Mile High Sports

Transfer portal changes: CSU men’s basketball adds Joel Scott, loses Isaiah Rivera

Joel Scott (1) celebrates with a Black Hills State teammate in March, 2023.

Joel Scott (1) at Black Hills State. Credit: McCabe Brown, Evansville Courier and Press / USA TODAY Sports Network.

As with every college basketball team, the CSU men’s basketball team is in flux due to the transfer portal.

The Rams have had multiple players leave via the transfer portal, and they’ve recently signed one as well in Joel Scott.

Let’s look at how the Rams men’s basketball team’s roster is shaping up going into 2023-24 with this recent player movement.

John Tonje departed for Missouri

After being the second-most important team on the Rams last year, John Tonje took off for Missouri of the SEC.

Tonje was the second-highest scorer behind Isiah Stevens at 14.7 points per game, and his 4.7 rebounds per contest led Colorado State last year. He also hit 38.9 percent of his 3-point attempts as an all-around stud for the Rams.

So, the Rams will be without one of their best shooters next year, however, fans have to hope Jalen Lake can continue to grow at the shooting guard spot. Lake played well as a sophomore last year, averaging 7.5 points and 2.6 boards per game and he’ll likely be the one to take Tonje’s minutes.

Isaiah Rivera went from Colorado to Chicago

On Sunday, Isaiah Rivera tweeted that he’s committed to the University of Illinois Chicago:

Rivera, a 6’5″ guard, played his first three years at the collegiate level with the Rams. His 8.6 points per game were fourth-most last year while his 3.7 rebounds were third-best on the team. Luckily for Colorado State, they picked up a huge addition to help fill the voids.

Joel Scott comes back to Centennial State and to Colorado State

Joel Scott won’t necessarily replace Rivera and Tonje at the guard spots, but he may be able to fill in for some of that missed scoring.

Scott is a 6’7″ 225-pound forward who played at Black Hills State of DII, now transitioning up to the DI level with CSU.

Last year, Scott averaged 23.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game; nearly a double-double. He’ll be hard pressed to put up those same numbers at the DI level, but the Rams still look to have landed a great get.

Scott grew up in Monument, CO — just outside of Colorado Springs — and played at Lewis Palmer, winning the 4A Championship in high school. The last four years, he played at Black Hills State and actually did average a double-double in 2021-22, with 23.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.

Baylor Hebb

According to 247Sports.com, Baylor Hebb is also in the transfer portal.

The 6’2″ guard played at Loyola Chicago as a freshman before coming to Colorado State. With the Rams, he was a deep bench player, seeing 12.7 minutes of playing time per game last year.

One, final roster note: Isaiah Stevens

Stevens, the star of the 2022-23 Colorado State Rams basketball team, may be back.

The point guard and amazing floor general is currently testing the waters of the NBA Draft. But, if he isn’t selected in those two rounds, he’ll be back in Fort Collins with the Rams.

Stevens, alongside the newcomer Scott and the rising Lake, could make for a formidable top-three for CSU.

Luckily for the Rams, Patrick Cartier will be back. Colorado State needed his size greatly last year and the 6’8″ forward’s 12.3 points per game were third on the team behind Stevens and the departed Tonje.

The 2023-24 season tips off in mid-November.

(Correction: It was originally written that Cartier played his final year at CSU. But he has one more year of eligibility due to COVID.)

Exit mobile version