Colorado State University Athletics
Shootaround: There’s Always More to Know
3/15/2024 3:48:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Rams double up on doubling down
LAS VEGAS – They hay is in the barn.
A popular phrase among coaches, particularly valid at a conference tournament. All the practices have added up. The opponents are remarkably familiar. There's not much left to say or cover in a pre-game practice.
Then there's Isaiah Stevens.
Colorado State's point guard extraordinaire is set to play the 151st game of his career, the ninth against New Mexico when the two teams matchup tonight in the second semifinal of the Mountain West Men's Basketball Tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center. He sat with assistant coach Ali Farokhmanesh after a team meal, looking at more tape. It's what they've done before games for years. It's what they've done after practice throughout his career. He's done it with every assistant at some point.
Stevens can always find more "hey" in the hay.
"I'm just trying to figure out how I can get better," Stevens said. "Good things, bad things, they do a good job of balancing it out and keeping it honest. If there's something we need to improve on, you'll know."
Most of the sessions have been with Farokhmanesh throughout the years. On the court after a workout. In an office after a loss. Middle of the week for fun. Offseason just because. Farokhmanesh will miss those sessions, and he's afraid to consider how many they've had over the years or how much time they've spent watching film.
It's not always watching. Much of the time it's talking and listening, a mix of basketball and therapy. Both admit they'll miss those meetings when Stevens' career is finished.
"He's such a student of the game it's easier for you. As a coach, you just have to put in the work to get the film ready for him, then he just eats it up," Farokhmanesh said. "I think that's the biggest thing is it helps him visualize things. How he applied it and how he watches those things are what make him so special."
Because as a Ram, Stevens not only giveth, he taketh. His steal against Nevada made him the all-time steals leader at the school with 157, same as with assists and points scored.
Doubling Up
The Rams have had players collect double-doubles the first two nights of the tournament, with Isaiah Stevens going for 11 points and 10 assists in the win over San Jose State, Nique Clifford's 14 points and 10 rebounds to top No. 23 Nevada. They were the 12th and 13th double-doubles by Rams in Mountain West Tournament play.
It was the fourth time the team has had one on back-to-back nights. The first was in 2007 when Jason Smith went back-bo-back games. It happened next in 2016 when Emmanuel Omogbo and Tiel Daniels did it, then Omogbo handled the chores by himself in the 2017 bracket.
Omogbo has three tourney doubles, Jason Smith had two.
Stevens is the only one to do it with assists, the other 12 via points and rebounds. The Rams are now 7-6 in tourney play when a player has a double-double.
Here and There
This will be the team's 11th appearance in the Mountain West semis, the last time coming in 2022 when it fell to San Diego State. The Rams are 2-8 in the semifinal round. … The last semifinal win came in 2017 when they beat San Diego State. … This will be just the third tourney matchup with New Mexico, with the Rams losing the previous two meetings. The last time they faced the Lobos in the bracket was 2011.
A popular phrase among coaches, particularly valid at a conference tournament. All the practices have added up. The opponents are remarkably familiar. There's not much left to say or cover in a pre-game practice.
Then there's Isaiah Stevens.
Colorado State's point guard extraordinaire is set to play the 151st game of his career, the ninth against New Mexico when the two teams matchup tonight in the second semifinal of the Mountain West Men's Basketball Tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center. He sat with assistant coach Ali Farokhmanesh after a team meal, looking at more tape. It's what they've done before games for years. It's what they've done after practice throughout his career. He's done it with every assistant at some point.
Stevens can always find more "hey" in the hay.
"I'm just trying to figure out how I can get better," Stevens said. "Good things, bad things, they do a good job of balancing it out and keeping it honest. If there's something we need to improve on, you'll know."
Most of the sessions have been with Farokhmanesh throughout the years. On the court after a workout. In an office after a loss. Middle of the week for fun. Offseason just because. Farokhmanesh will miss those sessions, and he's afraid to consider how many they've had over the years or how much time they've spent watching film.
It's not always watching. Much of the time it's talking and listening, a mix of basketball and therapy. Both admit they'll miss those meetings when Stevens' career is finished.
"He's such a student of the game it's easier for you. As a coach, you just have to put in the work to get the film ready for him, then he just eats it up," Farokhmanesh said. "I think that's the biggest thing is it helps him visualize things. How he applied it and how he watches those things are what make him so special."
Because as a Ram, Stevens not only giveth, he taketh. His steal against Nevada made him the all-time steals leader at the school with 157, same as with assists and points scored.
Doubling Up
The Rams have had players collect double-doubles the first two nights of the tournament, with Isaiah Stevens going for 11 points and 10 assists in the win over San Jose State, Nique Clifford's 14 points and 10 rebounds to top No. 23 Nevada. They were the 12th and 13th double-doubles by Rams in Mountain West Tournament play.
It was the fourth time the team has had one on back-to-back nights. The first was in 2007 when Jason Smith went back-bo-back games. It happened next in 2016 when Emmanuel Omogbo and Tiel Daniels did it, then Omogbo handled the chores by himself in the 2017 bracket.
Omogbo has three tourney doubles, Jason Smith had two.
Stevens is the only one to do it with assists, the other 12 via points and rebounds. The Rams are now 7-6 in tourney play when a player has a double-double.
Here and There
This will be the team's 11th appearance in the Mountain West semis, the last time coming in 2022 when it fell to San Diego State. The Rams are 2-8 in the semifinal round. … The last semifinal win came in 2017 when they beat San Diego State. … This will be just the third tourney matchup with New Mexico, with the Rams losing the previous two meetings. The last time they faced the Lobos in the bracket was 2011.
Players Mentioned
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