A new season of Colorado State men’s basketball officially tips off Monday with a mix of talented returnees and a strong group of newcomers.
Coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance and a 25-6 season led by now-Memphis Grizzlies forward David Roddy, the Rams hope they can put together another run. Head coach Niko Medved is optimistic.
“We’ve always been a team that prides itself in playing together, moving the ball and being selfless,” Medved said. “I think you will see the same thing from this group. We have a lot of new faces, but we also have a core group of guys. The returners have led the way and the new guys have fit in seamlessly. You’ll see a similar style to what we’ve played, itap just some of the individual roles within that will be different.”
Leading the returnees is senior guard Isaiah Stevens. The Mountain West Conference preseason all-conference selection is the team’s leading returning scorer after averaging 14.7 points per game last year. But he sustained a foot injury last month during practice that required surgery. He will miss significant time.
That makes senior guard John Tonje the leading returning scorer when the Rams take the court Monday at home against Gardner-Webb. Tonje averaged 9.1 points and three rebounds per game last season. In the team’s exhibition game against Metro State last Saturday, he led the team with 19 points. He also had seven rebounds, six steals and three assists.
“He’s been playing on a terrific team and now as guys graduate and leave for the NBA, or whatever it is, there are more opportunities,” Medved said. “I’m really proud of him and how he works. He’s ready for a bigger role. He’s waited his turn and works hard every day. He is a skilled offensive player. He can do a lot of things for us.”
Tonje will take more of a leadership role this season and he is embracing that.
“I think I have to be a vocal leader,” Tonje said. “I’ve been here as long as anyone else has in the program as far as players go. So, I am just going to have to keep the culture going, make sure we establish that early.”
Also returning is a trio of players who appeared in all 31 games for the Rams last season, but were not starters. That group includes redshirt junior forward/center James Moors, sophomore guard Jalen Lake and junior guard Isaiah Rivera. They all averaged between 12 and 14 minutes per game.
Other returnees that didn’t see a lot of time last year but will be expected to contribute this season are junior guard Baylor Hebb, senior forward Nick Bassett, junior center Jacob Jennissen and junior guard Trace Young.
Medved has brought in a trio of talented transfers to go along with a trio of freshmen. They will help replace the loss of Roddy and a few players who hit the transfer portal following last season.
Leading that group are a couple of transfers Medved is high on — graduate student guard Josiah Strong from Illinois State and graduate student forward Patrick Cartier from Hillsdale College in Michigan.
Medved believes the team is experienced enough to come together and do well without Stevens for as long as they have to.
“We’ve got a really great core group of guys who understand what this looks like,” Medved said. “We’ve got a group of guys that works their butt off every day in practice. We’re not here to try and re-invent the wheel. We have a lot of confidence in what we are do and the guys we have. We are going to compete at a high level.”
