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Reports Are That Larry Eustachy Is Out
Top Recruit Decommits. Players Protest
Contact/Follow @BradHubbard & @MWCwire
Colorado State’s Seven Game Losing Streak Is Least Of Their Problems
A year ago at this time, Colorado State basketball was in the groove. They were beginning a seven-game winning streak that nearly led them to a Mountain West regular season title. Oh, the difference a year can make. The Rams are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, their head coach is apparently being fired any minute, the team protested by not practicing and their top recruit just de-committed via Twitter.
Head coach Larry Eustachy was put on paid administrative leave last Saturday before Colorado State took on Nevada due to an ongoing investigation by the athletic department about the culture of the program.
According to the Coloradoan, AD Joe Parker has yet to meet with Eustachy and didn’t meet with the team until today. That meeting with the team happened after the Colorado State players boycotted Thursday’s practice citing a lack of communication from AD Parker about the investigation.
In the interim, the Rams top recruit for next season, JUCO guard Jordan Bangers, reopened his recruitment due to the uncertainty in Ft. Collins. Bangers is a four-star rated player and one of the top player from the junior college ranks. He only signed a financial agreement which is different from a letter of intent meaning he is not bound to the school.
To be clear, Eustachy has not been fired as of Thursday evening. His imminent firing was first reported by the Denver Post earlier in the day. It seems unlikely that Eustachy survives a second investigation into the “culture of the program” especially since he was subject to a ‘zero-tolerance’ policy following the first investigation in 2014.
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Now the question becomes is Eustachy fired with or without cause? For a school like Colorado State, this is a big deal. If Eustachy is fired with cause, the University owes him nothing. If they fire him outright, they owe him about $3 million.
Needless to say, Colorado State basketball is a far cry from where it was a season ago with the Mountain West Player of the Year Gian Clavell and forward Emmanuel Omogbo leading the Rams to a postseason berth.
Meanwhile the season goes on. The Rams host San Jose State Saturday at 2pm MST at Moby Arena. The game can be seen on the MW Network.