2024–25 Colorado State Rams men's basketball team

2024–25 Colorado State Rams men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
ConferenceMountain West Conference
Record26–10 (16–4 MW)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaMoby Arena
2024–25 Mountain West Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
New Mexico 17 – 3   .850 27 – 8   .771
† 16 – 4   .800 26 – 10   .722
Utah State 15 – 5   .750 26 – 8   .765
San Diego State 14 – 6   .700 21 – 10   .677
Boise State 14 – 6   .700 26 – 11   .703
UNLV 11 – 9   .550 18 – 15   .545
Nevada 8 – 12   .400 17 – 16   .515
San Jose State 7 – 13   .350 15 – 20   .429
Wyoming 5 – 15   .250 12 – 20   .375
Fresno State 2 – 18   .100 6 – 26   .188
Air Force 1 – 19   .050 4 – 28   .125
† 2025 Mountain West tournament winner

The 2024–25 Colorado State Rams men's basketball team represented Colorado State University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Rams were led by seventh-year head coach Niko Medved and played their home games for the 59th season at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colorado. They participated as members of the Mountain West Conference for the 26th season. They finished the season 26–10, 16–4 in Mountain West play to finish in second place. They defeated Nevada, Utah State, and Boise State to win the Mountain West tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 12 seed in the West region. They defeated Memphis before losing to Maryland in the second round.

On March 25, 2025, head coach Niko Medved left the team to take the head coaching position at Minnesota.[1] On March 26, the school named assistant Ali Farokhmanesh the team's new head coach.[2]

Previous season

The Rams finished the 2023–24 season 25–11, 10–8 in Mountain West play to finish in a tie for sixth place. They defeated San Jose State in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament and Nevada in the quarterfinals before losing to New Mexico in the semifinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region where they defeated Virginia in the First Four before losing to Texas in the first round.

Offseason

Departures

Name Num Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Joel Scott 1 F 6'7" 225 GS Senior Monument, CO Graduated
Taviontae Jackson 2 G 6'2" 165 Sophomore Las Vegas, NV Transferred to Southern Utah
Josiah Strong 3 G 6'4" 195 GS Senior Brooklyn Park, MN Graduated
Isaiah Stevens 4 G 6'0" 185 GS Senior Allen, TX Graduated/undrafted in 2024 NBA draft; signed with the Miami Heat
Jack Payne 11 F 6'6" 195 Redshirt Freshman Boise, ID Transferred to Idaho
Patrick Cartier 12 F 6'8" 220 GS Senior Brookfield, WI Graduated
Javanté Johnson 13 G 6'6" 215 Redshirt Senior Colorado Springs, CO Transferred to California Baptist
Joe Palmer 20 F 6'4" 190 GS Senior Faribault, MN Graduated
Cam Lowe 22 G 6'5" 182 Freshman Monument, CO Walk-on; transferred to Black Hills State
Kyle Evans 32 F 6'10" 200 Sophomore Aliso Viejo, CA Transferred to UC Irvine

Incoming transfers

Name Num Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson 8 F 6'8" 230 Sophomore San Antonio, TX Little Rock[3]
Keshawn Williams 11 G 6'4" 175 GS Senior Chicago Heights, IL Southern Illinois[4]
Bowen Born 13 G 5'11" 170 GS Senior Norwalk, IA Northern Iowa[5]
Nikola Djapa 23 F 7'0" 230 Sophomore Belgrade, Serbia LIU[6]
Ethan Morton 25 G 6'7" 215 GS Senior Butler, PA Purdue[7]
Charlie Dortch 30 F 6'9" 235 Redshirt Freshman Fort Collins, CO Walk-on; Fort Lewis

Recruiting classes

2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Jaden Steppe
#34 PF 		Tualatin, OR Tualatin High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sep 25, 2023 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports: 3/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   (80)
Jonathan Mekonnen
SF 		Saint Paul, MN Eastview Senior High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jul 27, 2023 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports: 3/5 stars   ESPN:    (NR)
Darnez Slater
PG 		Corona, CA Eleanor Roosevelt High School 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jul 11, 2023 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NR)
Kyle Jorgensen
C 		Minneapolis, MN Washburn High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) N/A Jun 26, 2023 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:   Scout: –    Rivals: –
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Colorado State Commit List for 2024". Rivals.
  • "Men's Basketball Recruiting". Scout.
  • "ESPN – Colorado State Rams Basketball Recruiting 2024". ESPN.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.
  • "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.

