Shootaround: Bargesser Carries Tradition Forward

LAS VEGAS – The goal was to go to a new program and take on a bigger role. In coming to Colorado State, Lexus Bargesser was given the chance to run toward the target.

The transfer from Indiana reached the finish line and then some as the only member of the women's basketball team to be named first-team All-Mountain West, with the additional honor of being tabbed the newcomer of the year as the Mountain West tournament began play at the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday.

"When I saw that I got that award, I felt very honored. That was a hope coming to Colorado State, was that I could excel in my role," Bargesser said. "I think Coach (Ryun Williams) put me in the best position to do that, and I couldn't be more thankful for him and this experience."

Bargesser leads the team in scoring at a 15.5 per-game clip, adding 6.0 rebounds an outing to sit second on the team, as do her 86 assists. One aspect of her game which really stood was her ability to shoot the 3, making 42.0 percent of her 88 attempts after a sluggish start (6-of-20 in non-conference).

Her play has surpassed Williams' hopes.

"We knew that what we were going to ask her to do was something that she has never done at the college level. Were there going to be some hiccups – totally," he said. "But she learned from each one of those and obviously became a great player in our program and our league, but she has far exceeded what we hoped."

Despite having three years under her belt, in some ways she was back to being a freshman. She was asked to do things for a team not required of her since she was a prep. Get a basket in a pressure situation or create one for a teammate.

At first, it naturally felt new.

"It was definitely a big adjustment for me, spending so many years in a smaller role, and I expected a lot. A lot of pressure, honestly, has come with that, but I mean, I learned a lot throughout this year," Bargesser said. "Definitely some hard times along the way, but I wouldn't trade it for anything because I wouldn't be where I'm at now in my game.

"There's actually a few moments this year that I've been asked to perform in big moments, and you know, sometimes I succeeded, sometimes I failed, but to have that responsibility … I didn't even ask for that, and I still got that when coming to Colorado State. So, that's been just such a huge thing for me, and I feel, like I said, I'm very happy to be where I'm at and I wouldn't trade it."

She also carries on a strong tradition for Williams' squad, becoming the fifth Ram in the past six seasons tabbed the league's top newcomer. She joins Emma Ronsiek (2024-25), Destiny Thurman (22-23), Upe Atosu (20-21) and McKenna Hofschild (20-21).

Williams is proud of that run. It signifies the coaching staff can identify needs and project what a player may become in the system, even if there is no immediate track record. It was much the same when they brought in Hofschild, who has limited time in one collegiate season prior to her arrival.

"What we saw on film was obviously a very competitive young lady. We saw her guard JuJu (Watkins). We saw her guard Caitlin Clark," he said. "So, you love the competitive character and makeup that she had. Then she just did some things and not all the time, but just here and there at Indiana. We thought, well, if you let that kid do that more often, she's going to be special. And so it was kind of that.

"Then you do your research and she was a great scorer in high school. She's high character. We thought we could put it all together."

A Bit Defensive

Shortly after congratulating Bargesser for her honor, Williams made sure to point out to the rest of the team where there were none.

Defensively. He was, one might say, animated with his delivery.

"I'm quite surprised that we couldn't land a kid on that team, because that's what we hang our hat on, and that's what's allowed us to take second in this really good league," Williams said. "Yeah, I'm disappointed.

"It just proves how connected we've been, and how we've bought into total team defense all year long, but I will say, I feel like we've had some individuals who have had exceptional years defensively, and in my mind, no doubt should have been on that team. Maybe we're so different every game, our assignments change every game. The kids that are on that defensive team are good defenders, they're really good too, so I'm sure it was hard for the voters. I'm proud that our group is a top-10 team in the country defensively, in a lot of categories."

Colorado State ranks ninth in the country in scoring defense, allowing 55.0 points per game, and 11^th in field goal percentage. However, in all-conference voting done by league coaches, not a single Ram made the all-defensive team.

Williams, like every coach, loves bulletin board material. His delivery of what he deemed a major snub was as big as an advertisement on the Sphere, and he wants his team to feel snubbed when it finally plays Sunday against either Grand Canyon or Utah State.

"I hope they do. You know, this time of year, you're always looking for a little billboard material, and it created it for me. When I saw that this morning, I was …My wife wasn't happy with the language I used."

In the Paint

As the Rams get ready to exit the Mountain West, they do so having won four regular-season championships with one tournament title. That came back in 2016 when the team wore both crowns. … Only four programs have won a title since then: Boise State, Wyoming, UNLV and San Diego State; the Aztecs are the defending champions and the top seed. … The last time the Mountain West had more than one team qualify for the NCAA tournament was the 2009-2010 season, when SDSU and TCU both went. The Aztecs won two games in the tourney.

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