Breaking 32-year-old scoring record, Degenhart solidifies himself as Boise State legend
Tyson Degenhart officially has the all-time scoring record for Boise State basketball.
Degenhart scored on an open layup against New Mexico in the second half of the Mountain West Tournament semifinals on Friday to hit 1,945 points as a Bronco, surpassing Tanoka Beard’s longstanding record of 1,944 points. Beard played for Boise State from 1989 to 1993.
Degenhart finished with 22 points and now stands at 1,949 for his career. He led the Broncos to a 72-69 win and into Saturday’s championship game.
“If you told me during November of my freshman year that I was going to end up being the all-time leading scorer, I’d tell you you’re crazy,” Degenhart said in early February.
Degenhart barely celebrated the moment, quickly raising a hand as he ran back to play defense. He said he had a general idea that he was approaching the record but was more concerned about extending his college career.
“I was more focused on just getting the win,” Degenhart said. “And I’m just more excited to continue to get to play with these guys because this group is really, really special.”
During Friday night’s game, he also overtook Anthony Drmic (3rd, 1,942 points) and Steve Conner (4th, 1,927 points) on the scoring list.
Degenhart entered Friday evening’s game 18 points shy of the record after his 14 points on Thursday night in the 62-52 win over San Diego State.
The senior forward has played at Boise State since 2021, becoming a starter seven games into his freshman campaign. He has virtually never left the starting lineup since, missing just one game in his junior year because of a facial injury.
“It’s just a testament to my coaches, my teammates, my friends, my family, just believing in me the whole time,” Degenhart said Friday night.
Degenhart entered his senior season needing 583 points to claim the record. He scored 566 points in his junior season, meaning the senior from Spokane, Washington, had to better that output in his final year with the Broncos to sniff the all-time mark.
He stood up to the challenge, scoring more than 20 points on 11 occasions this season ahead of Friday night’s conference semifinal game with the Lobos. His 17.7 points per game lead the Broncos this season.
“It’s so cool because the whole team, there’s never any jealousy of Tyson because they know how much he cares, they know how much work he does,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “They know all the things he does for them and the sacrifices.”
There were some questions about whether Degenhart would reach the record or fall short.
Entering the Mountain West Tournament needing 32 points, it was likely that the Broncos would need at least two games. They faced San Diego State in the quarterfinals, a team that had already beaten them twice this season.
Plus, a loss likely would have eliminated Boise State from the conversation of an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, meaning Boise State would’ve had to accept a likely invite to the NIT for Degenhart to break the record.
Instead, Degenhart produced a 14-point, seven-rebound performance to spur the Broncos into the semifinals, and then helped them reach the title game for the second time in three seasons. Boise State won the 2022 Mountain West championship.
Degenhart will have a chance to extend his newly claimed record on Saturday in the final. The Broncos will face either the No. 2 seed Colorado State or No. 3 Utah State at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, at 4 p.m. Mountain time.
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 9:10 PM.
