CSU Picked To Win Mountain West Conference In League Preseason Poll, Roddy & Stevens Preseason All-MW

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, October 20, 2021

CONTACT: John A. Martin, Assistant Director of Athletics Communications

(540) 476-1259 | John.A.Martin@colostate.edu

CSU Picked To Win Mountain West Conference In League Preseason Poll, Roddy & Stevens Preseason All-MW

Rams get 11 first place votes for the top spot for the first time in program history, while the two juniors are recognized again by the league media

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – For the first time in program history, the Colorado State men’s basketball team has been picked to win the Mountain West in the annual preseason media poll, announced today prior to the league’s Media Days. As part of that, juniors David Roddy and Isaiah Stevens were named to the Preseason All-Mountain West squad.
 
“We appreciate the recognition that our team and players have received for their hard work,” head coach Niko Medved said. “We also realize this is a new year and we have a very challenging schedule in front of us filled with talented teams, players and coaches. We are excited to get the season started.”
 
Medved and the Rams are coming off the program’s 20-8 overall record and a program-best 14-4 conference record in the COVID-shortened season and berth in the NIT Final Four last year, having earned him Mountain West Coach of the Year from the league’s media and United States Basketball Writers Association District Coach of the Year honors. The Rams advanced to their second consecutive postseason invitation, playing in the National Invitation Tournament and advancing to the semifinals with wins over Buffalo and NC State to eventually finish 2-2. The 20 wins marked the first back-to-back 20-win seasons since 2011-12/2012-13 when Medved was an assistant coach on the staff.
 
CSU returns three All-Mountain West players in juniors Isaiah Stevens and David Roddy and senior Adam Thistlewood, all five starters, nine letterwinners and more than 90 percent of its scoring, rebounds, assists and minutes from last year’s squad. The previous high for the Rams was being picked to finish third prior to the 2003-04 season as CSU had won the 2003 Mountain West Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
 
A 2021 First-Team NABC All-District and All-Mountain West selection, Roddy showed his development in his second year, increasing both his scoring and rebounding averages, going from 11.4 points and 5.6 rebounds a game last season to a team-bests of 15.9 points and 9.4 rebounds. Those numbers were even higher in MW play at 16.6 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, ranking, fourth and second, respectively, in the league. One of the toughest matchups in the Mountain West, Roddy hit 55.3 percent of his shots from the field, also second in the Mountain West, and ranked 13^th in assists at 2.83 per game. Roddy’s best game was in the 22-point win over Boise State, where he recorded career bests of 27 points and 15 rebounds in the victory. He also was just shy of the program’s first triple-double when he had 12 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in the March 3 win over New Mexico. He has recorded 10 double-doubles this season, nine of them coming in conference play, with the two against Fresno State and the double-double in the comeback win at SDSU earning him Mountain West Player of the Week honors.
 
Stevens, a 2021 Second-Team NABC All-District and All-Mountain West honoree, also was a key piece of the puzzle for the Rams, ranking second at 15.3 points per game and leading the team at 5.4 assists per game. In conference play, the guard averaged 15.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists in conference action. He ranked 11^th in scoring, second in assists, fourth in free-throw percentage (84.1 percent), sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.62), fourth in average minutes (34.84) and tied for 11^th in three pointers per game (1.89). He has a pair of points-assists double-doubles on the year in league play, giving him three in his career as there have only been 18 in program history. He had a stellar effort in the sweep against UNLV, averaging 23.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 50.0 percent from the field to garner MW Player of the Week honors. Part of that effort was a season-high 25 points in the opener against the Runnin’ Rebels and then hitting the game-winning triple in the second game and sealing it with a pair of free throws. In the NIT, Stevens averaged a team-best 16.8 points per game, including a game-winning contested layup with 1.2 seconds to play in the opener against Buffalo and a game-high 18 points in the win over NC State. He ranks 12^th on CSU’s career assists chart with 296 and is in the CSU top-20 in assists per game, free throw percentage and three-point field goal percentage.
 
Following an exhibition with Adams State on Oct. 31, CSU opens the 2021-22 season hosting 2021 NCAA Sweet 16 team Oral Roberts on Nov. 9 at Moby Arena. Tickets and new fan-flexible mini-plans for the 2021-22 men’s and women’s basketball seasons, along with football and volleyball, can be purchased now by contacting the CSU Athletics Ticket Office at 800-491-RAMS (7267), csurams.com/tickets or ramtix@colostate.edu.
 

Rams in the Mountain West 

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