DENVER — Patrick Cartier was one of the most coveted Division II transfers in the country this offseason. 

With reported interest from multiple high-majors including Colorado, Marquette and Wisconsin, the two-time DII All-American had a variety of suitors to choose from and they all are known for being respectable hoops programs. 

Thrilled to announce that I will be taking the next step in my basketball journey at Colorado State University for two years of graduate school! Thank you to everyone that has helped me along the way. Can’t wait to get to work!! 🐏 @CSUMBasketball pic.twitter.com/5lM4kvHNH7

— Patrick Cartier (@patrickcartier_) April 25, 2022

Instead of playing in a Power 6 conference, on Monday, the 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward out of Hillsdale College officially announced his commitment to Colorado State. He is the first transfer acquisition for Niko Medved and the Rams this spring. And he should be a perfect fit for the Green & Gold, especially with both Adam Thistlewood and Dischon Thomas moving on. 

Cartier is coming off of a season in which he averaged 22 points per game on an insanely efficient 66 percent shooting overall. At 44 percent from deep, he’s shown that he can score from anywhere on the floor. He’s an effective rebounder too, with an average of six per game.

Perhaps most importantly, he’s produced consistently without jacking up an insane volume of shots. In the 2021-22 season Cartier averaged about 13 over the course of his 32.5 minutes on the floor each night. That’s crucial because while the Rams do need production, they also need players that will be able to coexist with a roster that already has established scorers. And Cartier doesn’t appear to be a player that needs 20 shots in order to be effective.

The other thing that’s encouraging is much like Chandler Jacobs at Dallas Baptist University, Cartier has dominated over a large sample size. In 83 career games Cartier is essentially a guy that goes for 20 a night on 65 percent shooting from the floor, which is extremely impressive. Unlike Jacobs, though, Cartier will come to CSU still having two years of eligibility to play, so he has the potential to be a part of multiple runs if the Rams continue to play like they did in 2021-22.

Cartier’s accolades:

• 2019-20 G-MAC Freshman of the Year
• 2020-2021 G-MAC Male Athlete of the Year
• 2020-21 G-MAC Player of the Year
• 2021-22 G-MAC Player of the Year
• 2021-22 Midwest Regional Player of the Year
• Two-time Division II All-American

With Cartier’s commitment, the Rams now only have two more scholarships to fill before the fall. That is assuming that David Roddy ultimately decides to return for his senior season. Wofford-transfer Max Klesmit is a guy for Ram fans to keep an eye on in the coming days to potentially fill one of those scholarships. Klesmit had CSU in his final four schools and sources have told DNVR that his interesting in joining the Rams is significant.

The recruiting trail never sleeps. We’ll see who else CSU can add into the fold before the fall.