FORT COLLINS, CO. — It takes a village to build a winning program.
Just a few short years ago, Colorado State men’s basketball was in disarray. Coming out of the Larry Eustachy era the Rams had culture issues that were deep rooted, and a roster that was not built to contend or even consistently compete at a high level. According to college basketball reference, out of 351 Division 1 teams, the 2017-18 Rams ranked 284th in offensive rating and 313th in defensive rating.
In Niko Medved’s first season, the 2018-19 campaign, there were moments of progress — particularly the development of Nico Carvacho under Medved and Dave Thorson — but what really stood out was the solid play of the then-freshmen duo, Kendle Moore and Adam Thistlewood. Each player averaged 8.6 points per game and roughly 2.5 rebounds. Beyond the numbers you could just sense that they approached the game with a different level of meticulousness than most true freshmen, and that’s obviously proven to be true over the course of their careers thus far.
As a team CSU immediately made drastic improvements on the offensive end under Medved. The Rams ranked 81st in offensive rating (108.1) — a full 203 spots higher than the season before. The defensive side was still lacking, though, as CSU finished 316th in defensive rating (108.7). Again, not everyone from the old regime was quite willing to buy in on both ends of the floor.
After bringing in another talented recruiting class that included Isaiah Stevens, David Roddy, John Tonje, Dischon Thomas and James Moors, a 20-12 finish in year two had folks in FoCo starting to feel a sense of pride again. Thrilling wins over Loyola-Chicago, Tulsa and Nevada fueled the sense of optimism, however, a first round exit at the hands of Wyoming in the 2020 Mountain West Tournament somewhat put a damper on the mood heading into the offseason.
Looking at the numbers, CSU once again improved offensively, and took serious strides in the right direction on defense. If the Rams were truly going to take the next step as a contender, though, the defensive end was always going to be key.
Now, in his third year at the wheel, Medved’s Rams are on the verge of accomplishing something special. As legitimate contenders for an at-large bid, this team with no seniors has an opportunity to end CSU’s seven-year drought and reach the NCAA Tournament — something very few imagined would be possible in the preseason.
After winning a gritty 74-72 game up in Laramie, WY., Thursday night, the Green & Gold may just hang around long enough to win the conference as well — especially now that Boise State lost to Nevada Friday night. Looking at the fellow contending team’s remaining schedules, CSU definitely has an easier path to the finish line.
Regardless of who wins the league, though, if the Rams do in fact qualify for March Madness, many will point to the stellar play of Roddy in the post, Stevens on the drive, or even the big-time shots Tonje has been able to knock down coming off the bench. And, really, nobody would be wrong in doing so. All of the sophomores have been instrumental in making CSU men’s hoops a program to be feared. But when looking at the rise of the Rams and the upward trajectory that this program currently has, the two most experienced players on the roster deserve a whole lot of love for their part in the process. They might not be the most explosive athletes, or the players that typically get shown in the highlight packages on ESPN, but Adam Thistlewood and Kendle Moore have been through it all.
They experienced the growing pains of playing for a team under rebuild. They tasted the sweetness of victory and bitterness of getting upset by their rivals in the conference tournament. And as talented as the sophomores on this team are, the Rams wouldn’t be contenders right now without the consistent play that the juniors have provided on the defensive end, or their big-time shots in key moments. Prior to Thursday night’s game against the Pokes, Medved explained that while Stevens and Roddy may get a lot of the individual glory, Thistlewood and Moore have been key to making the Rams tick.
“They take a lot of pride in being the ‘Day ones’ as people say, the guys that were here in our first year when things were difficult. They went through it every day,” Medved said, before continuing on how they feel a great sense of pride in seeing the program continue to grow, get better, and earning respect on a nightly basis. As Medved explained, it’s not about individual glory to Thistlewood or Moore, they simply want to win.
“They love being on a good team,” Medved said. “They have no problem whatsoever with guys like Isaiah and David getting a lot of shine. I don’t think that bothers them one iota at all because they’re the ultimate team guys.”
More importantly than the opinions of the public, Medved emphasized that inside the locker room, it’s abundantly clear how the team looks up to and appreciates the juniors.
“Within our team those two guys have as much respect as anybody, “ Medved said. “Everybody knows how important they are to what we do and what we bring every day… They take a lot of pride in our program. And they take a lot of pride in where we were, where we are as a program, and where we want to go.”
With 3:51 to play and the game very much still on the line Thursday night, Stevens was called for his fifth personal foul, sending him to the bench for the remainder of the game. Losing the starting point guard in the most crucial stage of a rivalry game was obviously less than ideal, but there was no reason to fear, and that’s thanks to the “day ones”.
After Kwane Marble tied the game at 66 apiece with 1:32 left on the clock, giving the 1,800 fans in Arena Auditorium a little bit of hope, Thistlewood buried a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to put the Rams back up 3 (69-66). Then when the Cowboys still refused to go down without a fight, Moore proceeded to score the final 5 points for CSU, including the game-winning layup with just seconds remaining on the clock.
Just a few days after their head coach had praised them for doing the little things and being willing to sacrifice individual shine for the sake of their team’s success, Thistlewood and Moore came up clutch for the Rams in one of the biggest moments of the season.
That’s what makes college basketball unique. Sometimes the hero is a 6-foot-5 beast of an individual like David Roddy. Other times it’s a computer science major from Golden, CO., and a 5-foot-10, 155-pound guard.
There is no “I” when it comes to this team. And when they ultimately hear their names called on Selection Sunday, their unselfishness and maturity will be two of the biggest reasons why. As will the leadership of the players that have been with Medved and Co. since day one.
Next Up: Wyoming (Saturday), UNM (Tuesday/Thursday).
