Dec. 11, 2000

By Kelly Lyell
The Coloradoan

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The longest layoff of the season couldn't have come at a worse time for the Colorado State University men's basketball team.

The Rams (5-1) suffered their first loss Wednesday night at Creighton, falling 74-51 in a game they trailed by just a point at halftime, and now don't play again until Dec. 18 against the University of Denver. And, with players scrambling to finish term papers and projects and cramming for final examinations this week, it won't easy getting in good practices, first-year coach Dale Layer said.

"It's a frustrating time of year for all of us - for coaches, for players, for everyone," Layer said. "Part of me wants to work them hard in practice, but having been in this situation before, I know they're minds are on more important things.

"We've got to be sensitive to that, yet when we do work, we've got to make the most of our limited opportunities."

Layer, who routinely puts his team through rigorous 21/2- to 3-hour workouts, said he will have to reduce the number of practices and the duration of each one over the next four to five days. But he hopes the Rams won't lose their intensity.

Senior point guard Aki Palmer doesn't think so.

"Yeah, everybody's got a lot going on, but when you step on the basketball floor, you've got to have a basketball mentality until you get off the floor, and I think everyone realizes that," Palmer said.

There might even be a positive effect to the lighter basketball workload for the next few days. Layer said the Rams appeared a bit weary in the second half against Creighton, which outscored CSU 27-7 in the first 11 minutes of the half to put the game out of reach. The Rams, who came into the game leading the nation in shooting percentage at 60.5 percent, shot 34.8 percent and were outrebounded (37-28) for the first time this season.

"We played a game in every time zone within 10 days, and I think that took a lot out of us," Layer said. "Our legs in the second half did not have the kind of bounce I'm accustomed to seeing."

The Rams watched video of the Creighton game in their Omaha, Neb., hotel immediately after the game, then took Thursday off and had only individual workouts Friday. The Rams returned to practice Saturday, then had their customary day off Sunday. Workouts this week will vary, depending on players' final exam schedules, Layer said.

"This is a tough time of year for our players," Layer said. "They've got a lot more important things to worry about than me and basketball and Denver University. It's going to be a time that's going to be a challenge, but it is for all college students this time of year.

"Hopefully, we can maintain for a couple days, then turn it up time-wise at the end of the week and get ready for Denver," Layer said.

Two days after the Denver game, the Rams play host to Austin Peay on Dec. 20, then travel to Boulder on Dec. 23 to face the University of Colorado. By then, they hope the loss to Creighton will be a distant memory.

"We all understand games like that happen," Palmer said. "We're just glad it happened early in the season, and we have to learn from that and hopefully not let it happen again. We're the type of team that will hopefully improve and move on."