Earning What Comes Hardest
Carlson and Froebe have gained a trust factor through consistent play
Mike Brohard
The grin comes easy and continues to grow to conclusion as he turns his head to the side.
Ryun Williams has much to ponder, a journey of memories to rewind. There’s joy in the mental stroll he’s undertaking as the most current visions flood his thoughts, particularly the here and now. The smile still remains when recalling those periods of maddening frustration which had to occur to get to where they all are now.
Thinking about Brooke Carlson and Kloe Froebe, it’s hard for him not to smile. The improvements the duo has made from freshmen to sophomores. The expanding roles handled with poise. The fact they are two of the most knowledgeable players suiting up for his Colorado State women’s basketball team.
Williams has been doing this gig for a spell – more than three decades as a basketball coach, the past 14 guiding the Rams. There were countless freshmen in that period, and all of them had to do the toughest thing of all with him.
Earn his trust. That doesn’t come easy.
“It doesn't. And I'm pretty ornery with that,” Williams said. “And those two have. They broke that barrier.”
Their arrival wasn’t a package deal from Illinois, but it holds that feel. They became fast friends through the yin and yang of their existences: Carlson very outgoing, Froebe more subdued and stoic. Who they are somewhat mimics how they play, definitely how Williams describes their game contributions.
When it comes to Carlson, the point guard, she’s the Rams’ heartbeat, the team’s energy on the floor. She’s fearless with the ball in her hands and pedal-to-the-metal. The teams needs it, and the fans feed into her style, too.
In her debut season, he was reluctant to put the ball solely in her hands. It was the same to start the current campaign, as there were more experienced players on the floor. He fought the concept a bit, then knew it was time to cut the cord.
“Brooke -- and she still is this way a little bit -- Brooke is all gas. To be that next level guard, there's different paces to a game,” Williams said. “She's done a good job of that this year.”
In some regards, that makes Froebe the one in control of the breaks. During a game, teams and players will ride the wave of one side or the other going on a run, a string of empty possessions on both sides of the floor.
Watch Froebe play and don’t look at the scoreboard. See the expression on her face? It never alters to give you a hint which team is controlling the pendulum.
“Kloe steadies us like no other. You talk about a young lady that just plays ... She could get fouled so hard and she's not going to act any different. She's going to run back on defense,” Williams said. “If she misses a shot, she's going to run back on the defense with the same demeanor. If she makes a shot, she's going to run back on defense with the same demeanor.
“The kid is just so steady and so focused. I think our team feeds off of that. Sometimes it's a game of emotion. Sometimes players can let that lead them to playing sideways a little bit. Kloe doesn't do that. There's no drama to her game. That kid is Steady Eddie. She brings a calm to me. I feel like if I'm getting a little riled up, is Kloe on the floor? Get Chloe on the floor. She just steadies.”
What frustrated him most about their inaugural season was the way they played defense. Like freshmen. Locked in at times, lost at others. Take on the assignment perfectly on one possession, do the opposite on the next.
As much as Williams loves to recant his glory days a scorer back in Wyoming, the way to his heart – and minutes on his floor – is on the defensive end. The concepts were new to both of them, and Carlson’s style – a gambler – would drive him to madness more than any other player. He’s fine with calculated risks, he just felt she was too confident when all she held was pocket deuces.
That part of her play came up in their post-season chat.
“I know it drove Ryun nuts last year. I would say I try to scout it out a little bit before taking the risk because I don't want to send him into a little spiral,” Carlson said. “But I am just more cautious with it and just figuring it out because that's – I feel like college basketball is just way different than high school because it's just different competition every single night.”
Those two were born for the lights.Ryun Williams
Carlson is much better with her foot on the gas, whether it is bringing the ball up the floor or breaking the press, a skill she is quite adept at, showing no panic when teams begin to double or trap. Same when she’s driving the lane, where most of her offense is produced. Controlling her tempo has led to her finishing better at the rim. She has become just as exhausting with her on-ball defense and ability to read passing lanes and snare an errant effort.
There have been a few games this season – the most recent being the win over UNLV – where early foul trouble led to Carlson sitting for a long spell. Against the Rebels, it was the final 12 minutes of the first half, and the offense just operates differently.
Her output has become more consistent. She leads the team in assists, averaging 3.1 an outing, and she’s third in scoring at 10.7, a number which jumps to 12.2 in Mountain West play.
The same is true for Froebe. Simply more consistent game in and game out, also with a major improvement to her arsenal. It was a target set by Williams, but it was already in her mind.
Be a marksman from outside.
“The spring season we really like broke down my shot and so we had a list of things that I would practice every day, and it was just little mechanical things because there were just a few things – like it wasn't terrible -- but there was a few things that I've changed since I've worked on it all spring and summer,” Froebe said. “We really – (assistant coach Rico Burkett) or Coach Williams would come in, and we would work on it. He would rebound for me, and so I had all of the coaches were helping and so we spent a lot of time in the spring and summer shooting.”
She went from shooting 18.5 percent behind the arc last season to 39.7 this run in nearly three times as many attempts, ranking her second on the team behind Lexus Bargesser (42.9).
The fun part of her game is she has a blend of guard and post skills, thanks to being the tallest player on her high school team. She leads the Rams in rebounding at 6.6 per night, with an absurd 80 coming on the offensive glass, ranking her third in the league. Additionally, she is third on the team in assists.
There’s the base of the trust factor. As good as they were as freshmen – both were named to the league’s all-freshman team – neither came back feeling it was enough. They both entered the lab and improved multiple aspects of their game.
Competitors through and through, always looking to elevate, even in season.
“I think we're people who are never settled, so we're always wanting more, we're never satisfied,” Carlson said, looking over and getting assurance from Froebe. “And so I think there's always things that we can continue to improve on and just chasing even more.”
It’s a statement met with a nod establishing agreement.
“Just throughout the year I feel like you pick up on things that obviously you need to work on, but it's kind of you're midseason so you have to focus on that offseason,” Froebe concluded. “So just being able to see those little things and adjusting for the next year is going to be even more fun.”
Reliability is the greatest ability of all for a coach, and the sophomores have provided that comfort for Williams. He knows what to expect, which will include moments of brilliance. Carlson has a pair of 20-point games, as well as seven with five more assists and made 11-of-11 free throws in the win over UNLV. Froebe has five games with at least 10 rebounds, three of them leading to double-doubles. Her 20-rebound performance against Air Force was the eighth time she had a game with at least five caroms off the offensive glass.
There are certain things one cannot add, and when looking at each other, the obvious comes to mind. Froebe would love Carlson’s speed. Carlson’s wish – which she could have worded better at first, leading to mock disapproval from Froebe – is the physical nature of her friend, her nose for the ball when it comes to banging for boards and room in the lane.
What they don’t do for each other is critique their games. They leave that to Williams and his staff, purposely choosing to remain each other’s hype person. Positivity is their preferred method of talking ball with each other, and with the way they’re performing, provides them with ample talking points.
They carried expectations into their debut seasons, a campaign of success which they both knew would create more being placed upon them. Fine. Keep it coming.
It will point to the fact they continue to elevate their game, and thus, the Rams, which is what Williams says drives them both more than anything, players who approach everything with a team-first outlook.
“They're just more ready for the challenge and the resistance from the opponents. Those two were born for the lights,” Williams said. “They were and you can count on them. They definitely have to earn my trust.”
By exactly charting the type of career path which will make a coach grin from ear to ear.
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