Boise State hoops makes first portal add. He’s an NCAA Tournament guard
Boise State men’s basketball has once again dipped into the transfer portal to find a short-term point guard.
The school announced on Monday afternoon that the program “agreed to terms and signed” postgraduate student-athlete Damari Wheeler-Thomas. The 6-foot guard spent the past four years at North Dakota State, where he was most recently named the Summit League Tournament MVP.
The Bison were a 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament this season, losing to Michigan State by 25 points.
The transfer portal does not officially open until Tuesday, April 7, but graduate students are allowed entry anytime, so Wheeler-Thomas was already there and allowed to choose a new team. A Boise State official confirmed to the Idaho Statesman that Wheeler-Thomas is a postgraduate transfer.
Wheeler-Thomas will arrive after a redshirt junior season in which he started every game and averaged 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He led the Bison to a 27-8 record — the highest win total in program history. He scored a team-high 16 points in the loss to Michigan State.
Wheeler-Thomas was a regular across his first two seasons at North Dakota State and led the team in minutes played his sophomore year, but a fractured tibia continued to nag at him, forcing him to redshirt the 2024-25 season.
Wheeler-Thomas will battle to fill the void after the departure of Dylan Andrews, who played one season for the Broncos after transferring from UCLA. Andrews had replaced one-year point guard Alvaro Cardenas, who came from San Jose State.
Because he has just one year of eligibility left, Wheeler-Thomas could be the third straight one-and-done point guard for coach Leon Rice’s team.
Boise State will continue to be active in the transfer portal, having to retool after losing all five starters, three of whom entered the portal themselves.
This story was originally published April 6, 2026 at 6:38 PM.
