Like the sun rising over the Rockies, Colorado State men’s basketball is illuminating its surroundings as the dawn of a new season approaches.

A dawn not of familiarity, but one of a new era filled with questions about the absence of the greatest player to ever suit up in green and gold: Isaiah Stevens.

“When you have a transformational player, you learn a lot from them, but you also learn that they’re transformational because they were unique,” coach Niko Medved said. “And I think all these other guys are unique, too.”

Now all eyes turn to fifth-year guard Nique Clifford. A year ago, the breakout campaign began for Clifford. After averaging 5.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in his final season at Colorado, he exploded on the scene in Moby Arena, jumping to an average of 12.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists in his first season for the Rams.

“There’s a lot of parallels with how coach Medved does his thing here compared to what is being done at Purdue.” –Ethan Morton, guard

One big thing that will help Clifford this season is his work in the weight room over the past summer. Adding about 10 pounds of muscle, his desire to step up his game was made clear Oct. 3 when he was the last person in the gym shooting after practice.

“The big thing for me this offseason was getting my body right,” Clifford said. “From a mental standpoint, I think as you get older as a player, I think you just learn how much more mental the game is than physical. So just trying to watch more film, build my IQ up and be smarter.”

Clifford is not only in line to take a step up in production on the court but also to assume a bigger leadership role.

Some of the great leaders Clifford had the opportunity to learn from will be invaluable as he steps into his leadership role this season. He specifically mentioned guys like Evan Battey and McKinley Wright IV from his time at Colorado and, of course, Stevens from his lone season at CSU.

“Even though I was an older guy last year, I had a guy like (Stevens) who you see the leadership skills from,” Clifford said. “So taking guys like that and seeing what they do from a leadership perspective and then putting my own unique style on it as well to help the guys out … (will) get us ready to go.”

Getting the locker room ready to play will be crucial with less than a month left until the season tips off. With a good mix of returning players, veterans added from the transfer portal and new recruits, CSU will look vastly different from a season ago.

Although Medved doesn’t quite have an idea of what his rotation will look like, some of the veterans he brought in, like Nikola Djapa, Ethan Morton, Bowen Born and Keshawn Williams, should push for consistent minutes, with some first-year players competing as well.

“When we recruited the new guys, I really felt like we had some really quality dudes — guys who would really fit int0 our culture (and) what we believe in,” Medved said. “It’s everything I expected and more that way. This group of guys came in ready to work.”

Being ready to work will be crucial as the season inches closer. The starting lineup on opening night will feature guys who have never played together. Learning each other’s tendencies and developing as much chemistry as possible will be pertinent to the Rams’ success.

Similar to last season, depth on the court should be a strength for CSU.

“We have a ways to go,” Medved said. “Maybe this team is as deep as we’ve ever had, and I don’t know that yet. … People probably get tired of me saying this, but I’m a team together guy. So I think whatever we can do collectively to be the best team we can be, that’s what we’ll do.”

Morton is one of the more intriguing additions to the squad. The 6-foot-7 guard from Purdue wasn’t exactly a key piece of the Boilermakers’ game plan last season, but he was still on a team that went to the NCAA national championship game.

Morton took part in a lot of winning during his time at Purdue, and he sees some of the things he saw there in CSU.

“The biggest thing … is the people and how they go about their business,” Morton said. “There’s a lot of parallels with how coach Medved does his thing here compared to what is being done at Purdue.”

Another thing that stuck out to Morton was the team’s collective IQ, something that has been important for the Rams over the past several years with Stevens.

Stevens understood how to break down a defense, and thus, the offense had to be in the right position. A sign of a good offense is ball movement, and oftentimes, good ball movement is a sign of a smart team.

“Aside from having really good players, I think you have really good people in the gym, and that makes a big difference,” Morton said. “Obviously, their knowledge is top tier, but that kind of stuff is what makes winning happen. Because at this level, everybody’s good with the X’s and O’s, but how can you make the most out of your guys? And these guys know how to do that.”

The X’s and O’s are really where Medved has made a name for himself. His signature baseline out-of-bounds and sideline out-of-bounds plays have been a key piece to the CSU offense for several years. Stevens, of course, made that much easier, something Medved won’t have this year. Instead, he will have to break out the white board and draw up some different stuff.

Medved said it’s not about finding someone to fill that role Stevens did so well but rather figuring out ways to get the other guys involved based on what they do well. A lot of things will probably look different this year, a challenge that excites Medved.

“There is a lot of guys who can step up and play a different kind of role,” Medved said. “And I think as a coach, sometimes that’s fun. You’re going to have to adjust. It’s going to look different in a lot of ways, but hopefully there’s going to be some similarities, too, in the style of play and kind of what we expect.”

Clifford has his eyes on returning CSU back to the Big Dance. Under Medved’s command, the Rams notched their first tournament victory in 11 years against Virginia, a game in which Clifford and one the Rams won by more than 20 points.

Clifford isn’t shy of the bright lights, and should the Rams put together the season they expect, Clifford will have that chance to shine again. But first things first: Start on Nov. 4 against North Dakota.

“This is the time of the year where we got to get better,” Clifford said. “You (have) got to be ready to go for the first game because you can’t get off to a slow start, or you’re not going to make March Madness. And we know that as a team, so I think just continuing to build on what we’ve already done, getting our guys healthy as well and be ready to go on Nov. 4 (are important).”

These final days will certainly be critical, but Medved said the practices in July meant just as much as the ones in the next couple weeks will.

For now, CSU is in its final home stretch. Although the NCAA Division I college basketball season officially commences Nov. 4, the Rams have an exhibition match Oct. 30 against Adams State University. As the eagerness grows to showcase the work the team has put in this offseason, Medved said it’s important to remember to push through because the start of the season will be here just like that.

“I think they’re all important,” Medved said. “I think what’s important more than ever is: Are you improving? … So to me, that part is critical — is to keep pushing, to keep getting better at the details and really understanding yourself and what you need to be.”

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

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