Sometimes you can just tell when a player has what it takes to be great. While you definitely can’t predict that a player will have a career like the one Stevens has had, it became apparent early that he is the real deal.

“I think those things develop over time,” men’s basketball coach Niko Medved said. “I really felt like — and again, you don’t know he’s going to have a hall-of-fame career — but I think you could see very early on in his freshman year that he had the ‘it’ factor. He had something different as far as his competitive spirit, his feel for the game, his ability to compete at a high level and in pressure situations. And it just really felt like he belonged and could do it.”

In the four years in which Medved has been able to watch Stevens blossom into the dynamic guard, the guard has become has been nothing short of special.

“It’s really gratifying to see young people live out their goals and dreams,” Medved said. “When somebody believes in you and believes in our program and puts everything they have into it, you love to see them get everything they can in return. And he’s earned everything he’s gotten in this program with what he’s done on and off the court.”

What Stevens has done on the court in his first four seasons undoubtedly cemented his legacy among some of the best players to ever don the green and gold, but really it’s what he has done in his final season that uplifts him past all of the greats to ever stroll through the halls of Moby Arena.

“It’s definitely a tough situation to try to balance out because you work so hard individually on your game to hopefully one day have your name in these conversations,” Stevens said. “At the same time, none of it is really important without wins, in my opinion. I was raised that way. That’s how I was coached to be as a point guard was putting winning above all else. And when the team wins, ‘everybody eats,’ is what we say.”

Behind Stevens, CSU has found itself surpassing several milestones. The Rams rose to No. 13 in the Associated Press Top 25 — the highest in program history.

The Rams also found themselves with a 12-1 nonconference record — quite possibly their best start to a season, a start that almost guarantees CSU will be shaking it on the dance floor come March and a start that is helping mold the culture that Medved has been building throughout almost six seasons at the helm.

“We want really highly competitive young people — people who love basketball but people who want to be a part of the team,” Medved said. “I think it starts there, and then it’s just our actions every day, and it’s the way we work — the way we work for each other and enjoy doing it. I think just over time, I think those actions build into your culture.”

Of course, the season doesn’t end after the nonconference slate. With how good the Mountain West is this year, it seems like it has just started.

Just like every year, there’s always buzz saying how good the MW is, but this season just seems different. Every game is a gauntlet. It’s nearly impossible to win on the road, the conference will be as wide open as ever and it appears that the NCAA is ready to welcome five or six Mountain West teams into March Madness. With all of the greatness exuded from the conference, it has become apparent that the winner of the Mountain West tournament comes with the possibility of a historic legacy.

“I feel it has been a good men’s basketball conference for a while,” CSU volunteer historian John Hirn said. “A few years ago, the MWC had four or five NCAA tournament teams — and not just one season but for a few seasons. The real test will come in March on this tournament and the CSU team. Winning a season conference championship outright, and the conference tournament will be the real test of the Rams in 2024.”

While the culture Medved and company have been building has certainly been something of awe, reinforcing that some hardware never hurts.

“The future is bright with CSU’s basketball program,” Hirn said. “But the Rams will need to have multiple seasons like this one — and championships — to really become a hot basketball school.”

Recruiting and finding impact players in the transfer portal are things Medved excels in, especially when it comes to finding players at the Division II level. Joe Palmer, Patrick Cartier, Joel Scott and Josiah Strong are just a few players who have come in throughout Medved’s reign and have experience at the Division II or junior college level.

“I always say that if a young person comes to our program and they stay here, they should feel like their experience in our program changed their life,” Medved said. “Oftentimes we live it every day, but it’s so much bigger than the wins and losses.”

David Roddy and Nico Carvacho lead that group of next-level Rams who played for Medved. Roddy was the 23rd overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft to the Philadelphia 76ers — the pick was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies — and Carvacho continues his professional career overseas playing for the first team on MKS Dąbrowa Górnicza in Poland.

Despite the professional success, Roddy and Carvacho remain incredibly connected to the program — something that seems likely to repeat once Stevens graduates from the program.

 “Some of these dudes that I’ve got an opportunity to play with, whether they’re here currently or not and coaches as well, I think are going to be lifelong relationships that I’ll be able to hold on to no matter the situation,” Stevens said. “I still talk to former teammates, former coaches almost every week. I spend a lot of time with these guys, … so those relationships — knowing that I have people that I can call and rely on no matter what the circumstances are — I think is important.”

Hirn emphasized that CSU basketball is still a ways from matching the loyalty the fans have shown with football.

“I think we are seeing big crowds because we are seeing wins and good teams to play against,” Hirn said. “CSU is still a football-loving school — make no bones about that fact. We can fill Canvas Stadium with struggling CSU teams. If the men’s basketball team is struggling, Moby is as empty as the library on a Friday night. Coach Medved is building a culture of basketball, but consistency is what is needed to have it build even further. One season of being ranked and the possibility of a conference title is not enough. We need winning year after year to build it like Sonny Lubick did for football in the 1990s and early 2000s.”

Well, that certainly begs the question: Can Medved be to CSU men’s basketball what Lubick was to CSU football? Medved’s CSU .590 winning percentage up through the 2022-23 season is certainly in line with the .593 winning percentage Lubick finished with.

“Let’s take it back to 1961 to 1969: That was an amazing basketball time at CSU, while the football team only saw one winning season,” Hirn said. “We beat John Wooden and UCLA in an amazing upset. The Rams also got to the Elite Eight in the best NCAA tournament season ever of 1969. Coach Jim Williams really made a basketball culture here in the 1960s and even through the 1970s. We are not there yet.”

The Rams have two players in the history of the program named to an All-American list: Roddy and Bill Green.

Stevens seems right in line to make that a third this season. As of Jan. 15, he is currently the only player in the nation averaging more than 15 points and seven assists. He was named to the top 25 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award and was named to the Lute Olson Mid-Season Watch List. He will likely soon become the highest scoring player in program history and continues to distance himself as the assist leader.

If Stevens is named to an All-American team, that would make two out of three CSU All-Americans brought to the school by Medved.

It goes without saying that what Stevens has done at CSU has been program altering. Certainly, his play has made Medved’s job easier. That’s why when the curtain closes on his final act as a guard for the Rams, it will be that much harder to say goodbye.

“I really try not to think about it being Zay’s (Stevens’) last year here,” Medved said. “You know, I’ve had my moments, but I really try and tell these guys to focus on being where their feet are.”

Focusing on winning is important, but cherishing the people and the relationships is ultimately what stands the test of time as a culture builder. In his final season, Stevens is soaking up all he can.

“Our coaches have done a good job at just making sure we’re spending time with each other, and we’re getting to know each other on a personal level because that can also add an effect on the road,” Stevens said.

Reach Damon Cook at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @dwcook2001.