Boise State vs. Idaho in hoops: Just an exhibition, but some feel the rivalry
Boise State and Idaho will take the basketball court against one another on Friday night for the first time in almost 11 years, playing an exhibition game at Idaho Central Arena in downtown Boise.
It won’t count toward any records but was organized as part of an effort by Boise State Athletic Director Jeramiah Dickey to bring in-state rivalries back to the schools.
The Broncos and Vandals played twice a year from 2003 to 2011, when both teams were in the Western Athletic Conference, and continued as an annual nonconference matchup until the 2014-15 season. Boise State leads the all-time series 17-3, with the Vandals enjoying all three of their wins in 2009 and 2010.
The absence of games recently, and the fact that it’s not a regular season contest, means this doesn’t hold the intensity it once did. But for a handful of players in the programs who grew up in the Gem State, there are some feelings.
“Hate is a strong word,” Boise State junior Drew Fielder said Thursday. “But I just want everyone to know I bled blue.”
Fielder grew up in Boise and attended Rocky Mountain High School in Meridian for two years before transferring to a basketball prep academy in California. The 6-foot-11 junior spent two years at Georgetown before transferring back to his hometown team.
“It feels really good (to play Idaho),” Fielder said. “You talk about it as a kid, you see it as a kid, but you don’t think you’re gonna be a part of it. So to be a part of it is gonna be really special.”
He’s joined on the BSU roster by Idahoans Rayzhon Bergersen, the son of Boise State assistant coach and program great Roberto Bergersen, and Pocatello native Julian Bowie.
Meanwhile, the Vandals boast Treasure Valley natives Brody Rowbury, Jack Payne and Jackson Rasmussen — the latter two former Owyhee High superstars in Meridian. Rowbury also is from Meridian and starred at Meridian High.
“There is a terrific tradition between the two schools, and I’m grateful that we could find a way to get the rivalry game back on the schedule,” Idaho coach Alex Pribble said back in August when the matchup was announced.
There is one notable person on the Boise State side who’s participated in a few of these games: head coach Leon Rice.
Rice was hired in March 2010 and has coached in this matchup six times — all victories.
“I just remember when I first got here, I was like, wow, this is an intense rivalry,” Rice said Thursday. “ ... We really had to educate our guys a lot. So it’s really neat for them to see the history of it.”
It’s not just Boise State doing that.
Pribble told reporters Thursday that Vandals Hall of Famer Orlando Lightfoot sent a video to the team to hype them up. Lightfoot played at Idaho from 1991-94 and is the only Vandal in program history to average more than 20 points per game across his career.
“It was a great way to kind of help our guys understand what this means to the community, what this means to Vandal Nation and Bronco Nation,” Pribble said. “And so they got to get a feel for what it’s all about.”
What were some of the things Lightfoot said that resonated with the Vandals?
“I remember he went, V’s up, B’s down,” said Payne, making the gestures with his fingers.
Payne transferred to Idaho from Colorado State in the offseason.
“That was one thing that stuck in my head. I’ve never heard that before, so it’s super cool to hear that.”