2025 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2025)
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Docker Tedeschi
SF 		Benton, IL Benton Consolidated High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jun 25, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:   Scout: –    Rivals: –
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2024–25 Colorado State Rams men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Kyan Evans 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Staley HS Kansas City, MO
G 3 Darnez Slater 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Eleanor Roosevelt HS Eastvale, CA
F 5 Jon Mekonnen 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr Eastview HS Eagan, MN
F 8 Jaylen Crocker-Johnson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So Little Rock San Antonio, TX
G 10 Nique Clifford 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) GS Colorado Colorado Springs, CO
G 11 Keshawn Williams 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) GS Southern Illinois Chicago Heights, IL
G 13 Bowen Born 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) GS Northern Iowa Norwalk, IA
G 14 Luke Murphy (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS So Southern California Academy Calabasas, CA
G 15 Jalen Lake 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Waxahachie HS Waxachachie, TX
G 21 Rashaan Mbemba 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 250 lb (113 kg) So Borgi St. Polten Vienna, Austria
F 23 Nikola Djapa 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So LIU Belgrade, Serbia
G 25 Ethan Morton 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) GS Purdue Butler, PA
F 30 Charlie Dortch (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Fr Fort Lewis Fort Collins, CO
F 35 Kyle Jorgensen 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Washburn HS Minneapolis, MN
F 44 Jaden Steppe 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Tualatin HS Tualatin, OR
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 30, 2024*
7:00 p.m. 		Adams State W 90–74 
 23 – Clifford   7 – Clifford   6 – Clifford  Moby Arena (3,417)
Fort Collins, CO
Non-conference regular season
November 4, 2024*
7:30 p.m., MW Network 		North Dakota W 82−56  1−0
  20 – Clifford   14 – Clifford   7 – Born  Moby Arena (4,060)
Fort Collins, CO
November 8, 2024*
7:30 p.m., MW Network 		Tennessee State W 87–79 OT 2–0
  31 – Clifford   13 – Clifford   5 – Evans  Moby Arena (4,866)
Fort Collins, CO
November 12, 2024*
7:00 p.m., MW Network 		Denver W 74–65  3–0
  19 – Lake   9 – Clifford   3 – Tied  Moby Arena (4,000)
Fort Collins, CO
November 16, 2024*
2:00 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+ 		vs. No. 25 Ole Miss L 69–84  3–1
  21 – Lake   7 – Clifford   5 – Clifford  Landers Center (1,652)
Southaven, MS
November 22, 2024*
7:00 p.m., MW Network 		UC Riverside
Acrisure Invitational campus site game 		L 75–77 OT 3–2
  21 – Crocker-Johnson   7 – Tied   6 – Morton  Moby Arena (4,713)
Fort Collins, CO
November 28, 2024*
4:30 p.m., TruTV 		vs. Washington
Acrisure Invitational semifinals 		L 67–73  3–3
  13 – Clifford   9 – Clifford   3 – Tied  Acrisure Arena (435)
Thousand Palms, CA
November 29, 2024*
12:00 p.m., TruTV 		vs. TCU
