New Broncos point guard left UCLA for Boise State hoops. Here’s why
Boise State men’s basketball had its past and future just feet apart on Thursday morning.
On the court inside ExtraMile Arena’s auxiliary gym was Alvaro Cardenas. The former Bronco point guard, still decked out in Boise State blue, was running shooting drills as he prepares for a future in professional basketball.
Off to the side of the court, talking to local media for the first time since arriving in Idaho, was Cardenas’ replacement: Dylan Andrews.
“I’m looking to do whatever I can to get Boise State a W and on top,” Andrews said.
Andrews, a rising senior, arrives at Boise State having spent the first three years at UCLA, with the latter two as the Bruins’ starting point guard.
All 6-foot-2 of Andrews was decked out in a blue-and-white Hawaiian hibiscus pattern tracksuit Thursday, and although he acknowledged he’ll need to get himself a puffer jacket for when the cold weather rolls around, everything else about being at Boise State excites him.
“I’m excited, man,” Andrews said. “Coming here, I want to be able to win a Mountain West championship, and not only that, be a regular-season champ, and also get back to that Big Dance.”
Andrews arrives at a moment of inflection for Boise State. All-time leading point scorer Tyson Degenhart played his last game as a Bronco earlier this month. As did Cardenas, who finished the 2024-25 season with the fifth-most assists (256) in Division I.
But it’s the success of guys like Cardenas and Degenhart that attracted Boise State to Andrews. He can relate especially to Cardenas, who played just one year at Boise State, having transferred from San Jose State in 2024.
“Al was a guy I kind of talked to a lot during this process, and just going into it,” Andrews said. “He had one year coming in, and just seeing his relationship with Coach (Leon) Rice and how he was able to talk to him throughout the whole entire thing, that’s something I just wanted to be a part of.”
Andrews entered the transfer portal March 26, and he said Boise State was the first team to contact him. He was on a Zoom call with Rice and assistant coach Mike Burns the next day, discussing how he’d fit into the team. He committed to Boise State on April 2 before even visiting Idaho.
And while Andrews is excited at the prospect of playing under Rice, the inclusion of Burns in the call might be what tipped the scales for him. Burns is known as the Broncos’ defensive specialist — any Bronco who doesn’t put in 100% effort on the court during games learns that quickly.
“I love that,” Andrews said.
And while Andrews comes in as Boise State’s replacement for Cardenas, the pair of players doesn’t exactly play like one another. Cardenas was known primarily for his distribution, while Andrews prides himself on defense, something that lines up perfectly with Burns.
Andrews saw his minutes dip in his junior season at UCLA, but during his sophomore year with the Bruins, he averaged 12.9 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
“I love defense. I’m a player that’s gonna pick up the ball full court,” Andrews said. “(Burns) loves talking about defense. It’s the defensive schemes I love, and I can’t wait until we’re actually on the court in a big game.”
This story was originally published April 18, 2025 at 4:00 AM.
