When Boise State hosts BYU, these former Idaho state hoops champions become the enemy
Talking about Boise State brings up a lot of fond memories for Kolby Lee.
The Broncos were the first Division I basketball program to offer him a scholarship. The 2017 Rocky Mountain High graduate spent his childhood attending games at then-Taco Bell Arena. And in elementary school, Lee played on the same club team as current Boise State senior Justinian Jessup.
Lee will have to set that sense of nostalgia aside Wednesday when he suits up for BYU (3-1) in a nonconference matchup against Boise State (1-2) at 8 p.m. at ExtraMile Arena. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network and is part of a BSU doubleheader, with the women’s team hosting Washington State at 5 p.m.
“This is gonna be an interesting game, because they were actually one of my top options. They were the first school to ever believe in me. They offered me my sophomore year,” Lee said. “Coach (Leon) Rice sat me down in his office, and I’ll never forget that because he said: ‘We want to offer you a full-ride scholarship, and we’re the first school to believe in you. Hopefully you respect that.’ And I definitely do. He was the coach that kind of opened a lot of doors, and I can’t thank him enough for that.”
Lee ended up choosing BYU from a final list that included Boise State, Utah State and UC Davis.
Now a 6-foot-9 sophomore, Lee moved into the Cougars’ starting lineup this season after averaging just 1.4 points and 3.2 minutes per game a year ago. It’s a bigger role than Lee might have anticipated coming into the season, but he was asked to step up because of the nine-game suspension of senior forward Yoeli Childs and an injury to sophomore forward Gavin Baxter. Lee is currently the tallest eligible player on the Cougars’ roster and is contributing 7.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
“Kolby’s been thrown into the fire. It’s not fair. He’s my only guy over 6-foot-6,” BYU coach Mark Pope told the Deseret News last week. “He’s like a lone man out there. But Kolby Lee is going to become a big-time player. You mark my words. He’s getting better every single day.”
Lee is one of two Idahoans on BYU’s roster this season. Highland High alum Connor Harding has assumed the role of sixth man after starting 14 games for the Cougars last season. Lee and Harding each won a state championship while in high school, and both were voted the Idaho Statesman’s 5A All-Idaho Player of the Year. Harding led Pocatello-based Highland to a championship in 2016, while Lee helped Rocky Mountain win the program’s first state title in 2017.
“Idaho is not a major hot spot for D-I basketball players, so we just have a great opportunity to represent where we come from, and that’s a privilege,” said Harding, who is averaging 7.5 points and 4.8 rebounds. “People back home, they do watch, and they’re interested in what we do on the court and how we represent.”
Wednesday’s game also will give Lee a chance to catch up with a former teammate. He played with Jessup for Hoop Dreams from third grade through part of sixth grade. If Jessup’s family hadn’t moved, he would have attended Rocky Mountain with Lee.
“I played open gyms with them over the summer. I know most of the team besides maybe a couple of the newer guys,” Lee said of Boise State. “So it’s gonna be interesting because I grew up going to Boise State games and playing with some of those guys and going to open gyms with (Alex) Hobbs, Justinian and (Robin) Jorch.”
Notes: In the Boise area, CBS Sports Network can be found on CableONE channel 139, DirecTV channel 221 and DISH Network channel 158. ... Wednesday’s game is the 14th all-time meeting between Boise State and BYU, but the first since 2008. The Cougars lead the series 9-4. ... All fans who arrive to the women’s game before halftime will receive admission to both games for the price of a women’s game ticket.
Women’s basketball: BSU hosts Washington State
With only five losses during the 2018-19 season, each one stands out to the Boise State women’s basketball team.
The Broncos (3-1) get their first shot at redemption Wednesday when they host Washington State (2-0) at 5 p.m. at ExtraMile Arena. The Cougars handed the Broncos their most lopsided loss last season, a 95-71 game in Pullman, Washington.
“Being from Washington, I really want this win. We’ve played them every year I was here, so getting this (win) would be huge,” said Boise State senior Riley Lupfer, who hails from Spokane. “Not just because it’s Washington State, but they’re Pac-12, and getting revenge. We don’t get blown out very often, really at all, so it still stings. We’ve been talking about it for a year. It comes up here and there, so it’s nice to finally get maybe some revenge.”
The Broncos will need to contain Washington State senior forward Borislava Hristova. She is averaging 23.0 points per game this season and dropped 30 on the Broncos last year. The Cougars also hit 13 3-pointers in the contest.
Wednesday’s game is the start of an important nonconference stretch for the Broncos that could help them gain the attention of Top 25 voters. Washington State already has a win over 2019 NCAA Tournament qualifier BYU. The Broncos travel to No. 8 Louisville on Sunday and face TCU in the Maggie Dixon Classic on Dec. 1 in Forth Worth, Texas.
“Obviously we want to defend our home court, and we want to play a great schedule,” Boise State coach Gordy Presnell said. “I was telling the kids, not too many teams have this week in terms of their opponents. (We’ll) prepare for Washington State and then prepare for Louisville, so that’s pretty good competition.”
This story was originally published November 19, 2019 at 5:22 PM.
