Stephens: Eustachy still figuring out CSU basketball team

It’s a Wednesday morning and I’m sitting in Larry Eustachy’s office. Waiting.

Waiting on a black leather couch to talk to a coach I hadn’t really communicated with since a couple of awkward texts over the summer. He walks in, asks what’s going on. I joke about the framed copy of the Coloradoan he has resting against a desk.

“A Pulitzer Prize winner,” he responds.

Yeah. Right.

Again he asks, “So what’s happening?” His polite way of saying, “What the hell do you want?”

What I want is to know is what lineup he’s going with in Saturday’s exhibition against CSU-Pueblo. What types of rotations he plans to experiment with. Which of the three freshmen he sees playing this year. I want to know anything insightful about CSU basketball beyond the five-man weave the media is able to watch during the first 15 minutes of practice.

I ask.

“In all honesty, Matt, I don’t know how I’m going to approach this as far as playing guys,” Eustachy said.

OK. This is how our interview is going to go. In March, I wrote about his comments regarding J.J. Avila’s injury status heading into Selection Sunday, and this was going to be his way of getting me back. Wasting both of our time with bogus answers.

I’m sitting on a black leather couch, looking across at him in a black leather chair. Surrounded by his Henry Iba and AP National Coach of the Year awards. He’s been a head basketball coach for a quarter of a century and is trying to tell me that three days before an exhibition against a Division II team that almost upset New Mexico at The Pit he has no idea what the plan is for Saturday?

B.S.

So what you’re saying is the most important part of this game is to get guys experience to show you what they can do before heading to Northern Iowa next week?

“Northern Iowa. That’s going to be a really tough game,” Eustachy responds.

Ugh. Here we go again.

But then he pauses, takes a hit from his vape pen, grins and continues.

“I got up and said we’re going to the tournament. I don’t know which tournament. Expectations should be tapered down because we’re in a transition period. We’ve got a lot of really good, young players. We have three really good freshmen that probably when Tim Miles was here and starting the rebuilding would have played all night. But there are a lot of question marks around all of it and I say that because every player is in a new role.”

After covering a coach for four years, you get to know their tells. I’ve sat on that black leather couch when Eustachy was angry; I’ve been there when all he does is crack jokes. If he doesn’t want to answer a question, doesn’t want to answer you, his responses are “yes,” “no” or ignoring you all together. This was different. This was honesty. He doesn’t know and braced me for the idea that Colorado State University could lose to the ThunderWolves on Saturday.

The problem is the depth. There’s too much of it. Seven returning players, two newcomer-of-the-year caliber junior college transfers and three freshman that if they were in Dorian Green's or Jesse Carr’s shoes, would be playing 33 minutes per night. But they’re not. At least two will play this year. Which two? He doesn’t know, and Saturday won’t sell him on anything. Nico Carvacho as a big man, probably, then take your pick between Anthony Bonner and Prentiss Nixon.

Overwhelming depth is a great problem, sure, but the Rams need chemistry with their rotations, and after a month of practicing against itself and a closed scrimmage against Weber State (which Eustachy isn’t allowed to comment on per NCAA rules), it’s hard to tell which players work best together or which point guard will start. Saturday will be a test.

Having Antwan Scott and John Gillon available to run point this year doesn’t hurt, Eustachy said. But Nixon has as good of an understanding of basketball as anyone on the team. And so does Bonner. And Gian Clavell is good but has only started three games at the Division I level. And Joe De Ciman isn’t used to being a leader. And, and …

And God, please let something resembling cohesion be on the floor Saturday at Moby Arena.

The Rams are a puzzle their coach has yet to figure out. And sitting on that black leather chair, before giving his opinion on another subject for another column, Eustachy put down his smokeless tobacco, leaned forward with his elbows rested on his thighs and made one last painfully honest statement.

“I’ll eventually figure it out, but I have nothing figured out right now.”

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.

Next up: CSU-Pueblo at CSU, 7 p.m. Saturday, Moby Arena.

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