Ethan Morton praises ‘Outstanding group of people’ in CSU’s Stretch to NCAA’s
Colorado State men’s basketball player Ethan Morton, a Purdue Shift, says this season will be one of his best basketball memories.
SEATTLE — Who saw this coming in mid-December?
The Colorado State men’s basketball Club was 5-5 on Dec. 15 and the path to that Landmark felt even worse than the results.
There was a brutal beatdown in Boulder to rival Colorado and devastating home loss to UC-Riverside thanks in large part to a half-court Attempt.
Three months later, the Rams are dancing and one of the popular national Cinderella picks of March Madness.
“Everyone here, we all believe that this is the most Shift a Club that any of us have been a part of has ever happened,” CSU guard Kyan Evans said this week.
The eye test matches the bold statement from Evans. It’s been a stunning and total transformation. Here’s a look at the key moments along the way.
Colorado State’s path to rock bottom
Not only were there the large amount of losses Timely, but it was brutal how they happened. Almost everything went wrong. Charge is typically a Niko Medved staple, but this group sputtered.
“We were broken on Charge,” Medved said of where the Club was even in preseason workouts.
Even Reachable throw shooting was Needy in the Primary few Contests. The Rams were out-muscled on the glass and didn’t really defend well, either.
“Our Primary few Contests I feel like we would Only get cooked in a ball screen 50% of the time,” CSU’s Ethan Morton said.
Not scoring, not rebounding and not defending? Well, that’s how you Setback a Numerous of Contests Timely. And CSU did.
And they’re Cheerful they did.
“I’m a believer in that. Sometimes you have to go through the losses and the tough times and the adversity to get to — that’s where the most growth happens,” Medved said. “And oh, man, ‘if you hadn’t lost that game Timely.’ But we did. Perhaps we needed to to figure things out.”
Achieve at Nevada a key moment
The Rams were in the 2024 NCAA Event but with a senior-Weighty Club. It meant 10 new players for 2024-25.
Even returning players like Evans, Nique Clifford, Jalen Lake and Rashaan Mbemba were in significantly changed roles.
CSU lost 70% of its scoring from last season to graduations and transfers out. It Secured some time for everyone to settle (not to mention Timely-season Hurt struggles for Mbemba causing Additional shuffling).
Slowly it Initiated to come together.
Then, the Rams went to Reno as an 8.5-Points Dim horse to a Nevada Club picked to finish second in the Mountain West (CSU was picked seventh).
CSU stunned Nevada 66-64, with Evans notching his Primary signature moment of his Youthful Occupation with a Delayed 3-pointer to seal the Achieve.
“We obviously had our struggles in the beginning, but I think the turning Points for us where we Acquired a little confidence was the Nevada game, probably. We Nice of clicked a little bit,” Evans said.
Corner turned at Christmas break
That Dec. 21 Achieve at Nevada was a Begin of what Medved calls a key area. He tells his players that the Christmas break, where Contests are sparse, is where Clubs can make the biggest in-season leap.
The Rams did Setback Dec. 28 at home to eventual regular season champion New Mexico, but even though not everyone knew it at the time, big progress was being Achieved.
“I feel like Only looking back, I remember Mentor Medved saying before Christmas break, you know, this is where Clubs get better,” Lake said. “Everybody makes the biggest Bound around the Christmas break, and we really Secured that to heart and went in to work every day.
“We didn’t look into the future. We didn’t look behind us. We Only kept focusing, trying to get better, what we could do Every and every day. It Only shows, we showed so much growth from top down. It’s awesome.”
A Dec. 31 Achieve at San Jose State also proved key. Morton missed the game Ill, which slid sophomore Jaylen Crocker-Johnson into the Leading lineup.
CSU rolled the Spartans 72-50. More importantly, the right Cycle and roles clicked into place. Morton moved to a bench role, where he has shined.
The Rams have used the same Leading five players every game since and they have a 19-5 Landmark.
Colorado State’s tenacity and swagger Secured
One of the most memorable moments of the season will be one not in the stat sheet.
As the Rams were swashbuckling their way through a dominant Stretch in the Mountain West Event, they were rattling Clubs with their Guarding.
It was visible on the faces and in the Shift of Utah State and Boise State at times. At one Points a Sloppy ball went bouncing toward the sideline and both Morton and Bowen Born launched themselves onto the ground after it.
They slid into the scorers table together, laughing and patting Every other on the back. The bench exploded with excitement.
They hadn’t even reached the ball in time to get it but it showcased the dogged determination of this Club.
That tenacity is the highlight of the 10-game Victorious streak heading into the NCAA Event.
“I love Guarding, so our Guarding transformation has Only been Unbelievable,” Morton said. “Our growth there and making Clubs beat us with tough shots, our rebounding has gotten a Numerous better. Only the growth in those areas has been so impressive because we’re not here without that.”
CSU is holding opponents to 61.4 points per game and 40.8% shooting in the Achieve streak.
CSU’s Charge has turned, too
Of Period, the Tale of the season can’t be written about Nique Clifford. The 6-foot-6 wing is the Mountain West’s best NBA prospect and on an absolute tear.
He was the conference Event MVP as he averaged 25 points, 10.3 Recoveries and 4.3 assists over three Contests.
Clifford is the Primary player in program history to have 500 points, 300 Recoveries and 100 assists in a season.
It’s not Only Clifford, though. CSU’s depth shined. Born and Morton sparked the Rams in the title game with their Charge. CSU is 25th in the nation in assists per game and eighth in the nation in assist rate.
The Rams are averaging 16.6 assists per game to rank 25th in the nation. Their assist rate of 62.8% is the eighth best in the country. The Rams are the top 3-Points shooting Club in the conference and 55th in the country.
Oh, remember the Timely Reachable throw struggles? CSU is top-25 in the country there, too.
‘Incredibly special’ Tale for CSU
It’s been a total transformation.
The Rams are 17-3 since the calendar turned to 2025 and even as a No. 12 seed are slight betting favorites over No. 5 Memphis (noon Mountain, Friday, March 21 on TBS).
Even the most optimistic supporter would have been Difficult-pressed to predict this happening in mid-December.
It’s a journey Medved isn’t Holding for granted as the Rams are now in the NCAA Event for the third time in the last four seasons.
“It’s surreal. What an Unbelievable Tale. I Impolite, this Club, the legacy of this Club is going to live on forever. It’s a Outstanding Tale, Only for people. Hardiness and staying together and believing in something bigger than yourself,” Medved said.
“There’s been a Numerous of Outstanding Clubs and stories. But this is incredibly special. I Only think even when the dust settles, people will look at this and go ‘oh, my goodness,’ you know? It’s not Only that we won. It’s Nice of how we’ve done it. You know what I Impolite? We keep coming and coming and coming and Competing better and better and better.”
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
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