Boise State coach considered pulling redshirts this season. This is why he didn’t.
It’s 9:30 the morning before game day, and four Boise State men’s basketball players are already in their practice gear, standing in the sun after a rainy night in San Diego.
Assistant coach Chris Acker has assembled a makeshift basketball court in the hotel courtyard, with a nearby barstool serving as the hoop.
Scout practice is officially in session.
Riley Abercrombie, Bing Huang, Robin Jorch, Max Rice and graduate assistant Drew Bryson listen to Acker as he lays out the San Diego State offensive plays they’ll have to simulate in order to prepare their teammates for Saturday’s Mountain West Conference game against the Aztecs at Viejas Arena.
“The thing we talk about is star in your role, and then your role changes as you become a star,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “Those guys didn’t come here to be on scout team, but they’ve gotten better because of how they’ve approached it.
“And they get to compete against us every single day. When you have a good (scout) team like that, it elevates your practice and it makes the guys you’re going against better every day and it makes you better.”
Since the Broncos (11-14, 6-6 MW) already have played the Aztecs (15-9, 7-4) once this season, winning 88-64 on Jan. 5 at Taco Bell Arena, the scout players are familiar with the roles they’ll be playing during practices leading up to Saturday’s game (5 p.m. MT, CBS Sports Network).
It doesn’t take much instruction from Acker to get the scout group up to speed.
“We’ll have drills in practice where we have to go in and remember our plays, and then the next drill we have to do (the opponent’s) plays,” Abercrombie said. “So remembering twice as many plays, it’s really good for us, but it’s tough.”
Two hours after their morning walkthrough at the hotel, the Broncos are on the court at San Diego City College for an afternoon practice. The scout team has on matching black jerseys with numbers appropriately corresponding to the SDSU players they’re impersonating.
“The thing with scout is you can pretty much just let loose,” Jorch said. “You can play with a lot of confidence because you don’t have to worry about making mistakes. Technically, you’re preparing the team for the game. It’s pretty much an opportunity to show yourself a little bit. You don’t really have to fear doing anything wrong.”
For redshirting freshmen Abercrombie, Huang and Rice, these scrimmages are as close as they’ll get to real game action until next season. And the same goes for senior Jorch, who is sitting out this season after surgery to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff in his right shoulder. He’ll be a redshirt senior in 2019-20.
“Our scout team is really competitive, and they like to win,” Acker said. “They bring a great deal of energy to our bench night in and night out. They feel personally responsible for the outcome as well, because they’re responsible for making sure that our guys are prepared and ready to play.”
Max Rice, the middle of Leon Rice’s three sons, challenges the Broncos’ starting five immediately. He sinks a deep 3-pointer and gets a round of high-fives from his scout teammates. A few plays later, Abercrombie connects on a turnaround jumper in the key.
“Some of those guys out there today look like they could help this team,” the elder Rice said. “Believe me, I’ve had restless, sleepless nights thinking, ‘Well, what if I just pulled this guy off (redshirt)? Maybe he could step in and boost this team just enough to give it a little bit more.’
“But again, I go back to the patience of good, long-term decisions, and I know those pay off in the long run, but sometimes they’re hard in the short run.”
The strategy is part of the development plan that Rice’s program has come to be known for. It’s how he molded Chandler Hutchison from a role player into a first-round NBA Draft pick.
“In a development program, you have to be committed to long-term decisions, and you’ve got to make those work,” Rice said. “Chandler is a great example of that. No one would have envisioned him being an NBA first-round pick five years ago. They would have been like: ‘No way. You’re crazy.’
“But we have a plan for the long-term development of these guys, and that’s how it works.”
Redshirt sophomore Derrick Alston provides the latest snapshot of that development in progress. He went from averaging 0.6 points per game last season to 11.9 this season. If that holds up, Alston is on track for the largest points-per-game jump for a returning player in program history.
And seeing the marked improvement of the players in line ahead of them has made the decision to redshirt a little easier.
“Of course I want to play. I want to be in the game, but it’s about understanding my role,” Abercrombie said. “… I’m going to be a way better player when I’m 23 than when I’m 18 right now. I’m going to have a much bigger role and a bigger opportunity to play. I’m going to be better for myself and the program.”
Women’s basketball: Broncos host Aztecs
Saturday’s 2 p.m. home game against San Diego State is only about one thing for the Boise State women’s basketball team: Protect the Bell.
The Broncos (20-3, 11-1 MW) are 6-0 against Mountain West Conference foes at Taco Bell Arena this season and have three home games remaining.
Although the Aztecs (10-12, 5-6) currently sit in sixth place in the conference standings, they are one of only two teams to hand second-place New Mexico a league loss. Boise State narrowly held off San Diego State, 69-66, in their first regular-season matchup on Jan. 5.
Idaho grad earns prestigious scholarship
Former University of Idaho women’s soccer player Kelly Dopke was chosen as a recipient of the 2018-19 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
The $10,000 scholarship is awarded to former student-athletes based on academic and athletic success, as well as factors such as community service and standing within an institution. Only 21 males and 21 females participating in fall sports from around the nation are awarded the scholarship.
“I was shocked when I got the email in class. I was in disbelief that I actually won the scholarship,” Dopke said. “It’s a big NCAA scholarship, and not many student-athletes get it. It was super humbling, after going through the process and the application and having it all pay off.”
Dopke, the 2018 Big Sky Defensive MVP, appeared in 78 games for the Vandals, and her class leaves Idaho as the winningest class in program history with 41 victories in four years. Dopke also finished with a 4.0 GPA in the medical sciences.
This story was originally published February 15, 2019 at 7:25 PM.
