Known for producing corn-fed beefy linemen, the state of Nebraska isn’t exactly a hotbed for college basketball recruiting. But don’t tell Colorado State men’s coach Tim Miles that our neighbor to the east is devoid of high school hoops talent.
CSU’s roster includes four Nebraskans, each a contributor and all on scholarship.
By comparison, the University of Nebraska men’s program has only one native son on scholarship. Creighton has two.
“I didn’t plan on getting four guys from Nebraska. It just worked out that way,” Miles said. “But I’m happy I have them.”
The Nebraska-to-Fort Collins pipeline began three years ago when Miles signed guard Jesse Carr out of rural Ainsworth.
The following year, forward Greg Smith of Omaha’s Ralston High picked the Rams, and he helped persuade younger brother Dwight to follow. Greg is a 6-foot-6 sophomore forward, Dwight a 6-4 freshman guard.
And when 6-3 guard Wes Eikmeier (Fremont, Neb.) decided to leave Iowa State after one season, it came as no surprise that he would give Miles a call.
Eikmeier had played on an Omaha-based AAU team with Carr. The Smith brothers have been friends of Eikmeier since they were in grade school and attended summer camps.
“It just shows that good basketball players can come from everywhere and not just from big cities,” Eik- meier said.
Lacking individual star power but relying instead on depth and the synergy of teamwork, Colorado State is a classic example of the sum of the parts being greater than the whole.
Miles said he is always looking to expand Colorado State’s recruiting territory. But when he took the CSU job in 2007, he found some comfort in heading back to recruiting areas that he frequented during his six years at North Dakota State.
“When you’re building a program, you first have to win the locker room,” Miles explained. “By getting guys from similar places, I knew they’d get along.”
Apparently, CSU has derived another benefit from having four Nebraskans on its roster.
“They want to beat CU more than Colorado kids do,” Miles said with a chuckle.
Beitzel on award list.
Northern Colorado guard Devon Beitzel, from Centaurus High School, was named among 10 national finalists for the Lowe’s Senior Class Award.
The honor goes to a Division I senior player who exhibits excellence in competition, community, classroom and character.
Fans can vote at .
Cowboys are struggling.
Wyoming men’s coach Heath Schroyer and his program certainly have been saddled with more than their share of injuries and bad luck during his four seasons.
But athletic directors almost invariably operate on a four- or five-year clock and don’t like to hear excuses when progress isn’t evident.
Under his direction, the Cowboys have gone 12-18, 19-14, 10-21 and 8-12.
For job security, that’s trending in a dangerous direction.
If Wyoming does make a change, some Cowboys fans hope former Metro State coach Mike Dunlap would get the first phone call.
Dunlap, a finalist for the Colorado job that went to Tad Boyle, is an assistant at St. John’s under Steve Lavin.
SPOTLIGHT ON
Brittany Wilson, G, Colorado
The 5-foot-8 freshman guard from high school powerhouse Long Beach (Calif.) Poly is coming into her own.
After being a double-figure scorer only once in her first nine games, Wilson has scored at least 11 points in seven or her past 10 games and has moved into the Buffaloes’ starting lineup.
Wilson is averaging 7.9 points per game.
“Brittany brings a lot of confidence and some explosive speed that we don’t have,” first-year CU coach Linda Lappe said. “She has a great first step and is pretty strong.”
