One week after the Rams’ heartbreaking loss to Maryland in the NCAA Tournament, CSU shifts gears to start next year’s season with a new head coach, Rams assistant coach Ali Farokhmanesh.
A day after the Rams’ elimination, head coach Niko Medved parted ways with Colorado State’s basketball program and brought in as the new head coach for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Medved has served as the head coach for CSU since joining the program in 2018, leading the Rams to three NCAA Tournament appearances and one Mountain West Conference championship. He now returns to his alma mater in Minnesota, which finished its season 15-17, placing 16th in the Big 10 Conference.
What does Ali Farokhmanesh bring to the table?
Farokhmanesh has been in the coaching field since 2017, when he got his first job as Director of Player Development for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He oversaw the responsibilities of student-athletes, playing a major role in mentoring programs.
Before Medved came to Colorado in 2018, he was the head coach at Drake University for one season, finishing 17-17 with his new assistant coach, Ali Farokhmanesh. After a season with the Bulldogs, the duo came up to Fort Collins to continue their coaching dynamic. Farokhmanesh has stayed with the program as an assistant coach under Medved ever since.
Not only can Farokhmanesh coach, but he can play. He was a guard for the Northern Iowa Panthers from 2008-2010. In those two seasons, Farokhmanesh helped the Panthers reach two NCAA Tournament appearances, including the school’s first-ever Sweet 16 appearance in the 2009-2010 season.
End Of My CSU Head Coach Rant
After becoming an undrafted free agent in 2010, and having no luck with a pro team, Farokhmanesh traveled overseas to play four seasons of professional basketball in Europe with the Netherlands, Austria, and Switzerland. There is a solid resume built on both coaching and playing for Colorado State’s new head coach.
Rams Fans should be excited about what Farokhmanesh will do with this program. Not giving any hate or criticism towards coach Medved for only three NCAA tournament appearances in seven years, but Farokhmanesh has control of this program now. His playbook, his system, his team. After sitting behind a head coach for years, you have no choice but to gather coaching experience, knowledge, and leadership. The Rams are on to new beginnings.
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