From deli sandwiches to chasing records: Tyson Degenhart set for Boise State senior night
Sitting across the table from Boise State head coach Leon Rice at Deli George on Broadway, fresh-faced 16-year-old Tyson Degenhart was asked a question he’d never really considered.
“Have you ever thought about playing pro?” Rice asked Degenhart, who at that point was thinking about his next game for Mt. Spokane High School and not dreaming of a professional basketball career.
“If the opportunity occurs, yeah, of course, I’ll play pro,” Degenhart responded.
If Rice’s opening question surprised Degenhart, the head coach’s following remark took him even more by surprise: “You’re going to play pro basketball.”
“It kind of opens up your eyes,” Degenhart, now a 22-year-old senior, told reporters Thursday. “It’s like, this guy actually believes in me. And from day one, he’s always shown that belief in me, and it’s never wavered throughout.”
Arriving at Boise State in 2021, Degenhart became a starter by the end of November of his freshman year. He’s basically been there ever since, missing a start against Vanguard in November 2023 only because of a nose injury.
Degenhart said he’s still not thinking about any pro career. Not with so much at stake as his college playing days wind down.
Degenhart said he’s entirely focused on Friday’s senior night game against Colorado State, with tipoff at 8 at ExtraMile Arena. A victory would give the Broncos the No. 2 seed in the Mountain West Tournament, while the Rams are playing for at least second place all by themselves, and possibly a share of the regular season title.
Degenhart has been a stalwart for Rice’s teams as they’ve made three straight NCAA Tournaments and are shooting for a fourth. The two-time All-Mountain West pick is the team’s leading scorer (17.9) and rebounder (6.0), and was named to the 10-man midseason shortlist for the 2025 Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year award.
With 1,898 career points, he’s just 47 away from overtaking Tanoka Beard’s program record of 1,944 — a record Rice said Thursday won’t be broken again if Degenhart sets it.
Degenhart isn’t expected to be picked in this year’s NBA Draft, which lasts only two rounds. But there’s still a path for him to carve out a professional career in the United States.
“Guys like (Degenhart) are special because they get underestimated a little bit because they’re so consistent,” Rice said. “And it’s not a flashy consistent; it’s an efficient basketball game they play. And so they don’t maybe get the credit for the numbers they put up and the consistency they do it with.”
Two other seniors will join Degenhart in Friday night’s ceremonies: guard Alvaro Cardenas and forward O’Mar Stanley. Both arrived at Boise State via transfer: Stanley as a rising junior from St. John’s in 2023 and Cardenas as a rising senior from San Jose State last year.
“Those three are a unique, special, special group,” Rice said. “The way they represented us, with the way they’ve worked with the community, the classroom, on the basketball court, just everywhere. The way they are with their teammates, the positive attitudes through ups and downs, and anything they had to go through, just hung the hat on their character.”
Cardenas had to go up against Degenhart multiple times while playing for the Mountain West’s Spartans. He’ll never forget trying to double-team Degenhart, yet watching him force his way through for a basket — before screaming at the crowd.
“I hated him,” Cardenas said Thursday.
“(Degenhart) is an amazing teammate, one of the best teammates I’ve had,” Cardenas continued. “He’s very humble, but at the same time, he’s very competitive. He’s got that killer instinct in him, and he’s really a role model for all the young players that come to this program and look up to him.”
Stanley shared similar sentiments, saying that Degenhart has been instrumental in “rebuilding” Boise State. If the Broncos survive the bubble and make the NCAA Tournament, or get the automatic bid by winning the Mountain West tourney, Degenhart will be the only Bronco in history to play in four NCAAs.
“He’s a true professional. He’s a true man,” Stanley said. “He does things that some adults don’t do, you know what I mean? It’s my pleasure that he’s one of my brothers.”
Mountain West tiebreakers explained
A win for Boise State on Friday night against Colorado State will guarantee the Broncos the No. 2 seed, as they emerge from a three-way tie with Colorado State and Utah State at 15-5 in the league.
The first tiebreaker is head-to-head, but all three teams split their series with one another. The second tiebreaker is each team’s record against the top-seeded team. Both Colorado State and Utah State were swept by conference-leading New Mexico, while the Broncos split the series 1-1 with the Lobos. That would give them the No. 2 seed.
If Boise State loses Friday, it would fall to either the No. 4 or 5 seed, depending on what San Diego State does against Nevada. If the Aztecs win and the Broncos lose, those teams tie at 14-6, and SDSU earns the No. 4 seed by virtue of its season sweep of BSU.
Regardless, the top five seeds earn first-round byes into the quarterfinals.
Mountain West basketball standings
New Mexico: 16-3 (remaining: vs UNLV)
Colorado State: 15-4 (at Boise State)
Utah State: 14-5 (vs Air Force)
Boise State: 14-5 (vs Colorado State)
San Diego State: 13-6 (vs Nevada)
