Mountain West Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2022-23 season
503. . . . Rams . 5. team
The Rams were definitely coming into this season without David Roddy, who was the Mountain West Basketball Player of the Year last year. They had enough talent left over to still be a contender this season but now that’s in question with the injury of point guard Isaiah Stevens.
A three-time All-Mountain West performer, Stevens averaged 14.7 ppg and 4.7 apg to run the offense. He suffered a foot injury that’ll keep him out for the next couple of months but the hope is that he’ll be back around the start of league play. There aren’t clear options for Colorado State to replace him at point but look for returning guards, Jalen Lake and Isaiah Rivera to have larger roles in the rotation.
The largest role will go to senior guard John Tonje, who averaged 9.1 ppg on 36% three-point shooting. He had 31 points versus Oral Roberts at the start of last season and had five games of at least 15 points so Tonje is capable of being a leading scorer while Stevens is out. They’ll also need big contributions from Illinois State transfer Josiah Strong, a double-digit scorer that shot over 40% from three-point range.
The frontcourt is a question mark, with James Moors needing to have a big year, along with D-II transfer Patrick Cartier, who was a prolific shooter and floor spacer at the four-spot. If he and D-III wing transfer Joe Palmer can have an impact, they’ll survive not having Stevens for the first half of the season.