FORT COLLINS, Colo. — “I’ve seen it here at its best — I know what it can be.”
It’s been nearly two years since Niko Medved was introduced as head coach of Colorado State men’s basketball. On that March afternoon, Medved, sporting a fresh green tie and a Ram pin on his lapel, sat up in front of the crowd with a smile on his face and talked about his love for the program.
“Some of the best personal and professional memories I have in life happened here in Fort Collins and at Colorado State,” Medved said. “As I walked through Moby today, I’m just having these flashbacks of the huge crowds, the energy (and) students waiting in line to get into the games.”
Medved talked about the 2012-13 ‘Orange Out’ game against San Diego State and how it was one of his best memories associated with college basketball. On Feb. 13, 2013, 8,745 people filled Moby Arena to its capacity as the Rams defeated the Aztecs 66-60 in an all-time classic.
In that 2013 matchup with SDSU, the players on the court rewarded the fans with a phenomenal game. The 2012-13 Rams were an extremely talented squad and they definitely played like it against the Aztecs.
Make Moby Great Again | 🎥: @CSURams pic.twitter.com/TQDEJGE20d
— Justin Michael (@JustinTMichael) January 19, 2020
As great as that team was, though, Moby Arena was as rowdy on that night as it has ever been. In college basketball, there’s no question that having an engaged and ruckus crowd is a huge advantage for the home team — and for much of the 2012-13 campaign, CSU definitely had them on a nightly basis.
From 2009-10 through 2012-13, CSU men’s hoops went 81-50 and advanced past the first round of the NCAA Tournament on two different occasions. So, obviously, winning was a big reason the Rams consistently packed the house — it’s easy to rally behind a successful group after all.
That said, winning ball games was not the only reason that those teams were so popular. Another part of the equation was that the roster was constructed with high character individuals that embraced their coaches, teammates and the community around them. On top of that, the players were actually in town long enough for the fans to truly get to know them.
Guys like Dorian Green (130 games), Pierce Hornung (123 games) and Wes Eikmeier (96 games) were staples of the roster during that multi-year run. And they’re just a few examples of the many players that repped the green and gold for most of, if not their entire collegiate careers. Comparatively, the only player to stay all four years under Larry Eustachy was Joe DeCiman — though, to be fair, a few more ultimately may have if Eustachy would not have been terminated.
Flash forward to the present and it seems that Medved has replicated the same formula for success that his mentor, Tim Miles, figured out nearly a decade ago.
In just 1.5 seasons, Medved and his talented staff, have essentially established a winning foundation for the program by: 1. recruiting highly skilled high school hoopsters that have bought into the culture, 2. identifying the players from the previous administration that could/would transition with the new coaches, 3. engaging the fans through digital platforms and community events — something that was unheard of during Larry Eustachy’s 5.5 seasons.
Is this an oversimplified way of looking at things? Yes, building a winning basketball program is definitely way more complicated than a single graph. For the sake of this piece, though, it gives you an idea of how the staff has already guided the Rams to more victories in late January than CSU finished with in either of the past two seasons.
Now, don’t get me wrong. A return to local relevancy and a five-game winning streak are accomplishments worth acknowledging but the mission is still far from complete. Medved himself said on Thursday that they must continue to live in the moment and take things one day at a time.
“There’s been a consistency in the way that we approach things and these guys are buying into that,” Medved said. “I think it’s that consistency that’s allowed them to do well but you can never get too ahead of yourself… Really, I think that’s been the biggest key for us and how we’ve been successful.”
It may be too early for the Ram faithful to start budgeting for a postseason trip. At this point, though, it’s definitely safe to say that the Rams are a legitimate threat in the Mountain West — which means it’s time for the fans to bring back ‘Moby Madness’.
I’m a realist. In the modern era of college hoops, the fans are simply not going to show up for just any old team. They may still watch on TV or follow the results but only the diehards are in their seats when the team is consistently losing. Right now, that’s far from the case.
After a tough start in conference play, the Rams have looked like one of the top teams in the league over the last month. Since falling to the Buffs at home on Dec. 13, CSU has won seven of eight overall, including five in a row by double digits.
Barring an incredible run or an upset of SDSU in the Mountain West Tournament, odds are the conference will be a one-bid league in 2020. Even so, with five home games remaining on the slate, this young group deserves to play in front of a rowdy crowd or two. Who knows, it could even be what propels them to victory in a tight contest.
The one thing I do know is that the 2019-20 Rams are a group worth supporting. Bring back the madness, folks. It’s time.
