For the Most Part Business as Usual

To the outside world, it appears chaotic.

Not really for Ali Farokhmanesh. Not for the players. And they don't anticipate any chaos brewing. It almost sounds like the most burning question is who will be holding the whiteboard on the sidelines flashing plays with Farokhmanesh in charge.

Maybe the second-most burning question.

"I can't wait to hear his head-coach voice," Kyle Jorgensen said. "I haven't heard it yet.

"He's a huge reason why I came back. I love him to death. He's been nothing but great to me so far. It's going to be weird seeing him as the head coach, when he's in his head-coach mood. I know he's excited, and I know we're excited for him."

If you listen to Farokmanesh detail it, this offseason had been exactly like every other one. Sure, he was named the head coach and had to move offices. But he was going to be recruiting one way or the other.

Sure, he had to hire a staff but was thrilled to keep Ken DeWeese and Tim Shelton in the fold, and the additions of Dave Pilipovich and Jimmy Foster stemmed from past relationships, making them smooth. He does still have one coaching spot open and a pair of graduate assistants to onboard.

Time management has been the only real change for him.

"There are more people who want to meet with you, and the business of that is higher," Farokhmanesh said. "The business of the basketball part of it is the same. The portal was the same whether I was the assistant, a GA or the head coach; that was the same amount of work I was doing."

Dealing with two things at once – building a roster and who was going to teach them – didn't feel like a task with built-in pressure of time restraints. Having the two remaining assistants was a plus. So was staying true to the principles of how the program he inherited was built, as he helped swing the hammer as much as anybody.

The Rams had to find players; that's become the norm. Finding the right fits required the same approach, leading them to Carey Booth, Jase Butler, Augustinas Kiudulas, Jevin Muniz, Joshua Pascarelli and Brandon Rechsteiner. The transfer class was ranked 42^nd in the nation by 247Sports.com, tops in the Mountain West.

Team Together was packed up and taken to Minnesota. The tag line will change, but the foundation remains.

"I thought the staff did a great job of being super intentional about what we needed, how guys fit in well together, and also trying to figure out how we can mix and match them and getting enough positionless guys who can float between spots," Farokhmanesh said. "It will be interesting to see how it comes together. We might not have the electric defensive wing we've had in the past with Ethan (Morton) and Nique (Clifford), but we're hopeful Jon (Mekonnen) can become that.

"Augustinas and Jevin can move. Brandon can play the 1 and the 2, and Pascarelli, too. We have a lot of versatility in the roster that way."

In the meantime, the status quo remains. Returners are still going through drills. Some old hands, Morton and Jalen Lake, are helping fill in the spots.

And while Farokhmanesh said one change will be the language being spoken – he wants to make sure they're all saying the same things – what is being taught doesn't feel different. As Jorgensen noted, he's still working with the same bigs, who are being coached by the same guy, Shelton.

It's June they are all anxiously awaiting, when everybody is on campus, old and new, and they can start to work on the chemistry, blending and lineup experimentation. Who has skills that fit perfectly, who has abilities they can add to create advantages.

"I'm more excited. There's always a bit of anxiousness because they're all knew guys. There's going to be nine new guys," Jorgensen said. "You don't know who everyone is yet, and that's how it is. Last year, one thing we focused on, and it helped us get better, was our togetherness and how we bonded. You can see how bonded we are right now.- Ethan and Lake are here every day.

"We were just in this spot a year ago. It's going to be tough. There are going to be challenges, there are going to be obstacles and sand bumps in the road. That's expected; we know that. Last year there were challenges too. We weren't very good at the beginning of the year and look what happened."

The players are not alone. The coaches can't wait for the work to begin in earnest. It's not just the practices they get geared up for, it's the meetings where they discuss basketball and design based on what they've seen on the floor.

Farokhmanesh is hopeful he can still be as involved individual workouts as he was as an assistant, having heard stories of successful head coaches who are still sticking to their roots.

"The waiting game is hard. I've done workouts. That's the next thing," he said. "Im excited to sit down with the staff and watch a game and literally get to the point where we are calling this this and this that and changing some things. I think we need to tighten up our language. It's not all going to matchup perfectly, but I want to get the point here where it's not broken English."

At some point in June, something will be off in a workout. Then Farokhmanesh will have to bark like only a head coach can. It may stun a few of them in the moment, but it will also be the place in time where reality hits.

The Farokhmanesh era will have officially begun.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Players Mentioned

Kyle Jorgensen

Jalen Lake

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Colorado State University Athletics