John Gillon, Toby Van Ry transferring from Colorado State basketball

Colorado State Rams men’s basketball is spiraling out of control.

16 days ago, assistant coaches Ross Hodge and Leonard Perry left the program for new positions at new schools. Then, recent commit Leon Gilmore III decided to open himself up for offers once again and to consider his options.

Now, the redshirt junior point guard John Gillon is leaving CSU too, according to a press release by the school. As is redshirt freshman forward Toby Van Ry.

Gillon, who played his freshman year at Arkansas-Little Rock, transferred to Colorado State in 2013 and sat out the 2013-14 season. Gillon was the Mountain West’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2014-15, averaging 7.9 points and 1.6 rebounds per game that season. He showed off his speed by getting to the hoop with ease, often taking the ball coast-to-coast for scores.

Then, last season, Gillon was elevated to the level of starter, running the floor with a deep team. His numbers blossomed, to 13.2 points, 3.8 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game, but this year’s team could never put together the defensive efforts needed to overcome enough opponents and they missed out on the postseason. While his aggressiveness getting to the hoop was key to his success in 2014-15, last year he settled for too many long jump shots, especially early on in the shot clock.

Gillon was regularly a target of criticism from head coach Larry Eustachy during his time at CSU. During his redshirt sophomore year, Gillon would argue back. Last season, he seemed to go completely blank-faced when Eustachy would yell at him, silently shaking his head while on the court. The animosity was there from both sides, and without Hodge or Perry in Fort Collins to lean on, it seems Gillon had enough.

Now, he has only one year of eligibility remaining. Where he lands, we’ll soon know.

“This is a very amicable situation with John’s leaving CSU,” Eustachy said. “In my opinion, John and I will be friends for life. I think from when he came here to where he is now, he has grown both physically and mentally and is a much more mature player and person. The change is good for him to have a fresh start, and I look for him to really be special wherever he goes. This is the nature of what is happening these days and we all will move on.”

“I really appreciate Coach for his help and work with me in helping me become the man I have become, both on and off the court,” Gillon said. “Coach and I talked earlier this season and he has changed for the better too, making adjustments in how he has done things. I appreciate the opportunity from the staff to be here and for their dealing with me. I also really appreciate the community and all of their support for me and the team.”

Van Ry redshirted the 2014-15 season, then saw action in nine games last season, with a total of 19 minutes played. He scored three points with two rebounds in his Rams career.