December 23rd, 2019:
‘Twas two nights before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
Deep in the throes of the norovirus, I am in and out of sleep as my annual holiday travels out west have been postponed, for the time being.
Out of commission for most of the day, I muster the strength to sit upright on the sofa, turn on the TV and scan the mostly unamusing options on the sports channels, settling on the Diamond Head Classic, figuring it to be a chance to catch a few West Coast teams I do not typically watch.
Whether it were from the lack of sleep, pain, nausea or dehydration, the TV screen emanated a slightly hallucinogenic glow, compounded by the appearance of Derrick Alston, Boise State’s 6’9 188 pound point forward with a unique build and a one-of-a-kind style that inspired and left me in awe.
32 points, four threes, six assists and a handful of jaw-dropping athletic plays made me an instant fan.
Soon after that game, I began to dig deeper and learn more about the program and the center of its success: head coach Leon Rice. Since his hiring prior to the 2010-11 season, Boise State has been one of the least talked about consistent winners, finishing with ten 20+ win seasons and four tournament appearances with Rice at the helm.
Consistency is Rice’s strength: per KenPom.com, under Rice, the Broncos have ranked within the top-120 in both offensive and defensive efficiency in all but three seasons. Better yet, across the last six seasons, all but one season finished with top-90 ranks in both metrics.
On offense, typical Rice teams limit turnovers, shoot well (and are not afraid to let it fly from deep) and play at a moderate pace. On defense, Boise State prevents ball movement and offensive rebounds, limit isolation efforts under the basket and are tough on the perimeter.
With an overall 51-18 record and tournament appearances in each of the last two seasons, plus the fact that three double-digit scorers are returning, Boise State is yet again a favorite in the Mountain West.
Boise State’s offense will center around 6’8 242 junior Tyson Degenhart, last year’s leading scorer (14.1 ppg) who also finished the season as KenPom’s most efficient offensive performer in the Mountain West after finishing with a 68.7 2P%, 37.9 3P%, 7.4% offensive rebounding rate (14th best in the nation) and the conference’s third lowest turnover rate.
Fifth-year returnee Max Rice, Coach Rice’s son, is another Bronco who balances production (14.0 ppg) with efficiency. The 6’5 200 Boise native finished the season as the conference’s 20th most efficient player, anchored by a 45.5 3P%, 85.7 FT% and the fifteenth lowest turnover rate in the conference.
Last season was an absolute breakout for Rice, scoring more points the 2022-23 season than his previous three seasons combined. Not just an offensive weapon, Rice is one of Boise State’s most versatile defenders with the strength, awareness and athleticism to guard four positions.
Originally recruited by Texas Tech, 6’7 223 senior Chibuzo Agbo is another double-digit scoring returnee. Like Rice, Agbo is a 3-and-D weapon (40.3 3P%) and is arguably the best returning player at creating his own shot off the dribble.
With Degenhart, Rice and Agho setting the foundation, a mix of returnees, transfers and a strong incoming freshman class will supplement Boise State’s attack.
With three-year starting point guard Marcus Shaver graduating, one of the most interesting preseason battles is finding out which sophomore point guard – Jace Whiting or Roddie Anderson III – will get first chance at the starting nod.
Playing both guard positions last season as the first guard off the bench, the 6’3 185 Jace Whiting was a low-usage (3.1 ppg), pass-first two-way guard with solid shooting efficiency (48.3 2P%, 32.6 3P%) that hints towards success, should he get more opportunities to shoot.
On the contrary, in his freshman season, 6’3 190 Roddie Anderson III was the Big West Freshman of the Year and immediately was a high usage guard for UC San Diego (41th highest usage rate in the nation), but worked through some bumps in efficiency (42.9 2P%, 28.9 3P%, 20.9 turnover rate (3rd highest in team). However, playing alongside three other capable scorers, Anderson III could optimize shot selection and better employ his vision to the point guard position.
