FORT COLLINS — Why is Gopher broke, Kyle Jorgensen? First round NBA draft picks since 2020 from CSU: Two. First round draft pick since 2020 from the University of Minnesota: Zero.
“That’s the advice: (The NBA) will find you, no matter what,” Rams legend David Roddy, now a member of the Nuggets, told me at Moby Arena Saturday afternoon after we watched CSU’s eight-game winning streak snapped by Boise State, 78-67.
“So as long as you impact wins and impact culture the way we did as best we could during my three years — and then Isaiah Stevens after that, and then Nique Clifford after that. So, yeah, just impacting wins and changing the culture somewhere, the front office will appreciate it a little bit.”
Jorgensen is a 6-foot-9-inch forward, your classic stretch 4. He dropped 14 points, two treys and three blocks on the Broncos. He entered the weekend averaging 12 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. CSU is 17-8 when he plays, 3-3 when he doesn’t.
As a sophomore, Jorgensen is the type of talent that first-year coach Ali Farokhmanesh could develop, a big, strong guy with reach, handle and serious pro ability. That’s why the kid is also reportedly on the radar of Power 4 programs looking at poaching potential — including, perhaps, one from Jorgensen’s hometown of Minneapolis with a men’s hoops coach whose name rhymes with Piko Dedhed.
“Honestly, I’m not hiding anything. It was tough (last year),” Jorgensen said when I approached him about an hour after the game. “(Remaining) was the hardest decision to make last year. (The University of) Minnesota is 10 minutes from my house. It’s right there. So, it’s tough. And it’s going to be tough.
“But, you know, I found a second home here. My family loves it. I love it here. I love the coaching staff. I love playing with these guys every day. Like I said, I don’t want to speak for the future, but I love it here. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
It’s a different world now for mid-majors — even bigger ones like CSU. Different systems. Different rules of engagement. Different money. Crazy money.
Minnesota or Iowa or Wisconsin could afford millions of dollars for Jorgensen, right now, which the Rams can’t. Just like the Gophers did in luring Niko Medved home from FoCo a year ago. Big dogs eat medium dogs. Medium sized dogs eat small dogs. Small dog refills. It was a life transfer portal circle.
That’s why I was curious to find Roddy, one of the greatest CSU circle dawgs ever produced. Like Jorgensen, he is a Minneapolis kid. Power of 4 talents. The power of 4 bodies. NBA skills.
Roddy once thought about moving too. He stayed. The Sixers took him at No. 23 in the 2022 draft. He Can done.
“Really, it’s about what you want,” Roddy emphasized. “So my only doubt or warning (to Jorgensen) is, ‘Will this help you achieve your dreams faster?’
“Because every basketball player wants to be in the NBA. So, if that’s a step up (in the conference) that you want so you can achieve your NBA goals, then I’m all for it.”
“But also, if you stay here (at CSU), keep building the culture, keep bringing the basketball culture back here – that’s just as important as if you went to a bigger school (where) maybe the impact would be less.”
On the one hand, you have money. And the ability to test yourself against the best of the college game.
On the other hand, big fish from small ponds can also drown in a sea of false hopes and promises.
For example, Kyan Evans. One of the Rams’ heroes last March, Evans brought his services to North Carolina after Medved left. As of Friday, the sharpshooter had started 17 of 30 games for the Tar Heels this season, shooting 31.1% on treys — all while averaging 4.4 points and 2.7 assists per game. Evans would have easily tripled those numbers had he stayed and played his first year in the Mountain West.
Take Drew Fielder for example. Please. The fielder, a 6-foot-11 Dirk Nowitzki clone from Boise State, turned Jorgensen and his Rams teammates into soft pretzels on Saturday: 23 points, six boards, 10 of 15 field goal attempts.
Unfortunately for Jorgensen, almost every Big Ten roster has a post player like Fielder — a long, fast player with tough elbows in the ribs and a soft touch on the rim. In fact, most top ten rookies would leave Fielder in the dust. Big Drew is a 6 point, 4 rebound per game player in the Big East. He is now averaging 14.5 points and six boards for Boise.
Bowen Born has also been there. He left Northern Iowa for CSU two years ago through the portal. He never looked back.
“It’s all going to be what (Jorgensen) appreciates,” Born, sitting courtside with Roddy, told me later. “And I think there’s good and bad to every decision.”
Coach Ali’s Rams, up and down throughout December and January, are 8-2 in their last 10 games. Farokhmanesh is the first CSU coach to debut with a 20-win season (20-11) since Larry Eustachy in ’12-13. Born liked the Rams’ upside. Especially if Jorgensen returns.
“I think it’s just an incredible group of people. And that means the entire program – that means that foundation,” Born said. “I think it’s going to continue to grow. And next year, heading into the Pac-12, I think they’re going to do very well in that conference as well.”
Medved never won eight straight Mountain West games with the Rams. Neither did Eustachy.
They will shoot triple in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health. As CSU’s collective defense and communication improved, so did the Rams’ record. During that eight-game winning streak, only two opponents shot better than 50% from the floor (UNLV, Air Force) and only one — the Zoomies — connected at a 40% or better clip from beyond the arc.
Unfortunately, Boise opened the tilt with a 6-0 run, and kept the Rams trailing for most of the rest of the game, driving or kicking with impunity on CSU’s smaller defenders.
Jase Butler’s layup with 7:46 left until halftime gave the hosts their first lead of the afternoon, 21-20, but CSU went cold turkey after that. The Broncos closed the opening stanza on a 16-7 run, outscoring the Rams 9-2 in the final 4:13. Boise entered the first half outscoring the hosts in second-chance points (13-2) and on the boards (21-11).
“Ali always said, ‘You want to play your best basketball in March,’” Jorgensen said. “It took a long time to figure it out. With a new team like this, we don’t have a lot of seniors coming into the program this year. We’re relatively new. So it took some time to figure it out.”
Jorgensen still has a lot to figure out. Big things.
“This is definitely not an easy decision for an 18, 19 or 20 year old to make,” Roddy said. “There’s a lot of money involved now which makes it even more bleak. But my only warning to him is is it going to help you better as a basketball player. And as a human being.”
Money may be more environmentally friendly on the other hand. But soft grass to land on is never guaranteed. Once.
Want more sports news? Sign up for Sports Omelette to get all our analysis of Denver teams.
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.