Acrisure Invitational 3rd place game 		W 76–72 OT 4–3
  25 – Clifford   12 – Clifford   6 – Clifford  Acrisure Arena (835)
Thousand Palms, CA
December 4, 2024*
7:00 p.m., MW Network 		Loyola Marymount W 83–54  5–3
  19 – Clifford   17 – Clifford   6 – Clifford  Moby Arena (4,247)
Fort Collins, CO
December 7, 2024*
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Colorado
Rocky Mountain Showdown 		L 55–72  5–4
  18 – Lake   8 – Clifford   2 – Tied  CU Events Center (9,143)
Boulder, CO
December 14, 2024*
5:30 p.m., Baller TV 		vs. VCU
Jack Jones Classic 		L 68–76  5–5
  14 – Williams   10 – Clifford   4 – Clifford  Lee's Family Forum 
Henderson, NV
December 17, 2024*
7:00 p.m., MW Network 		Radford W 78–68  6–5
  16 – Tied   10 – Clifford   7 – Lake  Moby Arena (3,931)
Fort Collins, CO
Mountain West regular season
December 21, 2024
3:00 p.m., MW Network 		at Nevada W 66–64  7–5
(1–0) 		 16 – Tied   12 – Clifford   5 – Morton  Lawlor Events Center 
Reno, NV
December 28, 2024
2:00 p.m., MW Network 		New Mexico L 68–76  7–6
(1–1) 		 17 – Clifford   9 – Crocker-Johnson   6 – Clifford  Moby Arena (4,772)
Fort Collins, CO
December 31, 2024
3:00 p.m., MW Network 		at San Jose State W 72–50  8–6
(2–1) 		 22 – Clifford   10 – Clifford   5 – Evans  Provident Credit Union Event Center (1,425)
San Jose, CA
January 7, 2025
7:00 p.m., MW Network 		Fresno State W 91–64  9–6
(3–1) 		 20 – Crocker-Johnson   9 – Clifford   7 – Evans  Moby Arena (3,095)
Fort Collins, CO
January 11, 2025
2:00 p.m., MW Network 		UNLV W 84–62  10–6
(4–1) 		 22 – Tied   6 – Lake   7 – Clifford  Moby Arena (3,912)
Fort Collins, CO
January 14, 2025
9:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at San Diego State L 60–75  10–7
(4–2) 		 15 – Lake   6 – Clifford   2 – Tied  Viejas Arena (12,414)
San Diego, CA
January 18, 2025
2:00 p.m., MW Network 		at Wyoming
Border War 		W 79–63  11–7
(5–2) 		 23 – Clifford   11 – Clifford   5 – Clifford  Arena-Auditorium (4,941)
Laramie, WY
January 22, 2025
6:00 p.m., CBSSN 		Boise State W 75–72  12–7
(6–2) 		 20 – Clifford   7 – Clifford   7 – Clifford  Moby Arena (5,244)
Fort Collins, CO
January 25, 2025
5:00 p.m., MW Network 		at Fresno State W 69–64  13–7
(7–2) 		 24 – Clifford   8 – Clifford   7 – Clifford  Save Mart Center (5,223)
Fresno, CA
January 28, 2025
7:00 p.m., MW Network 		Air Force W 79–58  14–7
(8–2) 		 22 – Clifford   11 – Clifford   8 – Evans  Moby Arena (4,367)
Fort Collins, CO
February 5, 2025
8:30 p.m., FS1 		at New Mexico L 65–87  14–8
(8–3) 		 17 – Mbemba   10 – Clifford   5 – Clifford  The Pit (13,436)
Albuquerque, NM
February 8, 2025
8:00 p.m., CBSSN 		San Diego State W 68–63  15–8
(19–3) 		 21 – Clifford   13 – Clifford   2 – Tied  Moby Arena (8,083)
Fort Collins, CO
February 11, 2025
9:00 p.m., FS1 		at Utah State L 85–93  15–9
(9–4) 		 24 – Clifford   16 – Clifford   6 – Morton  Smith Spectrum (9,130)
Logan, UT
February 15, 2025
2:00 p.m., MW Network 		Wyoming
Border War 		W 88–53  16–9
(10–4) 		 22 – Clifford   11 – Clifford   7 – Morton  Moby Arena (8,083)
Fort Collins, CO
February 18, 2025
7:00 p.m., MW Network 		Nevada W 79–71  17–9
(11–4) 		 22 – Clifford   10 – Mbemba   5 – Tied  Moby Arena (4,720)
Fort Collins, CO
February 22, 2025
8:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at UNLV W 61–53  18–9
