JR Blount Named Assistant Coach
โ๐ ๐ ๐๐จ ๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐ ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ก๐ก ๐ค๐ ๐๐ค๐ก๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ก๐ก. ๐๐'๐จ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐๐๐ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ช๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐ค๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐ฉ."
๐ https://t.co/S7WnN3amDE#Cyclones ๐ช๏ธ pic.twitter.com/O6JUp8s7bJ
— Iowa State Menโs Basketball (@CycloneMBB) March 30, 2021
CSU Assistant Coach JR Blount has accepted a similar position at Iowa State under the leadership of recently named Head Coach TJ Otzelberger.
Letโs be honest.
It wasnโt a question of if but when in terms of when weโd see a change like this to Niko Medvedโs staff. Medved has assembled what many consider to be one of the top coaching staffs in G-5 land. ย A veteran like Dave Thorson with oodles of experience and two up-and-comers in Ali Farokmanesh and Blount. And a great DBO in Aaron Katsuma.
Hopefully you all took to the time to listen to the RamNation podcast earlier in March when we got to spend nearly an hour with Coachย Blount. If you did, you would have learned a lot about his background and pedigree that qualifies him as an up-and-comer in the world of D-1 college basketball. ย His knowledge and experience along with an infectious personality is a winning combination!
Make no mistake about it. JR Blount will be a D-1 Head Coach someday. The move to Iowa State is the next step on that journey. ย The Big 12 is certainly a bigger basketball conference than the MWC and he will garner loads of experience in terms of recruiting at a higher level, skills development, and game preparation.
Iโm not getting any younger so of course I donโt handle change as well as some others. I wish we could have kept this staff together for at least another season. That being said, I have more than enough confidence that Niko Medved will identify a strong candidate to replace JR and that the CSU program will continue to grow.
I will miss JR and his family. He and his wife Ashley have been tremendous assets to the Fort Collins community. And Iโll miss watching his two adorable children grow up.
I sent JR a congratulatory message this morning. Here it is along with his response.
Thanks JR!
The other end of these coaching turnstiles? What future CSU recruits will trail with JR to ISU??
Hate messing with the continuity of this program. Stinks to lose J.R. Hopefully we find a good replacement and nobody else leaves. And equally important, hope the staff re-recruits the entire team to make sure there are no transfer portal thoughts!
Steve you are so right about JR and the other members of staff. But it will take more than just a another talented guy to plug into that fraternity to achieve the sympatico relationship evidence on the sidelines amongst the staff, Niko and the squad. Coach never had to worry what was going on behind him during the game or at time outs the focus by players and coaches was keen.