Success has become synonymous with Colorado State basketball the past few years, highlighted by NCAA Tournament appearances in two of the past three seasons.
As the 2024-25 campaign begins for the Rams, they hope to continue that trend but will have to do so with a much different roster than the one that defeated Virginia in an NCAA Tournament First Four game last year before losing to Texas in the round of 64.
The Rams are coming off a 25-11 season led by five-time Mountain West all-conference selection Isaiah Stevens. They went 10-8 in Mountain West play and lost in the semifinals of the conference tournament.
For head coach Niko Medved and his team, the slate has been wiped clean, and the team is focused on this season with a roster that includes a few familiar faces but many new ones as well.
“With as many new faces that we have, I’ve seen them buy in,” Medved said. “We still have a lot to figure out as far as roles on both ends of the floor, and how do we play to our strengths. I do think we have some depth, especially on the perimeter. I do think we’ve got some guys that can put the ball in the basket. We’ve got more experience coming off the bench than we’ve had in years past, and that’s something we’re going to have to use to our advantage.”
The team’s lone returning starter is 6-foot-7 fifth-year guard Nique Clifford. After transferring from CU before last season, Clifford averaged 12.2 points and 7.6 rebounds for the Rams while shooting 52.2% from the field and 37.6% from behind the 3-point line. He had nine double-doubles last season, including a 17-point, 10-rebound, 6-assist game against Virginia in the First Four.
He was a third-team all-conference selection after last season and was a preseason all-conference selection this year. He said his experience at CSU has been better than he imagined.
“It’s exceeded my expectations,” Clifford said. “I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, coming to Colorado State. You never really know until you actually get somewhere. But it was a great move from me and my family, just gaining the love and passion back for basketball that I kind of lost a little bit when I was at Colorado. So, it was a perfect situation for me.”
Returning non-starters this season include 6-foot-2 freshman guard Kyan Evans, 6-4 senior guard Jalen Lake and 6-7 sophomore forward Rashaan Mbemba. Redshirt sophomore guard Luke Murphy also returns, but he only played in four games last season.
Lake, who appeared in 31 games last season and started four, averaged 6.1 points per game. After missing time each of the past two seasons with injuries, he is looking forward to contributing more this year.
“I’m just super excited about this upcoming year,” Lake said. “I’ve had a lot of events throughout my years of being here that have held me back, and I feel like I lead by example and now I’m trying to take on the vocal leadership role. I’m just super excited for this year to get going. We’ve got a lot of new faces, but guys are ready to go.”
Evans, who will be one to fill the role of the departed Stevens, played in all 36 of the Rams’ games last season. He averaged 1.7 points per game and had 28 assists. Mbemba, the heaviest player on the CSU roster at 250 pounds, played in 34 games last season and started two. He averaged 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds while becoming a fan-favorite that Medved is excited to see continue to improve and mature.