Boise State’s other transfer additions will bolster the frontcourt. Grad transfer Cam Martin transfers over from Kansas by the way of Missouri Southern State where he was a two-time D2 All-America Second Team selection.
The 6’9 230 Martin played just four games at Kansas due to a shoulder injury, but averaged 25.0 points and 9.1 rebounds per game with a 57.9 FG% and 44.5 3P% in his last season at Missouri Southern State, providing the Broncos with a smooth shooting forward who can backup both frontcourt positions.
O’Mar Stanley is a 6’8 230 junior forward who played the last two seasons at St. John’s. Starting 18 games for the Red Storm, Stanley finished the season showcasing his developing perimeter game by going 5-for-9 from three across the last seven games. A capable defender, Stanley was not counted on to score a ton at St. John’s, but his career 62.9 FG% is evidence that a breakout could be on tap.
Jaden Daly, a St. John’s beat writer and one of the most well-versed New York metro area basketball experts writes that Stanley is “an underrated rebounder whose scoring in the paint took flight briefly before it all went off the rails for St. John’s” following their 6-13 finish to the regular season. “At 6’8, he definitely has the size to be a standout in the Mountain West if he’s used the right way,” Daly adds. “[Stanley] can step out and hit a 10-12 footer too, but never really had a chance to work on his jumper at St. John’s.”
The combination of Boise State’s frontcourt depth along with Agbo’s perimeter abilities make it possible for Coach Rice to play bigger lineups with Degenhart, Stanley, Agbo, Rice to start along with Whiting or Anderson III at the point. Or, it’s conceivable that Rice starts the season small, with both Whiting and Anderson III starting alongside Rice, Abgo and Degenhart. Either way, it would not surprise if Rice experiments with various starting lineups throughout the season.
Boise State’s bench depth will include fifth-year returnee reserve big Mohamed Sylla and 6’7 sophomore wings Kobe Young and RJ Keene II to pair alongside an impressive 2023 recruiting class.
The headliner of the 2023 class is 6’4 shooting guard Chris Lockett Jr., who ranks as Boise State’s fourth-highest ranked recruit of all time, per 247Sports’ composite rankings. The New Orleans native previously held offers from Baylor, Kansas, Houston, LSU and three other high-major programs earlier in his recruitment and is expected to immediately contribute in the backcourt.
6’7 small forward Andrew Meadow is a three-star recruit who made an immediate impact in Boise State’s summer tour of Canada, where he was second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game.
Like Lockett Jr, Meadow had high-major interest (offers from Washington State and Washington) and was also heavily recruited by the Broncos’ conference mates. With Keene and Young yet to have established themselves as regular rotation options, it would not surprise if Meadow supplanted the sophomores into a key bench role.
Originally from The Netherlands, Emmanuel Ugbo is a 6’8 235 incoming freshman who played last year professionally for Porsche BBA in a third-tier professional league in Germany, averaging 14.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Earlier in his recruitment, Ugbo was offered by eight other D1 programs, including Saint Louis, Akron, Oral Roberts and George Mason. With a deep, veteran frontcourt, it is more likely that Ugbo will take a year or two to develop in practice before joining the rotation on a regular basis.
Earning four bids in each of the last two tournaments, the Mountain West should again be a very entertaining and talented conference with Boise State primed to work their way atop the conference standings alongside San Diego State, Nevada and New Mexico.
Within the first six weeks of the season, Boise State will play one of the more competitive non-conference schedules in the nation. Neutral site tilts feature Washington State and Saint Mary’s while Boise State is part of a competitive field in the ESPN Events Invitational.
In that event, a first round matchup against Virginia Tech will set up a second round matchup between either Iowa State or VCU with Florida Atlantic, Penn State, Texas A&M or Butler as their possible final round opponent. An early visit to Clemson and home matchups against San Francisco and North Texas bring the total up to eight potentially highly competitive non-conference games before an entertaining conference schedule commences.
With smooth shooting and a hard working defense, Boise State will be one of the more entertaining and well-coached programs to watch this season.
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