The Mountain West basketball poll is out, and expectations are high for Boise State
There are 10 players on the 2020-21 Boise State men’s basketball team who have yet to play their first game for the Broncos.
But those five Division I transfers, two junior college recruits and three freshmen — paired with the Broncos’ four returners — are expected to contend for a conference title and NCAA Tournament berth.
The Broncos were picked to finish second in the Mountain West in a preseason poll of media members released Wednesday.
Redshirt senior guard Derrick Alston Jr. was chosen as the Mountain West Preseason Player of the Year, an honor last bestowed on a Bronco when current Chicago Bull Chandler Hutchison was recognized ahead of the 2017-18 season.
“I think obviously the talent speaks for itself,” Alston said of the Broncos being picked second. “… Even coming off last year, our team was really strong and I think that with the returners that we have plus these new guys ... once we get our chemistry and really get clicking on all cylinders, we’re gonna be really dangerous.”
In July, Alston removed his name from the 2020 NBA Draft and announced his intention to return for his redshirt senior season with the aim of leading the Broncos to a Mountain West championship.
Last season, the 6-foot-9, 190-pound guard averaged 17.3 points per game for the Broncos. It was the No. 4 mark in the Mountain West and tied for the 19th-highest single-season scoring average in Boise State history. He also dished out a team-leading 98 assists to go with 167 rebounds and a free-throw percentage of 80.8%.
“He’s a terrific player. He’s a nightmare to have to scout,” Colorado State coach Niko Medved said during Mountain West media interviews. “He obviously can score the ball on all three levels. I mean, he’s so unique in the things that he can do. He can shoot the 3, he can post, he can slash, he’s long. He’s a guy that can take over a game at any time.”
Alston was voted to the Preseason All-Mountain West Team for the second year in a row. He is joined on this year’s team by Bryce Hamilton (UNLV), Matt Mitchell (SDSU), Neemias Queta (Utah State) and Isaiah Stevens (Colorado State). UNLV also garnered Preseason Newcomer of the Year (David Jenkins) and Preseason Freshman of the Year (Nick Blake) honors.
The Broncos, who are coming off a 20-12 season, received four first-place votes and 188 points. Defending regular-season champion San Diego State earned the nod at No. 1 with 14 first-place votes and 211 points. Utah State, which won the 2020 Mountain West Tournament, was the only other team to receive first-place votes (2), and the Aggies landed at No. 3 with 177 points.
“They’re deserving of having that respect carry over into this preseason poll,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said of San Diego State. “Because really, when you look at it, the preseason poll has a lot to do with the respect of the program as a whole, not just with that team, because there’s so many unknowns.”
Alston will be boosted by fellow Boise State returners RayJ Dennis, Max Rice and Abu Kigab, while Division I transfers Marcus Shaver Jr. (Portland), Devonaire Doutrive (Arizona), Emmanuel Akot (Arizona), Donovan Ivory (UMass Lowell) and Mladen Armus (East Tennessee State) will be eligible to play for the Broncos after sitting out last season.
The Broncos also added junior college transfers Naje Smith (Cochise College) and Lukas Milner (Johnson County CC), plus freshmen Kasean Pryor (Chicago, Illinois), Burke Smith (Glen Allen, Virginia) and Pavle Kuzmanovic (Loznica, Serbia).
Only five teams in the country have more newcomers on their roster this year — Arkansas (12) and 11 newcomers each for Alcorn State, Arizona, Seattle and South Dakota. And only four teams have fewer returning lettermen than the Broncos — Kentucky (2) and three lettermen each for Arkansas, East Tennessee State and Georgia Southern.
On Monday, the Mountain West announced an adjustment to the league schedule and format, which will go from 18 to 20 games. Teams will now face each other in a two-game series in the same week, with a one-day break between contests. Each school will have five home and five road series.
By traveling during five weeks instead of up to nine, the conference hopes to mitigate potential virus exposures.
League play is scheduled to begin in December and conclude the last week of February. It also offers flexibility to potentially reschedule games that may need to be postponed as the schedule plays out.
The Mountain West has not released its revised schedule, and Boise State is still working to finalize its nonconference schedule. The Broncos will likely begin the season Nov. 25 at home against a non-Division I opponent. They are then set to travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to play several games, including a matchup in the Southwest Showcase against Sam Houston State on Nov. 29 at Dickies Arena.
Broncos ink two
Tyson Degenhart (Spokane, Wash.) and RJ Keene (The Woodlands, Texas) signed Wednesday with the Boise State men’s basketball team and will enroll as freshmen for the 2021-22 season.
“We are so excited to bring in such high-quality student-athletes,” Rice said in a statement. “Both of these young men possess the characteristics our program has been built around. They have a love for the game, a great work ethic and a team-first mentality. They will be great Broncos.”
Degenhart originally gave his verbal commitment to the Broncos in September 2019. The 6-foot-7 forward from Mt. Spokane High averaged 24.5 points per game as a junior, including seven 30-point outings. He was named the Greater Spokane League MVP and Spokesman-Review All-Region Player of the Year, and he made the Seattle Times all-classifications all-state second team.
Degenhart enters his senior season as the state’s No. 4 recruit, according to Washington Prep Hoops.
“Tyson is a very versatile, high-motor guy with a ton of skill and toughness,” Rice said. “He has a very mature game that will translate to this level and give him an opportunity to make a significant impact as a Bronco.
“He can score at all three levels and is an excellent rebounder. In addition to all of his basketball abilities, Tyson is a tremendous student and young man.”
A four-star recruit and the nation’s No. 33 shooting guard according to ESPN, the 6-7 Keene averaged 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals as a junior, while knocking down 135 3-pointers, which ranked 10th-most nationally last year, according to MaxPreps.
Over the past two seasons at Concordia Lutheran, Keene has guided the Crusaders to a 63-13 record. Keene’s father, Richard, played at Illinois from 1992 to 1996 and made 237 3-pointers and scored 1,145 points, leading the Illini to three NCAA Tournaments and one NIT.
“RJ is very good with the ball in his hands and can really shoot it,” Rice said. “He brings similar size and shooting ability to the guard position that Bronco fans grew accustomed to while watching Justinian Jessup play here for four years.
“He has a high basketball IQ that comes from an athletic lineage. His grandfather played basketball at LSU, his father at Illinois and his mother was a college athlete.”
2020-21 MOUNTAIN WEST PRESEASON POLL
First-place votes in parentheses:
1. San Diego State (14) 211
2. Boise State (4) 188
3. Utah State (2) 177
4. UNLV 160
5. Colorado State 141
6. Nevada 114
7. New Mexico 106
8. Fresno State 93
9. Wyoming 59
10. Air Force 39
11. San Jose State 32
This story was originally published November 11, 2020 at 10:08 AM.
