Getting the Best of Everything
Cartier and the Rams became a perfect fit for each other
Mike Brohard
Without knowing for certain in the process, what Patrick Cartier was deeply looking for was identical to the Colorado State men’s basketball coaching staff.
Both were concerned about the basketball part of the equation – a given. Ah, but the fit, it had to work. Niko Medved built Team Together for a reason, and he’s particularly protective of the program’s culture. So are his players.
Cartier had constructed a consensus All-American resume at Division II Hillsdale College in Michigan, a program he loved because of the care the team had for each other and the game. He wanted to move up without leaving that behind.
Each side had a strong feeling. Neither side has come away disappointed.
“All the things we say matter culturally in our program, Patrick is about. Patrick exemplifies everything we want in our culture,” Medved said as his team enters the Mountain West Tournament. “Competitiveness, about the team, his skill level, great human being, high character – all those things, he exemplifies those things every day in his life. It’s how he approaches his work. When you bring somebody in from the outside, he’s the perfect Ram that way.”
As much as Medved wanted a skilled player who could fit perfectly into the system and the team chemistry, Cartier was seeking a landing spot which would not only help the player grow, but the person just the same.
He didn’t need glitz when he chose a team out of high school. He wanted to feel at home, which he did in scoring 1,624 points at Hillsdale. Leaving was hard. Making the jump was a necessary leap into the unknown. He had to have some stability, making the selection vital.
“That’s something I looked for, and I feel I have a pretty good radar for. I always say I’ve been blessed with coaches in my life,” Cartier said. “Coach Medved is so good at managing people and he’s such a good leader of men. The culture buzz word is thrown around a lot. This place has a great culture. There are no cancers on the team.
“There were a lot of unknowns. Being DI … I thought it would be fun, but I didn’t have an expectation of how I was going to feel. I knew meeting Coach Medved, Coach (Brian) Cooley and some of the guys, I knew there were going to be good people. That was my No. 1 thing, even at Hillsdale. The school is in the middle of nowhere and super small, but I loved the coaches, and I loved the team. I got that similar feeling here. Everything else, from the locker room to playing in Moby, Joe Palmer and I always talk about it and laugh. Our first game last year was Gardner-Webb. Joe P banked in a 3 and the place was going crazy. We were like, holy crap, we’ve never played in front of that many people.”
No doubt, the playing part has been fun. As for all those questions people had – Cartier included – they’ve been answered.
In his 63 games with the Rams, he’s averaged in double figures in scoring, sitting at 11.7 overall. He’s reached at least 20 points four times. He was the team’s third-leading scorer a year ago, fourth this season with more punch in the lineup.
And he’s done it the same way he’s always done, because the one aspect which hasn’t changed is he’s an undersized post. He’s not going through anybody. Nor over. But he’s smart, a part contortionist with his body to find a way to get off shots.
“There’s definitely an IQ piece to it. As a player, I think I have a good feel of understanding game goals and feeling pressure,” he said. “At this level, I am a little undersized, so I understand it’s going to be tough for me to go through or over guys, so I have to go around, spin off on things. I’ve always had pretty good touch, and that’s just working with my dad on post moves and practicing that. Playing with my older brother, being around the game so much you pick up things you’re naturally good at and you work on your strengths. I think a lot of it came somewhat naturally, and when I realized I have this in high school, I started to work on it more.”
Where teammate and fellow Division II transfer Joel Scott uses raw power in the low post, Cartier can produce points on the same defenders, opting for finesse to finish at the rim.
His footwork is quality, and he’s not afraid to take a shot which looks unorthodox to most, because he trusts his touch. So does Medved. So does assistant coach Tim Shelton, who works with him daily and is constantly amazed by his feel and the shots he has groomed himself to make.
Sometimes, seeing still isn’t believing. Crafty is the adjective of choice for Isaiah Stevens.
“The first shot that comes to mind, there was a shot he made this year at Northern Colorado where we were playing some action top-down, he had two feet in the lane, he bounced middle, spun back to his left hand – and I’m standing on the wing so I’m looking at it straight on – the way the ball left his hand I was, that’s extremely short,” Stevens said. “But it had a spin, it kicked off the backboard, hit the rim a few times and drops right in. In my head, I’m thinking there’s no way this is going it; it was a bad shot, OK, we’ll move on. Then it finds a way in.”
This particular set of skills has allowed Medved to alter his offense. It’s one of the reasons his players love playing for him. He has a system, but additionally a creative offensive mind which is constantly looking for ways to infuse the motion of the ball.
