Stephens: What's it really like to play for Larry Eustachy?

Larry Eustachy.

He’s either the monster who’s torpedoing the CSU basketball program and breaking the will of his players or the antihero who’s the reason for taking the Rams to two record-setting seasons. It depends on the year.

This year, the one in which Colorado State University is 7-5 and lost five straight against Division I opponents, he’s reprising his role from 2013-14 as the coach everyone loves to hate. And it’s easy to point fingers. Daniel Bejarano did Monday when he suggested on Twitter that Eustachy is what’s wrong with CSU, hopeful his former teammates would have a new coach at season’s end.

STEPHENS: Eustachy ignores question about former player's comments

The approximately $4.8 million buyout makes that desire unlikely. However, Bejarano’s comments regarding who’s to blame for the Rams losing its in-state rivalries and blowing 17- and 13-point leads to UTEP and the University of Colorado aren’t far off. Nor are they completely accurate. The problem inside the locker room at Moby Arena is very much a two-way street.

You see, Eustachy isn’t a coach. At least not by the common modern standard.

His work in player development is virtually nonexistent. He’s a hands-off recruiter, and on the rare occasion CSU draws up a play during a huddle, it’s done by the players or associate head coach Leonard Perry, Bejarano said. What Eustachy does is yell. A lot. About everything.

“With Larry, things can be fine, then with a snap of your fingers, something flips a switch. Larry is very off and on, and to his credit, I will say there is passion,” Bejarano said. “And no, he doesn’t make a lot of adjustments, but he tries to get us going with yelling … and most of it will motivate you, but sometimes it’s like, ‘Woah, man, come on.’”

His style was taxing for Bejarano to tolerate for three years after joining the Rams from Arizona. It was debilitating for guard Dwight Smith, who transferred to Northern Colorado for his senior season, noting the move was nothing personal, but as a player returning from injury, he needed a coach who was willing to spend more one-on-one time with him to redevelop his skills.

UNC: Northern Colorado coach a big fan of CSU's Eustachy

Eustachy won’t catch you when you fall. He’ll let you hit the dirt, tell you to shake it off and watch you fall again. To him, that’s coaching, and it works more often than it has backfired for 25 years.

Former Rams Greg Smith and Stanton Kidd had nothing but positive words to say about Eustachy. He’s gruff, sure, but it’s an old-school approach designed to toughen up players. So what if he doesn’t have much of a hand in X’s and O’s or recruiting? He has an assistant coaching staff of Perry, Ross Hodge and Steve Barnes to take care of the nitty gritty. Eustachy is there to motivate.

It worked for Kidd’s team that went 27-7 last season and for Smith’s two years earlier that finished 26-9 and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament before losing to eventual national champion Louisville. But it’s not working now, and that might not be all Eustachy’s fault.

“The man is a great coach. There’s a way you’re supposed to play for him, and if you don’t do it, you see the results. Those guys aren’t playing the way Larry wants them to play, and you can see the rift between the players and coach,” Greg Smith, Dwight’s older brother, said. “When they were 5-0, everyone wanted to run around and beat their chest; now they say it’s the coach’s fault.

“I was at practice after they loss to CU, and you saw a lot of immature guys out there. They had no sense of urgency. They have to figure it out that Larry isn’t going to change, he isn’t going to lower himself to their standards; they have to rise to his.”

RAMS: Stephens: CSU basketball has disconnect between Eustachy, players

Though their appreciation levels varied, Bejarano, Kidd and the Smiths said playing for Eustachy was one of the most difficult things they’ve ever done. Practices start with 30 minutes of running and often end in down-and-backs. There will be yelling and humiliated players, but if you can play for him, Kidd said, there will never be a situation in your life that you won’t be strong enough to handle.

Playing for Eustachy isn’t for everyone. And it might not be for the group of players CSU has now. Dwight Smith said his last season in Fort Collins, when the Rams went 16-16, the record wasn’t because of a lack of talent. It was because the makeup of that team didn’t respond well to the style, so starters like him and Jon Octeus (Purdue) transferred.

Whether the Rams like it or not, if they have any interest in turning their season around, they have to be willing to swallow their pride and do what Eustachy demands. At the same time, Smith pleaded for Eustachy to not give up on his team, like what appeared to be the case late in Dec. 13’s 73-64 loss at Northern Colorado.

“It seemed Larry just flat out quit on his team that game, and you can’t do that to a group of individuals you’re leading. The game was still close, and he just crossed his legs, slouched in his chair and looked around and laughed,” Smith said. “I’ve seen Larry mad, where he’s moping to the huddle, but I’ve never seen him look like he quit like he did that night.

“He shouldn’t have done that, but there are way too many egos on that team that need to be tamed, and it sucks Larry is having a hard time doing that. These guys need structure.”

Is Eustachy a monster?

It really doesn’t matter. He’s the same coach he was last year, using the same approach as at Southern Miss, Iowa State, Utah State and Idaho. The only difference is the roster. And some people don’t appreciate being kicked when they’re down.

For insight and analysis on athletics around Northern Colorado and the Mountain West, follow sports columnist Matt L. Stephens at twitter.com/mattstephens and facebook.com/stephensreporting.

What was it like playing for Larry Eustachy?

"He tells you from Day 1 that he's not there to be your friend. He's going to be your coach. You could call him an odd motivator. Take someone like Steve Fisher at San Diego State, he motivates using positive energy. That's not how Larry motivates, and it's worked for him for the most part." —Dwight Smith (Played for Eustachy from 2012-2014)

"Everyone knows we had an up-and-down relationship. Playing for Larry is not for everyone. I'm not saying that in a bad way, though. You see people transfer all the time. Look at me, I came from Arizona. There are different players for different coaches. For Larry, you have to be strong, willing to work and be consistent. He will make you tougher." —Daniel Bejarano (2012-2015)

"He challenges you, mentally. If you're not mentally prepared, it's hard. I was in the locker room sitting out during my transfer year in 2013 when Jon Octeus, Gerson Santo, JJ Avila were going through the struggles like this team is. Winning some you shouldn't, losing some you shouldn't. It's hard to watch, but you have to band together and ignore the adversity from the crowd, the referees and the 'negativity' Coach Eustachy gives. It's not negativity, he just tries to push guys to certain limits to make them play hard." —Stanton Kidd (2013-15)