Boise State basketball adds SMU transfer; visits San Jose State on Saturday
Tom Wilson, a 6-foot-4, 170-pound true freshman from Melbourne, Australia, has joined the Boise State men’s basketball team and is eligible to practice immediately with the Broncos, the program announced Friday.
Due to NCAA transfer rules, Wilson won’t be eligible to play games with Boise State until the 2017 fall semester ends in December. He’ll be a sophomore.
Wilson left SMU on Dec. 21 after stating his desire to transfer. Earlier this month, Wilson confirmed an ESPN report that said he planned to join the Broncos. He averaged 1.6 points per game for SMU.
“I’m excited to be enrolling and really looking forward to a fresh start at an amazing program where we can hopefully achieve great things as a team and build to something special,” Wilson told the Idaho Statesman.
Wilson was a three-star recruit in the class of 2016, according to Rivals.com and held an offer from Boise State before choosing SMU. He also held offers from UConn, Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s coming out of the Australian Institute of Sports.
“Tom is a great fit for this program,” Boise State head coach Leon Rice said in a statement. “The best thing is, he’s here now. He has a year to improve his game, while learning how we do things and working with our coaches and players.”
Wilson was a decorated prep player and the captain of the U-17 and U-19 Australian national teams. He led the U-17 team to a silver medal at the 2014 FIBA World Championship. He had 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds in the gold medal game against the United States.
Wilson played with the Melbourne Tigers, the same club team that produced former Boise State player Igor Hadziomerovic. Wilson led the Tigers to the U-14 and U-16 National Junior Classic championships.
FAMILIAR FACES AWAIT AT SJSU
Boise State (11-6, 4-2 Mountain West) plays at San Jose State (9-8, 2-4) at 3 p.m. Saturday (670 AM and streamed on Mountain West Network), and hosts league-leader Nevada (16-3, 5-1) at 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Even though the game against the Spartans will take place 672 miles away from Taco Bell Arena, there will be plenty of familiar faces on the opposing bench.
The Spartans are coached by Dave Wojcik, who spent three years as Boise State’s associate head coach under Rice. Now in his fourth season, Wojcik has helped turn San Jose State from a team that did not win a conference game in 2014-15 to a squad that has impressive victories over Fresno State and Air Force.
“Dave’s doing some good things there,” Rice said. “(But) we have a job to do, and I don’t worry about (our relationship) or think about that very much. ... They’re competitive and they’ve won some games. We know that we’re going to have to play really well. That’s the bottom line.”
San Jose State’s roster also includes E.J. Boyce, a Rocky Mountain High grad who is averaging 5.7 points per game and shooting 44.7 percent from 3-point range. During his career at Rocky Mountain, Boyce set the school record with 167 made threes and helped the Grizzlies reach the 5A state finals in 2013. Boyce played the 2015-16 season at the College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls.
Boyce’s father, Ed, was an assistant coach at Boise State for seven years beginning in 1995.
FORMER BRONCO SENTENCED TO PRISON
Dezmyn Trent, who played two seasons at Boise State before being dismissed after an arrest for his role in a pair of shootings in Lakewood, Wash., in August 2015, pleaded guilty Tuesday, according to court records obtained by the Idaho Statesman.
He was sentenced to 14 1/2 years in prison
Trent was charged with two counts of assault in the second degree, one count of assault in the first degree and one count of a drive-by shooting.
WOMEN AT HOME AGAINST SJSU
The Boise State women’s team (13-4, 3-3), which has lost three of four, looks to get back on track against the Spartans (6-12, 3-3) on Saturday at Taco Bell Arena (2 p.m., 1350 AM).
The Spartans are led by Dezz Ramos, who averages a Mountain West-best 22.7 points a game. San Jose State has the second best scoring offense (71.3) in the league behind Boise State (71.6), but gives up a league-worst 80.7 points.
Tickets are available at BroncoSports.com/tickets and at the door. Saturday is Family Day, and tickets start at $3.
Michael Katz: 208-377-6444, @MichaelLKatz
Boise State (11-6, 4-2 MW) at San Jose State (9-8, 2-4)
▪ When: 3 p.m. Saturday
▪ Where: The Event Center (5,000), San Jose, Calif.
▪ Radio: KBOI 670 AM (Bob Behler and Abe Jackson). Fans can also listen to the game at BroncoSports.com
▪ Broadcast: Streamed live on the Mountain West Network.
This story was originally published January 20, 2017 at 1:41 PM with the headline "Boise State basketball adds SMU transfer; visits San Jose State on Saturday."