For the first time for the better part of a month, the Rams can talk about resolutions instead of uncertainty.
A day after news broke that Larry Eustachy will be stepping down as Colorado State's basketball coach, the players expressed a mix of emotions when they addressed the media in Fort Collins Tuesday afternoon.
"It's kind of a sigh of relief maybe (that the process is finally over)," redshirt sophomore guard Anthony Bonner said. "There's definitely some closure. We don't have to be second guessing as much. It takes some stress off of all of us."
The university first announced at the end of January that Eustachy was under investigation for his conduct with players and staff. It was all part of a 'climate assessment' that CSU was undergoing internally.
Less than a week later, Colorado state placed Eustachy on administrative leave. It was the second time in his tenure that Eustachy--the coach of the Rams since 2012--had been under investigation for his treatment of players and staff. This is the one that led to his departure.
"You guys say 'resigned' and everybody says 'resigned' but we all know what happened in this situation," junior guard Prentiss Nixon said. "I'm not dumb. It is what it is. We knew what was going to happen. We were prepared for it."
Nixon was one of a few vocal supporters of Eustachy throughout the process of the investigation.
"I appreciate everything he's done for me," Nixon said. "He gave me this opportunity to play Division I basketball when a lot of people didn't think I was good enough to do it. I love the guy like a father. I wish him the best."
A few players echoed that sentiment.
"If he wants to go coach somewhere else, another team will be lucky to have him," redshirt sophomore Nico Carvacho said.
While players had mixed feelings about the news, they were all in agreement on one thing. They are happy the distraction is finally over.
"Now, it's in the past," Carvacho said. "There's nothing you can do about it. We have a big game tomorrow, and then the Mountain West tournament after that."
Interim head coach Jase Herl will continue to lead the Rams for the remainder of the season. Since he took over on Feb. 10, the Rams have gone 1-3. Herl said the transition process has been relatively smooth, given the circumstances.
"These guys have made it easy for me," Herl said. "They've treated me no different as an interim from when I was an assistant. We've tried to make it as normal as we can for the guys."
