As the Colorado State men’s basketball team reaches the halfway point of Mountain West Conference play this week, the Rams are hoping the recent return of a couple of key players from injury can fuel a strong finish to the regular season.
In the past few weeks, CSU big men Rashaan Mbemba and Kyle Jorgensen have both returned from injury and are back in the lineup to create a starting five first-year head coach Ali Farokhmanesh envisioned when the season began.
Mbemba was injured just before the season opener and didn’t play until the Rams’ game against Denver on Nov. 21. He played the next contest against Virginia Tech in the Battle 4 Atlantis on Nov. 26 before being injured again.
He returned Jan. 6 against Fresno State and has played in every game since.
Meanwhile, Jorgensen led the team in scoring through nonconference play but was injured early in the Rams’ Mountain West opener against Utah State. He returned to the starting lineup last Tuesday against Air Force.
With both healthy, Farokhmanesh and the players hope it is the spark they need to get back on track with 11 conference games remaining and after a 3-6 start to league play.
“You thought that was going to be our starting lineup on Oct. 31 or whatever date that was, and then Rashaan sprained his ankle and we’ve never seen that lineup since,” Farokhmanesh said last Tuesday after the Rams defeated Air Force, 81-52. “So, it was the first time we’ve been able to do that, and it just helps having that continuity.
“We had some guys playing out of position before, and they did a great job of filling in those roles. It’s hard to adjust throughout the season that quickly. Having Kyle and Rashaan out there makes a huge difference from a continuity standpoint, and then just the ability to flow offensively, too.”
CSU went 9-2 through nonconference play and the Rams were one of the top shooting teams in the country. Since their league opener against Utah State on Dec. 20, the game in which Jorgensen was injured, the team has not been as accurate, and their conference record has reflected that.
Last Friday against Utah State, in his second start back, Jorgensen provided a spark against the team he was injured against last month. Instead of losing by more than 40 points, the Rams had the Aggies on the ropes until Utah State pulled away late in the second half for a 65-61 victory.
Colorado State's Kyle Jorgensen looks over the Air Force defense Jan. 20 at Moby Arena in Fort Collins. (Nathan Wright/Loveland Reporter-Herald)Jorgensen and Mbemba combined for 34 points against the Aggies. Jorgensen is not only happy to be back on the court, but also to have his teammate healthy alongside him.
“That’s my guy,” Jorgensen said of Mbemba. “We played side by side a lot last year, so we got to really understand each other’s game. I think one thing we do so well is play off each other. We’re both physical. We both play with a lot of emotion. Playing with him, it makes my life a lot easier. I’m just excited that we have everyone back.”
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In addition to Jorgensen’s 13.4 points per game, the Rams have three others averaging double figures — Brandon Rechsteiner (12.2), Josh Pascarelli (12.1) and Carey Booth (12.9). With 9.3 points per game, Mbemba is almost in that group as well.
“Our best attribute is that our guys are starting to realize that within the offense, you might not get a shot for 10 minutes and then all of a sudden you’re going to get four in a row,” Farokhmanesh said. “You’ve just got to stick with it and trust each other, and they’re starting to trust each other more and more. The flow of the offense has been a little different and it’s starting to get there again, but I like where it’s heading.”
The Rams play a pair of road games this week, at San Diego State on Wednesday and at Wyoming on Saturday. After they host San Jose State on Feb. 7, they will have played every conference team at least once. Utah State is the only opponent they have played twice already.
The team knows if it wants to take some momentum into the Mountain West Conference tournament — and likely needing to win the tournament to earn an NCAA Tournament berth for the third time in four seasons — every game is a must-win situation.
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