FORT COLLINS — When Larry Eustachy took over a Colorado State men’s basketball program in 2012 stocked with seniors, he saw the writing on the roster. The veteran coach had no appetite for a rebuilding project once those seniors departed, so he instructed his staff to turn over every rock along the recruiting trail to find players to keep the Rams competitive. That included high school players, junior college transfers, Division I transfers, graduate transfers, anybody who could make an impact, and early.
Eustachy figured he would have a good first season. After all, an upward-trending Rams team had won 20 games the previous season under Tim Miles. Excitement had returned to Moby Arena, and Eustachy believed it was crucial to build on that momentum once the seniors departed.
“We had to keep it going,” Eustachy recalled. “You see programs that kind of go up and down like the stock market. We didn’t want to go backward.”
Inheriting a lineup of mostly four-year players, Eustachy guided Colorado State to 26 victories and an NCAA Tournament berth in his first season. The youthful Rams took a one-year dip to 16-16 a season ago but entered play Saturday night at Utah State with 25 victories and in position to again make the NCAA Tournament. But that’s where any similarity ends to his first team.
Seven of the nine players in Eustachy’s rotation are transfers. Those players have accounted for 86 percent of CSU’s scoring and 87 of its rebounding.
That group bonded early, helping CSU to a 14-0 start, including a 62-60 win at Colorado.
“It’s not easy to mesh it all together,” Eustachy said. “What I think was incredible is we were able to mold a team with all these moving parts and be able to beat Colorado at Colorado in one of our early games. If we get to the NCAA Tournament, having that early success will be a big reason.”
Only one recruit starts
CSU is winning with a gumbo mixture of transfers. Among the starters, leading scorer J.J. Avila began his college career at Navy. Forward Stanton Kidd transferred from North Carolina Central. Guard Daniel Bejarano came from Arizona. Forward Tiel Daniels played two years at Southern Illinois.
Junior guard Joe De Ciman, from Regina, Saskatchewan, is the only high school recruit who is starting.
The top three reserves also are transfers. Guard Gian Clavell came from junior college after originally committing to Mississippi. Guard John Gillon transferred from Arkansas-Little Rock, and swingman Fred Richardson III is a junior college transfer who began his college career at Oregon.
“A lot of us came to Colorado State from different backgrounds and left our previous schools for different reasons,” said Bejarano, who joined the CSU program when Miles was coach. “Because of that, we have a good connection and brotherhood with each other. We could relate to each other.”
There can be a stigma about a school that accepts transfers, especially as many as Colorado State has, that it’s a “renegade” program. That’s not what Colorado State is about, Eustachy said. This philosophy is a bridge to when he could start building with high school recruits, and he has signed five prep players the past two years in an effort to do that.
The game has changed dramatically in recent years, with hundreds of transfers per year nationwide.
Having been fired at Iowa State for behavior related to alcohol abuse, Eustachy is all about giving someone a second chance. For example, last year CSU sought former Louisville star Chane Behanan, who was kicked off the team by Cardinals coach Rick Pitino for repeated infractions. Behanan turned pro before playing at CSU.
“We do our research,” Eustachy said. “Sometimes transfers leave for reasons that are not high character. We stay away from that. We check on a lot of things about these guys. We do a lot of fact checking.
“We rely on a good network that we’ve built out there. My staff’s arms are long, and they’re on the phone constantly.”
Complementary parts
Eustachy seeks shooters (Kidd, Gillon, Clavell), scorers (Avila) and rebounders (Avila, Daniels). All must have a competitive spirit, be willing to play defense and enjoy crashing the boards.
“I always ask their previous coach, ‘Is he the toughest guy you’ve ever coached?’ ” Eustachy said. “That’s my first question. If you have a shooter who’s soft, that doesn’t get you anywhere.”
Prospective Rams recruits, including transfers, must pass a final test. During the recruits’ official visit to CSU, Eustachy takes them and any accompanying family members to a Fort Collins restaurant.
“I do a lot of listening,” Eustachy said. “(Recruits) think they’re interviewing us. But I’m observing them. Every player will tell you he’s tough. But I want to see their personality. I’ve always been pretty observant of people.”
Eustachy and his staff became sold on Daniels by the way the St. Louis native interacted with his mother during his official visit.
“Tiel comes from a tough area,” Eustachy said. “He grew up in a large family with a single mom. The love and respect he showed for his mom, that blew me away. If you wanted to have a child raised right, just hand it to her.”
Eustachy’s reputation for being a demanding coach is no secret. That’s one reason his staff is constantly searching for players who can fit the system.
Daniels said he also did some research. He wanted to learn about Eustachy.
“I knew he was a veteran coach and knew what he was doing,” Daniels said. “The articles I read said he could be a little tough. But I’m tough too. Coach Eustachy is going to be brutally honest with you. It’s what you see is what you get with Coach Eustachy. That’s the kind of coach I like.”
Regarding Colorado State’s seemingly patchwork roster, Daniels believes Eustachy’s personality and coaching style all help make it work.
“We all left another place for a reason, and now we have the common goal of winning,” he said. “We never second-guess Coach Eustachy, because we know he’s trying to win just like we are.
“He recruits guys that he knows he can coach the way he wants to, and we’re not going to tuck our tail between our legs.”
