Isaiah Stevens wrapped up the regular season in fitting fashion Saturday afternoon. With the Rams needing a road win over Air Force for their NCAA Tournament resume, Stevens scored a season-high 29 points on 71 percent shooting as CSU pulled out a crucial 82-73 victory over the Falcons at Clune Arena.
Stevens carried the Rams early, scoring 22 points in the first half to keep his team in it while Air Force was red hot from deep. The Falcons shot a blistering 75 percent from 3-point over the first 20 minutes and led by as much as 10 before a key 9-0 CSU run was sparked by back-to-back threes from Stevens.
After trading scores over the final couple of minutes of the first half, the game really started to turn in CSU’s favor at the 1:32 mark. Trailing 38-35, Nique Clifford drew contact in the paint and should have only had a chance to pull the Rams within 1 of the Falcons. In frustration of the call, though, Beau Becker slammed the ball against the court and received a technical foul after just picking up his third personal. Not only did Becker have to go to bench for the rest of the half and the first few minutes of the second, but CSU ended up getting four made free throws by Stevens and a fifth by Clifford because Air Force head coach Joe Scott also got t’d up.
Down by 2 with just over 10 seconds before halftime, Stevens took matters into his own hands once again. He took the inbound pass and went straight down the court before proceeding to drill a floater to tie the game at 42 apiece.
Though he did not keep up the same blistering pace over the final 20 minutes, Stevens hit a couple of timely mid-range jumpers and finished off the glass for a key reverse layup in the final minutes. On a day where his team really needed him to play like the preseason Mountain West Player of the Year, “Zay” more than delivered in this one.
With his 29-point performance, Stevens is up to a career-best 522 points on the season. What’s more, he’s shooting a career-high 49 percent from the field and 46 percent from beyond the arc; all while dishing out the most assists of any season of his career (218).
Stevens is the all-time leading scorer for the Rams, the program’s best 3-point shooter and he has more assists than any player to ever suit up in Moby.
In addition to being the most statistically accomplished player in CSU history, his 1,131 points against MW competition is the most by anybody in league history. Only Jimmer Fredette (2,599) has scored more points overall than Stevens (2,296). And he has more than 200 more assists than the next closest player in MW history (836).
Beyond his incredible feats on the floor, the buzzer-beating shots, the perfectly placed passes, his legacy at CSU means so much more because of his commitment to the program. In an era where loyalty is uncommon, Stevens has stood by Fort Collins for the last five years. There have been wolves from bigger schools lurking in the shadows since he was named the MW Freshman of the Year. But instead of jumping in the transfer portal or chasing a check, Stevens stuck it through with the Green & Gold.
After watching David Roddy go on to the NBA and seeing the rest of his signing mates from the 2019 class pursue opportunities elsewhere, Stevens stayed. He stayed after an injury-riddled 2022-23 campaign resulted in the Rams posting a losing record for the first time in his career. He stayed through it all.
It’s become easy to exaggerate a player’s status with the way we frame narratives these days. If somebody has a nice run or has a handful of highlights, fans have never been quicker to proclaim someone as the GOAT. However, this is not one of those cases. Any way you look at it, Stevens is the greatest player in CSU men’s basketball history.
He’s far too humble to admit it himself. When asked about it after the Senior Day win over Wyoming, Zay deflected and said that he doesn’t like to think of himself as a big deal.
“I’m definitely aware, a little bit, of the impact,” Stevens said. “I still like to think I’m not that important. But at the same time, man, just doing right by people. They’ve embraced me since day one. And I’ve just tried to be a good ambassador for the university, honestly, both on and off the floor. I’ve enjoyed my time here. We’ve still got a lot of basketball left to play, but so far it’s been a blessing.”
Niko Medved, on the other hand, was much more willing to state what the fans have been feeling all year. “If No. 4 is not retired for men’s basketball, I don’t know what else you have to do,” he said.
“It’s not just being a Hall of Fame player, it’s beyond that. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of person, and player. That’s what he is.”
Many great players have donned the Green & Gold over the years. None will be remembered the way that Stevens is. Years from now, his jersey will still be seen in the stands. After the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, though, there should never be another Ram in the No. 4 jersey again.
