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July 11th,
2006
By Joel
Welser
Broadcast Basketball
Colorado
State Rams
Overall Rank:
#123
Conference
Rank: #6 MWC
2005-06:
16-15, 4-12, 8th
2005-06
postseason: none
 Colorado
State always seems to produce a decent squad, but fail to
meet expectations. Most have expectations quite low this
season, and maybe that is a good thing for the Rams and Coach
Dale Layer. The talent is there to compete with the best of the
conference. However, the talent has been there for a while and
CSU never seems to come out on top.
Who’s Out:
The Morris brothers brought talent to Fort Collins, but had
disappointing numbers a year ago. Sean is transferring after
averaging 8.6 points per game and Michael added on 3.9 points
during his senior campaign. The backcourt also loses Andrew
Patterson, who earned two starts on the season. C.J. Clark is
transferring after his freshmen campaign where he played in just
12 contests.
Who’s In:
The Rams
will depend on four junior college transfers to supply some much
needed depth. Point guard Tim Denson joins Colorado State after
two successful seasons at Fullerton College. Tyler Smith is a
great shooter and can play either guard spot. The former DePaul
Blue Demon will battle for a starting job after averaging 20.1
points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists at Northeastern Junior
College in Colorado. Versatile small forward Alton Robinson is
another player who has the talent to start right away. The
transfer from Pearl River Community College is explosive on the
offensive end and tough on the defensive end. Asrangue
Souleymane, who played at Cincinnati before transferring to
Panola College in Texas, is a beast on the defensive end. His
offense will be a liability, but the blocks and rebounding will
keep him on the floor. Incoming freshmen Jake Nielson, Jarrel
Smith and Ryan Vermeulen will have trouble finding minutes this
year. Nielson, a 6-1 point guard, is the future show runner for
the Rams. Redshirt freshman, and coaches son, Tim Layer will
see his first action after redshirting last year and add some
depth to the backcourt. The frontcourt could use redshirt
freshmen Ronnie Aguilar and Preston Peterson. Aguilar, another
7-footer, has high expectations to become a force under the
basket.
Who to Watch:
The
frontcourt has experience with Jason Smith, Michael Harrison and
Stuart Creason. Smith led the squad with 16.2 points and 7.3
rebounds. Harrison was right behind him in both categories with
12.4 points and 5.1 boards. Creason continues to improve and
averaged 7.9 points and 3.8 rebounds off the bench. With
another year of experience under their belt, the trio will be a
formidable force in the paint in the MWC.
Final
Projection:
With the
experience in the frontcourt and the backcourt of Cory Lewis and
Stephan Gilling coming off of successful season debuts, the Rams
should have higher expectation than they do. The key to it all
may be Freddy Robinson. The senior averaged just 5.7 points and
2.4 boards last year after being sidelined the previous season
with an injury. The ability to create off the dribble has been
lacking at CSU over the last two years and Robinson needs to
regain that capability for the Rams to have postseason dreams.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
none
Projected
Starting Five:
Cory Lewis,
Senior, Guard, 10.1 points per game
Stephan Gilling,
Sophomore, Guard, 7.0 points per game
Freddy Robinson,
Senior, Forward, 5.7 points per game
Michael
Harrison, Senior, Forward, 12.4 points per game
Jason Smith,
Junior, Forward, 16.2 points per game
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