After a disappointing loss to Idaho State earlier this month, the Northern Colorado basketball staff examined its roster player by player.

The coaches wanted to assign two tasks to each player. When they got to Devon Beitzel, they only had one task -- be ready when your number is called.

Be ready? After what this kid has gone through? Even though he scored in high school like it was his job, almost no Division I school thought he was good enough for a scholarship. Then, when he finally did get a scholarship at the 11th hour, he had to sit out an entire season. And during that year he constantly heard how he needed to get quicker, faster and stronger if he was going to compete with the big boys.

Then last week, with the undermanned Bears playing at San Diego State, Beitzel's number was called. The former Centaurus star came off the bench, scored a team-high 15 points, led the Bears to one of the biggest wins in school history and became the school's first Big Sky Conference Player of the Week. Seems like he was ready.

"I went in trying not to think so much," Beitzel said. "That was one of my problems before, just thinking too much. I was trying to not make a bad play so I could stay in the game. But coach (Tad) Boyle always tell us to play loose, and that's what I did."

Beitzel was a scoring machine at Centaurus. He was first-team all-state in 2006 after averaging 27.5 points per game in his senior season, which included a 47-point game against Fountain-Fort Carson. He scored 1,785 career points -- the 10th best total in state history -- and poured in 729 points as a senior, the 10th best single-season mark in state history.

But that wasn't enough to attract a lot of D-I interest.He's currently listed at 6-0, 170 pounds, but he has put on about 20 pounds since high school. His size kept most recruiters away, despite the two-time Camera Player of the Year's speed and ability to finish in traffic.

The recruiting process dragged on until May, long after most scholarships are handed out. A Wichita State assistant with Colorado connections had watched Beitzel practice, but Beitzel didn't end up signing with the Shockers.

That assistant did end up in Greeley, though. Tad Boyle was a Colorado prep star himself, and when he left Wichita State to take over as head coach at Northern Colorado in May, he was way behind in recruiting. He remembered the unsigned Beitzel and convinced the guard to go to Greeley.

He wasn't going to get play right away, though. Beitzel had to bulk up. He was going to move from point guard to shooting guard, and he had learn how to guard players who were often taller and bigger. For someone who loved the game, taking a permanent seat on the bench wasn't easy.

"To be honest, not playing was not fun," said Beitzel, who is averaging 4.4 points and 8.3 minutes per game. "But I can see now that it was the best decision I could have made. It helped me progress and get that much stronger. I was able to adjust to the speed of the game."

Last season wasn't really fun for any of the Bears. They finished 4-24 and won just two games in the Big Sky. They were 1-15 away from Greeley.

Yet the Bears may be turning a corner this season with a large helping of Colorado talent. Eight of the Bears' 15 players are from Colorado, including former Centennial League stars Will Figures and Taylor Montgomery. Figures -- the son of former Colorado Buff defensive back Deon Figures -- starred at Smoky Hill, and Montgomery was a Cherry Creek standout.

The Bears (8-9, 2-3) almost pulled off another road win Thursday night, falling 91-85 in overtime to Eastern Washington. Beitzel came up big again for the Bears, scoring a team-high 18 points. He was 3-for-8 from behind the 3-point line and was second on the team with five rebounds. He also led the team with four assists and had no turnovers.

The team's biggest win of the season, though, was Jan. 9 against the Aztecs. The Bears only had nine players suited up and needed a big performance from an unknown if they were going to earn their first road win of the season. Beitzel not only scored 15 points, but he picked up four steals in just 20 minutes. The Bears won 62-56 and got a massive shot of confidence.

"This was probably our biggest win since going Division I," Boyle said. "I think San Diego State is the best team in the Mountain West. Devon was the player of the game. He was unbelievable, he played with confidence, guarded well, handled the ball."

The win in San Diego wasn't the first time Beitzel showed he can compete at the D-I level. He also scored 10 points in the Bears' 72-59 win over Colorado State, one of the local schools that didn't heavily recruit him.

That showed Boyle that Beitzel was capable of scoring. But he knew that. When you score 47 points in a high school game, it's a pretty good bet you can score. It's the other parts of the game he needs to work on to be on the floor consistently, and Beitzel even admits that. But he has already shown he'll be ready when his number is called.

"It's obvious he can shoot and score the ball. But he has to overcome his size a little bit and work on his defense," Boyle said. "And this is a process we've all battled a little bit in our head, but he needs to know he belongs here and have no fear. Once he does that, he'll be fine. He just needs to play with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder."