The Colorado State men’s basketball team has an opportunity to do something special this season.
Last year the Rams became just the second group in school history to win 20 or more games in three consecutive seasons, joining Tiny Grant’s teams from 1987-1990. If CSU does it again in 2022-23, Niko Medved’s team will be the first to win 20 or more games four years in a row.
While the accomplishment would purely be symbolic and not an official achievement or a measurement of success — it’s not as if CSU would hang a banner for it — considering the Rams won just 23 games total between 2017-19, the fact that this group has a chance to become one of the winningest teams to don the Green & Gold shows how serious the transformation has been.
At this point we still have a few months before the Rams even begin practice for the upcoming campaign, so if basketball is in the back of your mind that makes sense. Nevertheless, here’s everything you might have missed recently in the news cycle.
CSU to play South Carolina
The bracket for the Charleston Classic was released this week and the Rams are going to be playing in an extremely high-profile game in the opening round.
Instead of Furman, Old Dominion or Virginia Tech, CSU is going to take on South Carolina on November 17.
The Gamecocks are not exactly known for being a basketball powerhouse. Traditionally football has always been the center of attention for Gamecocks fans. However, after signing GG Jackson, the No. 1 recruit for 2023 before reclassifying to 2022, there will definitely be more eyes on South Carolina across the country this fall.
Considering the Charleston Classic is an ESPN event and one of the most highly recruited players in CBB will be participating, there is a good chance that matchup will be shown on the world wide leader, or at the very least one of their TV channels. Ram fans shouldn’t have to worry about the broadcast issues that plagued the Paradise Jam, an event that was only streaming.
Obviously the matchup itself will be challenging. Dealing with the length and athleticism that SEC teams bring to the table is never going to be a walk in the park. But it’s also not like going to Duke with five true freshmen, this is a game that CSU can win.
South Carolina is a long way removed from the 2017 Final Four run. And while I do think that Lamont Harris was a solid hire this past coaching cycle, and Jackson was a big-time signing, Niko Medved can coach with the best of them. Plus, anyone overlooking Isaiah Stevens is a fool. I’m very much looking forward to this game.
2022-23 Non-conference slate
*The 2022-23 non-conference schedule should be finalized and released soon but here is what we know right now. All dates are subject to change.*
Nov. 7 | Gardner Webb | Fort Collins
Nov. 17 | South Carolina | Charleston
Dec. 8 | Colorado | Boulder
Dec. 21 | USC | Phoenix
TBD | Northern Colorado | Fort Collins
TBD | Loyola Marymount | Fort Collins
Rams sign DIII guard
CSU signed 6-foot-4 guard Joe Palmer last week to its 2022 recruiting class. The senior joins the program with two years of eligibility remaining after playing three seasons at Augsburg University (Division III).
Palmer is coming off a solid junior year in which he led the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) in scoring (21 points per game) and rebounding (9 per game). He was top 10 in the conference in field goal percentage (50.8), top 5 in 3-pointers made (50) and scored 20+ points in 14 games.
As a result of his consistent output, Palmer was named the Joe Hutton Men’s Basketball Player of the Year honor by the MIAC, in addition to being recognized with All-MIAC First Team honors.
Prior to his collegiate career Palmer was a three-sport participant at Faribault High School in Faribault, Minnesota. In addition to hoops Palmer played football and baseball. He earned all-conference honors in all three sports.
Making the jump from Division III is not an easy transition, so we will have to see what type of role Palmer plays early on. That said, CSU had two open scholarships prior to signing him and it didn’t make sense to leave them open. Taking a flier on an experienced player like Palmer is a low-risk, high-reward move, particularly if he understands the roster dynamic that he is walking into. The Rams don’t need stars, they guys that can fill roles.
As far as the final open scholarship goes, look for CSU to add depth in the front court. I expect the final spot to be filled before school starts in August.
Snakes in the weeds
Colorado State secured its highest-ever seed in the 2022 NCAA Tournament (No. 6) and just a few months later produced a first-round draft pick in David Roddy.
As we approach the 2022-23 season, national expectations for the Green & Gold are not what they were a year ago, which makes sense to an extent. Any time a team has to replace a player like Roddy there are naturally going to be questions about whether that group will still be able to contend, especially in a talented conference like the Mountain West.
While it does make sense to temper expectations, at least compared to where they were going into last season, it is a bit odd to see the way that the Rams are being completely written off by some.
Maybe folks are forgetting that CSU still has a top 10 point guard in the country — call me a homer, I don’t care, that’s how highly I view him. Or maybe they don’t understand that John Tonje, Jalen Lake, Josiah Strong, Isaiah Rivera are all multi-level scorers. This is not an empty cupboard scenario for Niko Medved though. It’s quite the opposite.
San Diego State might be the defensive team in the country this year. Wyoming will be really good with Hunter Maldonado and Graham Ike back in the fold. And New Mexico has a shot to make a big leap this season too. It may be a little top heavy, on paper though, the MWC is going to be a lot of fun. Even with Roddy no longer in the mix, I still think the Rams have a great chance to finish in the top 3 of the league and push for an at-large bid.