(12–4) 		 14 – Tied   14 – Clifford   5 – Tied  Thomas & Mack Center (5,817)
Paradise, NV
February 25, 2025
7:00 p.m., MW Network 		at Air Force W 77–55  19–9
(13–4) 		 20 – Evans   9 – Clifford   5 – Clifford  Clune Arena (2,180)
Colorado Springs, CO
March 1, 2025
2:00 p.m., FS1 		Utah State W 93–66  20–9
(14–4) 		 26 – Clifford   6 – Clifford   9 – Clifford  Moby Arena (7,155)
Fort Collins, CO
March 4, 2025
7:00 p.m., MW Network 		San Jose State W 83–56  21–9
(15–4) 		 15 – Clifford   6 – Clifford   7 – Evans  Moby Arena (6,021)
Fort Collins, CO
March 7, 2025
8:00 p.m., FS1 		at Boise State W 83–73  22–9
(16–4) 		 36 – Clifford   6 – Morton   3 – Clifford  ExtraMile Arena (12,061)
Boise, ID
Mountain West tournament
March 13, 2025
7:00 p.m., CBSSN 		(2) vs. (7) Nevada
Quarterfinals 		W 67–59  23–9
  25 – Clifford   14 – Clifford   4 – Tied  Thomas & Mack Center 
Paradise, NV
March 14, 2025
9:00 p.m., CBSSN 		(2) vs. (3) Utah State
Semifinals 		W 83–72  24–9
  26 – Clifford   11 – Clifford   6 – Clifford  Thomas & Mack Center 
Paradise, NV
March 15, 2025
3:00 p.m., CBS 		(2) vs. (5) Boise State
Final 		W 69–56  25–9
  24 – Clifford   6 – Clifford   4 – Evans  Thomas & Mack Center (4,675)
Paradise, NV
NCAA tournament
March 21, 2025
12:00 p.m., TBS 		(12 W) vs. (5 W) No. 16 Memphis
First Round 		W 78–70  26–9
  23 – Evans   8 – Clifford   6 – Clifford  Climate Pledge Arena (17,024)
Seattle, WA
March 23, 2025
5:10 p.m., TBS 		(12 W) vs. (4 W) No. 11 Maryland
Second Round 		L 71–72  26–10
  21 – Clifford   8 – Crocker-Johnson   6 – Clifford  Climate Pledge Arena (17,102)
Seattle, WA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
W=West region.
All times are in Mountain Time.

Source[8]

Rankings

See also: 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP———————————————————RVRV
Coaches———————————————————RVRV

See also

References

  1. ^ "Niko Medved leaves Colorado State for his native Minnesota after an NCAA tournament run by the Rams". NBC Sports. March 25, 2025. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
  2. ^ "Colorado State promotes Farokhmanesh to HC". ESPN.com. March 27, 2025. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
  3. ^ Lytle, Kevin (May 2, 2024). "Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year to transfer to Colorado State basketball". Fort Collins Coloradoan. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  4. ^ Lytle, Kevin (April 30, 2024). "Veteran guard Keshawn Williams to transfer to Colorado State men's basketball team". Fort Collins Coloradoan. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  5. ^ Lytle, Kevin (May 3, 2024). "Northern Iowa guard to transfer to Colorado State men's basketball team". Fort Collins Coloradoan. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  6. ^ Lytle, Kevin (May 6, 2024). "Serbian 7-footer commits to Colorado State men's basketball team". Fort Collins Coloradoan. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  7. ^ Lytle, Kevin (April 29, 2024). "Purdue basketball transfer to join Colorado State". Fort Collins Coloradoan. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
  8. ^ "2024–25 Men's Basketball Schedule". csurams.com. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
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