As if Colorado State fans didn’t have enough to cry about with an 0-6 football team, the men’s basketball team was picked last and the women next-to-last in the Mountain West Conference preseason media polls.
“We were picked 10th of nine teams,” first-year CSU men’s coach Tim Miles said. “We have nowhere to go but up.”
Miles is doing his best to maintain his humor with the Rams having only eight eligible scholarship players and an ever-changing cast of walk-ons.
CSU women’s coach Jen Warden likewise is working with an extensive cast of newcomers, after an 8-21 season.
BYU was picked to repeat its men’s title and Wyoming, with every starter returning from its NIT championship team, was selected to win it all on the women’s side.
Wyoming was picked sixth and Air Force eighth in the men’s race. Air Force was picked last in the women’s poll. Wyoming guard Brandon Ewing was named the top returning men’s player.
Texas Christian, which finished last in its first two seasons, was picked seventh with one of the more experienced returning men’s teams.
“If the season ended today, we wouldn’t have to be in the play-in game,” TCU men’s coach Neil Dougherty said, referring to the MWC Tournament’s qualifying bracket.
Meet the Rams. CSU’s men and women will have a fan night today at about 10 p.m., after the volleyball game.
Miles challenged Warden to a one-on-one game, but the former University of Colorado player hasn’t accepted.
Kruger recovered. UNLV men’s coach Lon Kruger looked no worse for wear from bypass surgery this summer. He still looks as fit as when he played guard for Kansas State in the 1970s.
Kruger said he felt 100 percent recovered and said heredity factors led him to getting checked for cardiac problems.
Ex-AFA assistant to TV. Larry Mangino was named to the broadcast crew for The Mtn.
Footnotes. New Utah men’s coach Jim Boylen, who spent 13 years in the NBA before two seasons at Michigan State, said his only association with Utah came from the NBA summer league in Salt Lake City. … New Mexico newcomer Steve Alford, a former Indiana player and Iowa coach, said his knowledge of his new colleagues comes from playing against San Diego State’s Steve Fisher when Fisher coached Michigan and against Kruger when the UNLV coach was at Illinois. As the new marquee name in the MWC, Alford drew the most attention. He admitted he still was reluctant to hit the chile peppers, but New Mexico’s commitment to a $60 million arena face-lift is a boon to recruiting. He said he had commitments from five players (late spring and projected early fall) in just eight official visits.
Natalie Meisler: 303-954-1295 or nmeisler@denverpost.com
