FORT COLLINS- The Colorado State men’s basketball program has been under investigation for just over one week but the climate seems to only be heating up, as inside sources confirmed that players boycotted their 3 P.M. practice Thursday afternoon.

Sources say the players cited multiple frustrations with the CSU athletic department, including a lack of transparency from athletic director Joe Parker and the decision to name Steve Barnes interim head coach. According to multiple sources from within the locker room, the players have no interest in playing for Barnes, a man they have no relationship with.

Barnes was named interim head coach on Saturday, Feb. 3. That decision was announced just hours prior to a 6 p.m. tipoff with Nevada, which sources say players ultimately felt blindsided by.

According to multiple sources, Parker has yet to address the team as a whole about the investigation or the decision to name Barnes interim head coach. In a statement released through a CSU spokesperson, Parker responded to Thursday’s boycott.

“This has been a difficult time for our men’s basketball program. Our student athletes have expressed concerns to us and we are working with them to address those concerns. Student athlete welfare has always been our top priority.

While we are obviously limited in what we can release during an assessment, we will be meeting with our men’s basketball team to update them on the situation.

Our collections of data to inform the assessment is nearly complete, pending our conversation with Coach Eustachy. Coach Eustachy and his representatives are unable to meet with us until early next week. The University intends to resolve this as soon as possible.”

In shootaround before the Nevada game Saturday, Barnes gathered the team and questioned their loyalty sources confirmed.

“Are you going to be loyal to me? To this program? Are you going to be part of the problem or the solution?” he asked, according to multiple eyewitnesses.

Barnes later responded through a university representative, “That is not an accurate representation of my comments to the team.”

“I would never put the focus on loyalty to me. My message centered around preparing for the game by staying together, staying positive and playing through adversity.”

In the two games Barnes has been interim head coach, CSU lost to Nevada last Saturday (Feb. 3) and to Air Force on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Following an off-day on Wednesday, the team decided not to participate in practice Thursday.

Barnes’ relationship with Eustachy goes all the way back to the 1970s, when the two were teammates at the high school and college levels. Barnes has served in some capacity in all four of Eustachy’s career head coaching positions and has been a member of his staff for each of the last 16 years.

For his loyalty, Barnes is rewarded handsomely with a 2017-18 base salary of $388,390.

According to sources inside the team, Barnes is much more vocal than Eustachy in practice and yells at the players significantly more than the controversial head coach. More than anything though, sources said that Barnes’ role seems to be to have Eustachy’s back and to help keep players and staff members in line- essentially an extra set of eyes and ears for Eustachy.

“He yelled at guys in practice more than Larry… He has no relationship with the guys.”

Photo Credit: Javon Harris | Rocky Mountain Collegian.

Justin Michael can be reached on Twitter @JustinTMichael.