Welcome to my team preview series for 2024-25. Each day between now and the start of the college basketball season, I will preview one team or conference, both on Instagram (@collegehoopsoutlet) and through an article here. The preview will go in-depth on the roster build of the team, my expectations for their upcoming season, and the state of the program under their current head coach.
Colorado State (Projected: 7th in MWC)
Coming off of two tournaments in three years, it’s time for a down year in Fort Collins. Colorado State finally loses their leader and point guard, Isaiah Stevens, to graduation, along with seven others. Head coach Niko Medved has had a successful tenure as the Rams head coach, but this season will likely be another bump in the road without Stevens running the point.
The Rams return one of their double-digit scorers from last year’s NCAA Tournament team in forward Nique Clifford (12 ppg, 8 rpg). Clifford is an athletic wing that plays both sides of the floor very well and has great position versatility. Clifford had some legitimate looks from the NBA this offseason, but ultimately decided to withdraw from the draft and return to Colorado State for another season. He should be primed for another great season, and one that should land him on the Mountain West All-Conference team as he becomes the team’s primary guy.
Three more players return for the Rams alongside Clifford this season and should all see increased roles. Guard Jalen Lake (6 ppg) saw decent minutes off the bench last season and now likely moves up in the rotation to become more of a sixth man. Sophomore forward Rashaan Mbemba (4 ppg) had a couple of upperclassmen ahead of him in the rotation last season, but now gets a chance to shine as a sophomore. Kyan Evans (2 ppg) also returns for a sophomore season after playing limited minutes as a freshman.
I mentioned the loss of senior leader and point guard Isaiah Stevens (16 ppg, 7 apg) already, but he wasn’t the only Ram to leave as five of the team’s top seven from last year’s rotation graduated. The backcourt loses Josiah Strong (7 ppg) and Joe Palmer (5 ppg) while the frontcourt loses Joel Scott (13 ppg, 6 rpg) and Patrick Cartier (10 ppg). The bottom of the roster also took a hit, as the Rams lost Kyle Evans (2 ppg), Taviontae Jackson (2 ppg) and Javonte Johnson (2 ppg).
As every coach now does, Niko Medved hit the transfer portal looking to replace the exodus of talent from his roster. Medved brought in five transfers, all of whom will likely play good minutes this winter. The backcourt adds a duo of extreme offensive talent, UNI transfer Bowen Born (13 ppg at UNI) and NIU transfer Keshawn Williams (18 ppg, 5 rpg at NIU in 2022-23). Born stands at just 5-11, but still found ways to fight to the rim during his time in the Missouri Valley. He can create his shot at all three levels at a very impressive level for a smaller guard and his infinite range on his three-pointer. Williams was injured for all but 14 minutes in 2023-24, but is another talented offensive guard with a great shot creation ability that Medved has added to his backcourt. Born and Williams will be exciting to watch, but I’m worried as to who will step up as the primary ball handler and at least fill half of the gap left by Isaiah Stevens.
The transfer class is rounded out by Ethan Morton (1 ppg at Purdue), Jaylen Crocker-Johnson (9 ppg, 5 rpg at Little Rock), and Nikola Djapa (6 ppg, 6 rpg at LIU). Morton will add depth to the wing as a defensive prowess while Djapa will fill in the rotation in the frontcourt. Crocker-Johnson had a successful freshman season at Little Rock in 2023-24 and will now be called upon by Medved to play a large role for the Rams in the Mountain West.
Medved’s 2024 high school recruiting class adds four names to the roster along with a redshirt from the 2023 class. The biggest recruit for the Rams is forward Jonathan Mekonnen (3*, NAT 172), who could be required to play a key role in the frontcourt along with sophomores Mbemba and Crocker-Johnson. The rest of the class includes guard Darnez Slater and forwards Jaden Steppe and Kyle Jorgensen. Redshirt freshman Charlie Dortch could now officially play his first game for the Rams in 2024-25 as well.
Medved has done a great job with the Colorado State program, but none of what he’s accomplished recently would’ve happened without Isaiah Stevens. With Stevens now gone, it’s only smart to project a down year for the Rams. Medved can raise the floor of this year’s team, but with no true point guard and a lack of experience up front, the Mountain West could become a gauntlet.
Nique Clifford will be the main cog of the team playing on the wing, but the storyline of the season for me will be who steps up as the point guard for Colorado State. For this reason, my X-factors are not only transfers Bowen Born and Keshawn Williams, but returners Jalen Lake and Kyan Evans. It’s most likely there isn’t a true point guard on this roster and it stays that way with Born and Williams splitting duties, but sophomore Kyan Evans is a guy that I think could emerge as the point guard for the Rams throughout the course of the winter.
The Mountain West as a whole is down this year, which means even with the holes Colorado State as in its roster, it should still be a competitive team in the conference. The Rams struggled through different stretches of conference play last season and ended up finishing 7th in the Mountain West, a placing I think they match this season.