Colorado State basketball has maintained a high level of consistency. Can they take a step forward in Ali Farokhmanesh’s second season?
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 next: Colorado State basketball.
The Rams were always a safe bet to at least be in the Mountain West picture over the last several seasons. After a full rebuild in year one, Niko Medved managed to reach the 20-win plateau in five of his final six campaigns. Ali Farokhmanesh, who was promoted from within after Medved got the Minnesota job, maintained that floor with a 21-13 record in his first go, and there is no reason to believe we won’t see similar results (or better) in Colorado State’s inaugural Pac-12 season.
Shooting was the name of the game for the Rams last season. Five of Colorado State’s top six in minutes played shot over 40% from the three-point line, and four of those five return. With one former Marist guard having worked out in Josh Pascarelli, Farokhmanesh went out and got himself another in Justin Menard, who may act as the connector piece to all the flamethrowers.
On the flip side, Colorado State’s interior defense was poor last season, and based on this roster’s makeup, they may be sacrificing rim protection once again for offensive spacing.
The Rams will almost assuredly be fun; defensive consistency will determine whether they can be legitimately good.
Head coach: Ali Farokhmanesh (2nd season overall, both at Colorado State)
2025-26 record: 21-13 (11-9)
2026 postseason finish: Lost in NIT First Round to Saint Joseph’s (69-64)
Notable departures:
- Brandon Rechsteiner (12.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 2.5 APG)
- Jevin Muniz (9.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 4.9 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- TBA
Projected Rotation
PG: Josh Pascarelli (6-3, 195, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 10.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.4 APG, 41.5 3P%, 87.0 FT%
SG: Jase Butler (6-4, 180, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 9.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.8 APG, 41.1 3P%
SF: Rashaan Mbemba (6-7, 250, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 8.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 0.9 APG, 59.6 FG%
PF: Carey Booth (6-10, 203, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 10.7 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 0.7 APG, 1.0 BPG, 52.5 FG%, 40.7 3P%
C: Kyle Jorgensen (6-9, 225, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 11.5 PPG, 52.1 FG%, 40.2 3P%
6: Justin Menard (6-3, 175, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 12.9 PPG, 3.8 APG, 2.9 RPG, 1.3 SPG, 36.3 3P%, 92.6 FT% (Marist)
7: Amondo Miller Jr. (6-6, 185, Gr.-Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 21.0 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.4 SPG, 50.8 FG%, 36.4 3P% (DII-Lubbock Christian)
8: Jaden Ghoreishi (6-9, 215, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 232 ranked recruit
9: Jojo McIver (6-3, 185, So.)
2025-26 stats: 2.7 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.0 APG
10: Pops Dunson (6-0, 185, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 227 ranked recruit
Colorado State basketball team MVP: Carey Booth
The Rams are set up to be well-balanced in the scoring department again in 2026-27, but Carey Booth gets the slight edge over the rest of the pack. The son of former NBA player and Denver Nuggets General Manager Calvin Booth, Carey is destined for an even further breakout after he finally showed his worth last season.
Part of the biggest reason for Booth’s surge in production was his shooting. He shot below 30% as a freshman at Notre Dame and did not get too many looks as a sophomore at Illinois. In Booth’s junior season in Fort Collins, he was given more of a green light, and the efficiency followed, ending the season with a 40.7% three-point percentage.
Outside shooting is not all there is to Booth’s game, though. At the end of the day, only 2.5 of his 6.5 field goal attempts per game were from behind the arc. He is athletic enough to attack closeouts, and has enough length to be a threat on the offensive glass. Ultimately, Booth is a perfect byproduct to what Colorado State offenses are known for — optimal shot selection and high efficiency numbers across the board.
Defensively, Booth is one of the Rams’ larger assets as well. He has always been known as a good shot-blocker, and last year, he was sometimes able to mask mistakes by his teammates with weak side help. If Booth bulks up beyond the 205 to 210 pound range, he can be a legitimate x-factor on that end.
Colorado State basketball make-or-break player: Josh Pascarelli
Farokhmanesh will have three main pieces to work with in his backcourt — Pascarelli, Menard, and Jase Butler. All are capable of getting a bucket, but someone will have to replace the Jevin Muniz in the facilitator role. Pascarelli is our pick for the starting point guard.
Back at Marist, the Cambria Heights, NY native was the go-to guy, averaging an all-MAAC worthy 15.9 points per game. In Pascarelli’s first season at Colorado State, his effective field goal percentage actually increased from 55.1% to 60.1%, just in lesser volume.
If Pascarelli is indeed asked to run the point, he needs to emerge in one of two ways. On one hand, he can break out into a similar production level as 2024-25 and become the alpha scorer Colorado State is missing. Pascarelli can also improve as a true creator and elevate his teammates around him.
There is the option to bump Pascarelli to the two guard and utilize last year’s Marist point guard in Menard as the primary ball-handler. However, considering Menard’s 2.2 turnovers per game and general adjustment period in transferring up a level, that move may limit Colorado State’s ceiling.
Key statistic: Effective experience
Torvik measures effective experience by the average number of previous years in Division 1 that a roster has, weighted by projected minutes. Colorado State leads the Pac-12, and places 26th nationally with 2.49 years of effective experience. Especially for a program that relies on continuity, getting old is pivotal, and the Rams have accomplished just that.
It is worth noting that behind our projected top seven, all of which are at least juniors, there are underclassmen who will be asked to produce. 6-foot-9 freshman Jaden Ghoreishi profiles as a plus defender who can protect the rim and switch onto multiple positions. Any immediate value he can provide on that end will be welcomed. Jojo McIver, whose biggest strength is passing, may be asked to rise into a more prominent role after a modest freshman year, depending on how the depth chart shapes up.
All in all, Farokhmanesh has the ability to challenge his young players, with the insurance of a core of proven veterans to take much of the weight off their shoulders.
Colorado State basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 4th in the Pac-12
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament round of 32