Cartier has allowed for alterations. His touch extends to his passing (he’s third on the team in assists), again, aided by his knowledge of the game and how to read actions as they are taking place, anticipating others which will follow. His ability on the perimeter is an added threat and helps spacing.
He had a lot of individual success as well as team success at his last stop, so when you start piecing all that together, you understand who that guy really is.Isaiah Stevens
The one knock from a season ago was his defense. It is the area where Shelton believes Cartier has improved most.
“He had it in him. I enjoyed bringing a certain level of energy to it, a certain mentality. I was an undersized post defender myself and was all-conference that way, so I know there’s a certain level of IQ that can come to it and being the anchor vocally,” Shelton said. “He’s one of the smartest guys I’ve had the pleasure to coach, and his ability to read offenses and communicate to his teammates and anchor our defense that way, most of the time he’s involved, and his man is involved, there’s not a surprise. He’s special that way. His level of effort to fight for more of a stance, to fight to being more physical in the right way with more technique and showing his hands, to keep himself out of foul trouble and use his leverage in certain ways. You can tell him once, you can tell him twice, and he remembers. That’s a special trait.”
Just as important to all involved, he was just a special person, which became clear before he ever joined the team.
If a person is really going to find out if he really fits into an equation, he has to do his part by being himself. Impressing under a façade will lead to questions later. Be yourself, you’ll know. Stevens took note with the way Cartier flowed through his visit.
“He’s sitting on the couch, his legs crossed and his arm laying back, just talking hoops. He was super down to earth,” Stevens said. “He was open about everything. I’m not saying he had to be that way, but that’s how he was. Before you knew it, it seemed as if we were hanging out with just another teammate rather than somebody we were hosting on a visit. That was special. He just fit.
“He’s almost as competitive as I am. I like to think I’m the most competitive, but man, he’s right there with me and not more. As far as putting winning above all else, that was his No. 1 priority coming in and he let that be known right out of the gate. He had a lot of individual success as well as team success at his last stop, so when you start piecing all that together, you understand who that guy really is.”
Fans watch game day. The final product of the week. The real story is told during the offseason and in the days leading up to contests. With Cartier, it wasn’t just the work, but the quality of work. The attentiveness and intensity.
The voice came early. He was somebody who was going to push teammates and encourage. He wasn’t going to present a problem without a solution at the ready.
A coach thinks he knows. But not until then.
“It’s easy to say now, anyone you ever recruit what it’s going to look like. He had a track record at the Division II level,” Medved said. “You knew there was going to be an adjustment, and you saw that. What I saw from Patrick right away – and you think you see it, but you don’t know until you coach him – here’s a kid who cares so deeply. It matters so much to him. People have no idea how hard he works or how hard he plays. Watching the tape of what he learned last year, then coming into the offseason, how intentional he was about his conditioning, how intentional he was about hearing all the noise about his defense. He just cares so deeply.
“He’s really taken that to another level, and on top of that, he’s a tremendous leader. He's one of those guys that everybody loves Patrick. He never has a bad day, is always so encouraging and so coachable, but he also has a real fire about him, a competitiveness that permeates around our team.”
Shelton, new to the staff this season, really hopes Cartier coaches one day. It’s a curious idea to the player, whose father is a high school coach, had a grandfather who was and comes from a family of teachers. But he is getting a degree in organizational psychology, something he like to use to groom future leaders in business or athletics. He won’t rule out coaching, but he has goals he’d like to pursue first. First on the list is continuing his playing career professionally.
Whatever comes next, Cartier is certain of one thing: Trusting his gut has led him to two ideal stops.
“Not many people get six years of college basketball. I had four at Hillsdale, and that’s a lot of people’s college career,” Cartier said. “Going through the ropes and understanding I had success at the Division II level and seeing what that’s like at the team level, that was one of my favorite parts of coming here. Being on a new team and developing relationships. We all get along so well, yet everyone is so different. That’s what’s so cool. It’s a melting pot. We’ve got guys from all over. I think that’s just a cool thing about being on a team, and it’s not just the players, but the coaches.”
What gave Cartier initial hope was the fact both Medved and Cooley made the trip to a small school in nowhere Michigan to meet with him personally. He was brought to the program, in part, to help fill the void David Roddy opened when he declared early for the NBA Draft.
When Roddy’s name was called in the first round, he noted Colorado State was great for him, that it didn’t matter the name of the school, just that the player felt wanted. The visit by Medved and Cooley sent Cartier the exact message.
He was wanted. It's now been two seasons, and the run isn’t over. Cartier and the Rams would like to extend it as long as they can. Because what each side guessed, well, now they know.