‘Only he can fix it’: Boise State guard deals with insufferable shooting slump
When Dylan Andrews arrived on Boise State’s campus in early April 2025, his future at BSU seemed as bright as the blue-and-white Hawaiian hibiscus-pattern tracksuit he wore on his first day to meet the media.
A two-year starter with UCLA, Andrews came with the promise of a big-time recruit ready to make a team his own at the midmajor level.
Although self-described as more of a defensive player, the 6-foot-2 point guard was still expected to take the torch from graduating assist-machine Alvaro Cardenas and continue a tradition of team-leading floor generals under head coach Leon Rice.
Halfway through the season, things have turned dark — as dark as the empty corners of ExtraMile Arena during Wednesday night’s shocking 72-55 loss to Grand Canyon.
And, not for the first time this season, Andrews drew a lot of criticism. The senior didn’t make a single field goal, scored just four points and finished with zero assists in 21 minutes of action.
Andrews has scored in double digits just once in his past six games, and four of those games have seen him score four points or fewer. The outlier was a 16-point performance against San Diego State in a triple-overtime loss — a game in which he shot 3-for-17 from the field.
It was similar to a game he had in a win at Butler in December, when he finished with 20 points but shot 4-for-19 from the floor.
“It’s unbelievable,” head coach Leon Rice said Wednesday night following the loss to Grand Canyon.
An unbelievably bad shooting percentage
It’s not just the lack of scoring that’s a cause for concern. It’s the lack of overall offensive efficiency, and the number of possessions that result in zero points off Andrews’ hands, Rice said.
Across his past six games, Andrews has shot 7-of-48 from the field, an almost unbelievable 14.5 shooting percentage.
“We could shoot half-courters and shoot that same percentage of what he shot recently,” said Rice, showing a rare display of public annoyance toward a player.
His struggles are hurting the Broncos in the biggest moments, too.
After an incredible 20 minutes last weekend that saw the Broncos erase a 24-point deficit at San Diego State to tie the game 79-79 in the final seconds, Andrews found the ball in his hands on the final possession of the game. Pulling up from the free-throw line with a defender a few feet ahead, Andrews’ midrange jumper rattled inside the basket before popping back out as the buzzer sounded.
The game eventually went to triple overtime, where Boise State lost 110-107.
“It rimmed in and rimmed out, but I don’t look at that,” Andrews said Wednesday. “I just get back in the gym, just keep working. And I know eventually, the storm can’t last forever.”
The clouds have been swirling around Andrews for much of the season. He ranks last among all regular contributors on the team in field goal percentage (28.7%) while producing a team-high 37 turnovers. He’s 18-for-67 on 3-pointers, which is 26.9%. His saving grace is at the free-throw line, where he’s hit 50-of-58 (86.2%).
He has just 56 assists on the season, so he’s averaging a little over three assists per game, with a poor assist-to-turnover ratio. In five of the past nine games, he has two assists or fewer.
His tendency to look for the shot before the pass is affecting his teammates, and overall the team’s offense is going through some horrible stretches. In Wednesday’s loss to Grand Canyon, junior forward Andrew Meadow attempted just two shots from the field, neither from beyond the arc, despite being one of the Broncos’ best shooters and the team’s second-leading scorer.
Rice was particularly irate at the stat, saying that Andrews and freshman guard Aginaldo Neto “don’t have a clue what’s going on in the game.”
Why can Andrews shoot free throws so well but struggle from the floor? Rice said the discrepancy comes down to a mix of shot selection and a certain intangible.
“You’ve got to be a baller,” Rice said. “... It’s not hard, quit making it hard.”
Boise State coach says it’s a mental issue
Rice said the ability is there with Andrews, pointing to his pair of games in the 2024 Pac-12 tournament for UCLA, where he dropped 31 points on Oregon State and then 24 points on Oregon a day later.
He’s shown that ability for Boise State in flashes, too, including a 26-point performance against N.C. State at the Maui Invitational in late November when he made 5-of-11 3-pointers and shot 8-for-18 from the field.
“This has nothing to do with the physical. It’s right here,” Rice said, pointing toward his head. “Only he can fix it. A coach can’t pat him on the head and tell him, ‘You’re going to make them.’”
Andrews has started every game for Boise State this season, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see him come off the bench for the home game against conference-leading Utah State (13-1, 4-0) on Saturday night.
The Aggies, under second-year head coach Jerrod Calhoun, lead the Mountain West in both offense (86.6 points per game) and defense (66.9). The dual-guard combo of MJ Collins Jr. and Mason Falslev powers Utah State, which was 26-8 last season and made the NCAA Tournament.
Rice could look to roll with Neto to start while assigning more defensive duties to a forward, while Andrews and redshirt senior guard RJ Keene provide minutes off the bench.
Regardless, Andrews said he knows of one good way to get out of his slump.
“Getting in the gym,” Andrews said. “Just reps and just being able to shoot the ball consistently going into the game.”
