‘Save the ball’: How an unlikely practice drill saved Boise State basketball
Boise State basketball does all of the typical things during practice: 5-on-5 execution drills, transition plays, rebounding, close-out workouts, free throws, you name it.
And then occasionally, you might see redshirt senior guard RJ Keene chasing after an errant ball and smashing into the courtside seats.
That’s what more than 9,000 fans saw Tuesday night at ExtraMile Arena, and it ended up being part of the game-winning sequence as the Broncos defeated Nevada 91-87 in an overtime thriller.
After relinquishing a 20-point first-half lead and being taken to overtime, Boise State led 89-87 and looked as if it was going to give the Wolf Pack the final possession of the game, with a chance to tie or win.
A fumbled rebound off the hands of junior guard Andrew Meadow was bouncing its way toward a nearby row of courtside fans and was going to go out of bounds, giving the ball to Nevada. That was until Keene, charging from inside the key, got both hands on the ball, got a foot down inbounds and called a timeout before clattering into a group of cheering fans.
The Broncos got to keep the ball with nine seconds left on the clock, and senior guard Dylan Andrews was fouled on the inbounds play. He iced the game by sinking both free throws.
“A huge energy play,” senior forward Javan Buchanan said. “... It’s just a winning play.”
In what has been a trying season, another Mountain West loss after blowing a 20-point advantage would have been devastating. Instead, the Broncos (14-9, 6-6) were able to celebrate getting back to .500 in the conference.
This this wasn’t just a case of Boise State’s “glue guy” making a great heads-up play — it’s something the Broncos drill in practice. Head coach Leon Rice said they call it the “save the ball drill,” and it’s no shock that the player who prides himself on hustling and rebounding is the one who can pull it off in a game.
“That timeout thing, he’s done it so many times at practice,” Buchanan said. “Sometimes I’m like, ‘I don’t know if that’ll work.’”
There are multiple levels to the drill, Rice said — first and foremost, it includes having another player provide a potential outlet pass. On Tuesday night, the person who ran in to help Keene was sixth-year forward Dominic Parolin.
But when a quick pass wasn’t possible after he got his hands on the ball, Keene knew immediately what the backup plan was: timeout.
Keene was already looking in the direction of referee Michael Reed and preparing the signal for timeout as he reached for the ball, meaning all that Reed had to do was ensure Keene had possession of the ball and was inbounds with at least one foot. Timeouts aren’t allowed if a player is airborne when making the call.
“The worst thing you can do is jump out of bounds, save it, and they hit a three off of it. I’ve seen that,” Rice said. “And so those situations we work on, and Keene’s a heady player, that’s why you have him out there.”
