Stevens More Accustomed Second Time Around

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The cities change. So do the daily teammates. Shake some hands, then do it again at the next stop. Meet new people, put your best foot forward and then hit the road.

A hotel, then another. The beds are different, even the pillows. Wash, rinse, repeat. It just seems a little easier to handle this time around for Isaiah Stevens, who just capped a record-setting career at Colorado State.

"I think the main thing is taking care of your body as you're going through all of it. Just putting your phone down and going to bed and trying to stay hydrated through all the travel," Stevens said Thursday after working out for Golden State. "I think it's really prepared me that I've gotten to go through it once before. It's not as foreign to me. You start seeing familiar faces in some of these stops, which always helps, whether it's the players, front office, a coach, staff members, it all makes it a little easier on me."

A year ago, Stevens entered the NBA Draft process, deciding later to return to the Rams and put a stamp on his career with a second run to the NCAA Tournament, including a win in the First Four round.

He leaves the program as its all-time scoring leader with 2,350 points, and it's assist king, standing at 863. As many as he dished out through the years, they're doing all they can to return the favor.

For five seasons, it was not uncommon to see Stevens sitting next to assistant coach Ali Farokhmanesh after a practice, watching film from the day or scouting the next opponent. During the day, they'd meet in Farokhmanesh's office regularly.

They can't meet in person anymore, but a phone call still helps.

"We still talk about stuff. It's different now," Farokhmanesh said. "He has other people in his ear that are there with him on a daily basis. You change from being the parent in the house with him all day to the parent who's outside the house. You're just encouraging him more. Two days ago, we did watch his ball-screen defense.

"It's more along the lines of being a sounding board, encouraging him. At that level, there are such good players, and you have to understand you're going to get scored on and absolutely cooked by somebody multiple times. You're playing against the best players in the world."

Naturally, Stevens has added more people in his corner to help him navigate the pre-draft process. He's worked with new trainers, noting his time with Tyus Jones' brother, J.D., who works out of Minnesota.

Adding to the toolbelt helps as the draft approaches June 26-27, but so do reminders of who you are and where it all started.

"It's a big difference maker for me. Somebody who has dealt with other players going through it, just asking for different tidbits here and there about how I can even try to improve further as I'm going through this thing has been huge for me," Stevens said. "I know I can always count on Coach Ali, Coach Niko (Medved), everybody else back at CSU if I need anything or just want to get some things off my chest. It's been good having them in my corner."

Stevens has worked out for a handful of teams, including Denver, Sacramento, the Los Angles Clippers and Minnesota. At each stop, he joins new players on the court, each bringing something different to the table, so Stevens has to adjust to who they are and how to make them all look better. At Golden State, he was with a pair of post prospects, Jaedon Ledee of San Diego State and PJ Hall of Clemson.

As much as it all changes daily, and as much as Stevens tries to continually elevate his game, there's always the reminder from home to stick to what works. What he said he particularly liked about the environment around the Warriors – other than his mom, Pat, is a huge fan – is the camaraderie. He compared it to the culture he thrived in back in Fort Collins, Team Together.

"It's figuring out how you can impact winning in these environments. You don't have to go out there and show anything you never showcased before on film," Stevens said. "I just go out there and be myself, and for me, that's a leader, a communicator, a team-first guy with the ball in my hands who can also make plays off the ball and let others shine as well."

Because some things Stevens has found this time around, should never be altered.

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