Just breaking into our CBB Rank top 100 countdown is a Colorado State basketball team with a complete changing of the guard.
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up first: Colorado State basketball.
It wasn’t just the transfer portal that hit CSU hoops hard. It was also players graduating and head coach Niko Medved moving on to Minnesota.
And Ali Farokhmanesh will have his work cut out for him. There is no Nique Clifford. But while he’s the biggest star no longer in a Rams uniform, the team lost its top four scorers from last season’s team. That included Kyan Evans and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, who had eligibility but chose to move on.
So Farokhmanesh will likely start a few transfers and players who saw limited time with Colorado State last season. There are a few transfers who starred at mid-major schools last season, but also other high major guys who could have a chance to shine in a new role with CSU.
Carey Booth, who struggled to see the floor with Illinois, started 19 games with Notre Dame the season before and could be in for a starting role if he can revisit that freshman campaign with the Fighting Irish.
Brandon Rechsteiner put up solid numbers at Virginia Tech, and while his efficiency from the field wasn’t great, he could be a key component of a CSU backcourt with a lot of options.
There may not be a true star on this team, but in the Mountain West, they have good depth and a new coach who could bring in a new flair to this program.
Head coach: Ali Farokhmanesh (1st season at Colorado State and overall)
2024-25 record: 26-10 (16-4)
2025 postseason finish: Lost to Maryland (72-71) in second round of NCAA Tournament
Notable departures:
- Nique Clifford (18.9 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 4.4 APG, 1.2 SPG)
- Jalen Lake (11.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.0 APG)
- Kyan Evans (10.6 PPG, 3.1 APG, 2.9 RPG, 44.6 3P%)
- Jaylen Crocker-Johnson (9.0 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 0.8 APG)
- Keshawn Williams (5.1 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 0.7 APG, 50.0 FG%)
- Bowen Born (5.0 PPG, 1.4 APG, 1.3 RPG)
- Ethan Morton (3.7 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.2 APG, 52.1 FG%)
Notable non-conference games:
- at Loyola-Chicago
Projected Rotation
PG: Jevin Muniz (6-6, 190, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 10.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.2 APG (FGCU)
SG: Josh Pascarelli (6-3, 195, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 15.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.3 APG, 39.3 3P% (Marist)
SF: Rashaan Mbemba (6-7, 250, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 7.0 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 0.9 APG, 59.6 FG%
PF: Kyle Jorgensen (6-9, 225, So.)
2024-25 stats: 4.0 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.9 APG
C: Nikola Djapa (6-11, 235, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 2.4 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 0.3 APG, 7.5 MPG
6: Brandon Rechsteiner (6-1, 190, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 7.0 PPG, 2.8 APG, 1.0 RPG, 36.5 FG% (Virginia Tech)
7: Carey Booth (6-10, 215, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 1.2 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 0.0 APG, 5.1 MPG (Illinois)
8: Augustinas Kiudulas (6-8, 215, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 15.2 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 1.6 APG (VMI)
9: Jase Butler (6-4, 185, So.)
2024-25 stats: 1.9 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.7 APG, 10.7 MPG (Washington)
Colorado State Basketball team MVP: Jevin Muniz
I don’t know if Colorado State has a true team MVP heading into the season, but Jevin Muniz will be called upon as the floor general and arguably thrust into that role.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Rashaan Mbemba turns into the first option as the season moves along, but Muniz will be handed the keys from Ali Farokhmanesh on day one. If the FGCU transfer can adapt to the Mountain West, it will make things run smoothly in the CSU backcourt.
Colorado State Basketball make-or-break player: Carey Booth
Carey Booth is about to play for his third team in three years after spending his first season at Notre Dame and last year at Illinois.
Now, Booth will suit up for Colorado State after just playing five minutes per game with the Fighting Illini. But with the Fighting Irish? A whole different story. Booth saw the court a lot, playing about 20 minutes per game and starting 19 times. He averaged 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds against ACC competition.
It was strange to see Booth’s time on the court limited so much at Illinois, but the outlook at CSU seems so much brighter. Colorado State’s frontcourt depth is far from set – there’s a chance Booth could be a starter and even a top-three option on this team. I’m choosing to be a little bit less agressive by saying he’ll come off the bench, but that’s what makes him such an intriguing player. If Colorado State basketball is to make the NCAA Tournament in 2026, a lot of it may rely on how well Booth can play.
Key analytic: SPG
Colorado State held teams to well below 70 PPG last season, but creating turnovers was not their forte. The Rams only averaged 5.1 steals per game, well outside the top 300 in the nation. It’ll be interesting to see how Farokhmanesh’s ideas potentially create change in that department. Of course, he’s been with this Rams program for quite some time, but he could look to make for a faster style of defense to create more points, especially on a Rams team with few legitimate scoring options on this roster.
Colorado State Basketball 2025-26 projections
Projected conference finish: 5th in the Mountain West
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Round of 64 Exit
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