Boise State assistant men’s basketball coach Jeff Linder never had been to Australia when he flew to Sydney in September of 2010 to check out some of the players at the Australian Institute of Sport.

The first sporting event he saw Down Under, though, was the fourth quarter of the Boise State-Virginia Tech football game via the television in his hotel room. Talk about a positive way to start what turned out to be a very successful recruiting trip.

Shortly thereafter, Linder got firsthand looks at forward Anthony Drmic and guard Igor Hadziomerovic, two talented Australians who eventually chose and have made a big impact in their first season at Boise State.

“Everything that we can hope for and more,” is how Linder described what the 6-foot-6 Drmic and 6-4 Hadziomerovic have brought to the Broncos’ program.

Drmic is Boise State’s leading scorer (12.5 points per game). Hadziomerovic (7.0 ppg), who has been out with a broken foot since mid-December, is expected to play Wednesday when the Broncos (11-12, 1-7 Mountain West) play host to Colorado State (15-8, 4-4).

With the two players and assistant coach John Rillie — an Australian native who played at Gonzaga before a successful pro career in his home country — the Boise State program has its own Australian niche.

“We’ve got three mates,” coach Leon Rice said, adding that the phrase “no worries” also can be found in heavy rotation around his program.

Rice sent Linder to Australia because the second-year coach knew he needed young, talented players who would be able to step in and play immediately for a team that was losing seven seniors.

“When you’re building a program, you need to look under some rocks that go unturned to find some gems,” Rice said.

Last month, Drmic was ranked as the 14th-best freshman in the country by ESPN.com in its midseason rankings.

“It’s historical that we have a kid rated as a top 20 freshman in midseason by ESPN,” Rice said. “That’s unique. I don’t think you can go out, where we were (as a program), and recruit a top 15 or 16 kid in the country.”

Linder said the Broncos had to battle a half-dozen programs for Drmic and Hadziomerovic. “If those kids were here in the states, we’d be battling 250 schools,” he said.

San Diego State coach Steve Fisher has been facing Australian players dating back to the 1989 NCAA Championship game when his Michigan team edged Seton Hall and its Aussie star Andrew Gaze. He also mentioned Saint Mary’s and Boise State when asked about the Australian influence. Mountain West co-leader New Mexico also has two Australians on its roster.

“When you get the best of the best like these schools are, you are getting a high-level talent,” Fisher said. “And you get a guy who comes in as a freshman and doesn’t play like a freshman.”

Australians have been playing in U.S. colleges for many years. Rillie, who played at Gonzaga in the 1990s, said it’s an ideal arrangement.

“The way it works back home is if you can’t turn professional after your junior career is finished, which is somewhere between when you’re 18 and 20, so there’s no natural progression,” he said. “There’s a gap or a hole for kids in that age group, which is why U.S. college is very appealing to both men and women.”

Plus, Australians have seen the success that Aussies have had in college hoops. In addition to Gaze, other notable players from Down Under include Luc Longley, Andrew Bogut and Patty Mills.

“Kids no longer are just happy to play in the NBL, which is our professional league,” Rillie said. “Kids are thinking Europe, kids are thinking NBA and the college system is a great way to enhance your profile.”

Drmic said the experience so far has been fun and anticipates spending four years at Boise State.

“Get the education, play the basketball — that’s definitely the plan,” he said.

The experience has been positive for Hadziomerovic, as well.

“I think I’ve adjusted well,” he said. “I’m meeting new people and getting to know the American way of life. It’s good for me to learn how other countries are. It’s been good, but it did help having Australians around who can relate.”

The American players definitely enjoy Drmic, Hadziomerovic and Rillie. There is no shortage of accent imitating and joking between them.

“They have a sense of humor that is unexplainable,” said point guard Wes Perryman, who had his suspension lifted this week and is expected to play Wednesday. “We go back and forth about which country is better. It’s fun.”

One example: Perryman learned the Australian currency is different colors.

“They’ve got green, yellow, red for each of their bills — they think our green money is lame,” he said.

Hadziomerovic said he and Drmic get made fun of for how they dress and their slang.

“I don’t understand what they are saying, but I go with it,” forward Drew Wiley said.

Freshman Mikey Thompson and senior Tre’ Nichols both said “skinny jeans” when asked about the differences in how the Aussies dress compared to them.

“Mainly tight clothes that fit them perfectly,” said Thompson, who wears the unofficial title of the best-dressed Bronco. “It’s kind of weird to me. I’ve got to have some space, but I guess to them, it’s comfortable.”

But the main thing that stands out about the Aussies is their game. Rillie joked that the stereotype of an Australian player is “a non-athletic shooter that plays hard.”

Hadziomerovic’s description of Australian players: “I think sort of a hard-nosed work ethic and a winning mentality. We like being good teammates and bringing the guys together and that sort of culture.”

There’s no question that BSU’s two Aussies are skilled and good teammates. Both are unselfish with the ball and play with a tenacity that is respected by everyone.

Rice saw those traits at Gonzaga, where he coached numerous Australian and foreign players. The benefits go beyond the court, too.

“I really, really value having a melting pot on the team,” Rice said. “It exposes players to the big world that’s out there. Not only in basketball, but in everything. It makes them grow. Our whole community is enriched by having diversity.”

The international pipeline is expected to continue. BSU already has signed 6-9 forward Edmunds Dukulis from Latvia, and Rillie, who was promoted to assistant coach after being in a non-recruiting director of basketball operations position last season, will continue to work the overseas angle.

“At the end of the day, that’s my bread and butter,” Rillie said. “I played over there for 16 years, so you build a lot of relationships and friendships and it’s not like you are just going to neglect it after that amount of time.

“The high-end Australian kids have shown they can compete very high at the Division I level. There’s always been a sprinkling of high-level performers, and hopefully they can join us in Bronco Nation.”