Matt L. Stephens

matthewstephens@coloradoan.com

Larry Eustachy is fueled by Diet Coke.

He yells a lot, likes to stomp the sideline and is quick to remind referees what a traveling violation is.

He's fought alcoholism, will always be associated with an infamous past and is the only Division I college basketball coach to win 20 games with five programs.

Of all things people connect to Eustachy, who's entering his third season at CSU, the aforementioned top the list. Yes, there was the incident between him and Daniel Bejarano last season at San Diego State. Yes, his seven empty cola cans left on the floor of the Save Mart Center after a loss to Fresno State would give any normal man diabetes. No, he's not the most social person in the world.

There's a side to Eustachy most witness. The grumpier side of a grizzled coach who's been around long enough to take whatever approach he feels like to get results. He'll bench a starter and freeze out a reporter one day, then use the same player for a full 40 minutes and call said reporter "a good-looking guy who can get a lot of dates" the next.

It's not a facade. In many ways, that's exactly who Eustachy is. But there's another side of Colorado State University's basketball coach that fewer people get to see.

Despite his antics, Eustachy cares about his players. Genuinely. And not just in regard to when they're wearing a Rams uniform, but he has a concern for their future, as evidenced by Dwight Smith's transfer last week to Northern Colorado. Allowing a player to leave for a Division I program located 30 miles away that his former team plays on an annual basis is a grand gesture.

Former CSU forward Marcus Holt has the option to transfer to UNC or the University of Denver.

No, the Bears and Pioneers aren't the same as giving a guy the freedom to sign with a true rival like CU, but opening the door for any player to transfer to an in-state school is refreshingly rare. Especially in the case of Smith, who said Eustachy and assistant coach Ross Hodge were instrumental in helping him get set up with a new program.

"At the end of the day, coach wants what's best for those guys. In particular, the way they handled it on their end, coming in at the end of the season and having just an honest conversation with coach about what they wanted. That makes it easier," Hodge said. "Part of our job is to win games, but it's also to help these guys prepare for life, and coach understands that."

And it goes beyond his willingness to let players find a better fit. He's been there for guys during their darkest hours. When Dwight and his older brother Greg Smith lost their father Aug. 14, 2012, it was Eustachy who — without hesitation — hopped on a plane to Omaha, Nebraska, to attend the funeral.

In the weeks after his father's passing, Greg Smith began to spiral into a dark place, emotionally. He had just lost his father, was entering his final year of school and about to play for a coach he barely knew. Change was the last thing he needed, yet it surrounded him. That's when Eustachy stepped in.

"There's Larry the coach and then there's Larry the man. He checks up on me all the time, and I know he does other guys as well. People don't see that," Greg said. "My senior year, I needed him. He was around the same age as my father and became a father figure. He told me he'd be there for me and has stuck to his word. That's what he does for his guys.

"I'm indebted to him for the rest of my life for that."

Eustachy isn't for everyone. Attempting to crack his shell can be more taxing than taxes. But it's penetrable, and once inside, there's a man few people know.

Follow reporter Matt L. Stephens at twitter.com/mattstephens and facebook.com/stephensreporting.