined. Stevens, who was 12^th in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio will want to come back. The Allen, Texas, product who was a finalist for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award is a basketball junky, a gym rat, a student of the game with a high hoops IQ who always puts the team first.

You have to be careful with guys like that, who will want to come back as soon as possible. That's fine, but just not too soon. His teammates are already taking him food, spending time with him playing video games and keeping him up to date on all matters Colorado State basketball.

But they also have to come up with a plan.

"Anytime you lose a player like him … He's been a starter since day one, there's going to be a level of chaos," CSU head coach Niko Medved said. "That's part of life, and I think figuring that out, we have a lot of experienced guys, we have a crew of guys who have been working really hard together. You always hear about the next-man up mentality, but I think it's even bigger than that. It's just the team comes together more and finds a way to keep doing what we're doing.

"You're really empathetic for Isaiah, and for it to happen to a guy like him is really painful, but at the same time, I think these guys will really respond. They'll respond because that's who they are and I think they'll respond to rally around him, too."

As a team, they have to recalibrate and reidentify as a group, but not as individuals. They are who they are as players, each with strengths and weaknesses. The team has to build off the first category, and the individuals can't go venturing into the second.

None of them are Stevens. They can't try to be him all the sudden.

"We all have to be ourselves. We can't all step up and try to be Isaiah at the same time," John Tonje said. "We're all going to have to be ourselves, we're all obviously going to have to fill a gap and our togetherness, and everything has to pick up all around. We all have to contribute.

"We all have to be ourselves, but we're going to have to dig deep and come together and continue to make plays for each other and continue to just be a better team."

This was already a roster trying to redefine itself after David Roddy became a first-round NBA draft pick by the Memphis Grizzlies. His departure was going to change how the team operated this year. The process had already started with the arrival of freshmen Taviontae Jackson, Jack Payne, Luke Murphy and Kyle Evans. Then you have the acclimation of a group of experienced transfers in Josiah Strong, Patrick Cartier and Joe Palmer.

That's what the summer was for, to see who brought what to the table, how it fit into what the Rams already do and what skillsets were on the table to add to the system. The Rams have been trying to see just exactly how they'll operate when the new season approaches.

Stevens was a big part of that. He was the pacesetter and decision maker, the calm on the floor. Now, in an instant, the Rams won't have him for a while.

So, what's next?

"We're a great team. We're able to adjust and I think we can build that chemistry and be able to fix those holes we need," sophomore Jalen Lake said. "Guys will have to step up and talk because he was a leader on our team. Guys are just going to have to step up, talk and build that chemistry.

"We've got a lot of new guys, and I think they're fitting in really well. I think we're going to be really good, and coming into the season, we're going to be ready to play."

Which is important. The Rams won't play a competitive game until Oct. 28 when the host Metro State for an exhibition. They don't play a game which counts until Gardner-Webb at Moby Arena on Nov. 7.

Chaos will eventually be met with calm. There will be a plan, maybe more than one. As the team plays games, new ones may develop. It happens all the time. On this occasion, at least for now, it feels a bit forced.

One positive Medved is counting on is the base this team has, not just as talented players, but as character people.

"Some of the identities won't change as far as who we are and what we do, but some of those things can be subtle, and honestly, some of those things are things we're going to have to discover as we start playing games," he said. "Even with Isaiah, we had a lot of new faces who were going to play this year, so we're still in the process of doing that no matter who's out there. This will be a little bit of a different kind of challenge, but it was one we were going to have go through anyway. We'll just keep the train moving forward."

Some roles are going to expand. Baylor Hebb, as the primary backup at point, moves a step forward. So does Jackson. It's the natural progression. In Hebb, Medved sees a player who works as hard as anybody he's had, someone who has always been team-first and has waited for this chance. Medved believes he's ready.

Jackson has talent where he lacks experience, and he's about to get some in short order. All freshmen come in wanting to play. Jackson is definitely going to now.

What their teammates are letting them know is they'll have help. Across the board.

"There's going to be a shift in the rotation, and somebody's name is going to come up and have to play a bigger role for us, but there's not added pressure for anyone," Tonje said. "We're not filling Isaiah's gap with one person. We're all going to rally together and do this as a team."

What gives Medved a bit of comfort is who he is dealing with to counter the situation at hand. One of the greatest strengths he sees with is team is the belief they have in each other and how connected they are to one another. It provides a great launching point.

Individually, they know what they can do on a basketball court. Each is comfortable and confident in the player they are with an eye on improving. Collectively, they find a way to bring it altogether for the overall benefit.

"I think the trap people can fall into is they think we lose an all-conference player like Isaiah and now I have to do more. But doing more is not doing something you're not good at," Medved said. "It's leveraging your strengths even more. It's not trying to be somebody that you're not, it's not us trying to be something that we're not, it's just trying to be a better version of ourselves.

"Stepping up just means being at your best every day and just being who you are. You have to be your own unique self; you can't be somebody that you're not. A team takes on a new life of its own, the identity in the short term changes and that's what we'll work on before we tip off."

By being in the now every day in practice, the Rams will eventually figure out the what.

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