Boise State football fans know QB Bachmeier. Meet Hank the well-dressed hoops coach
Boise State quarterback Hank Bachmeier admitted he had been to only a handful of men’s basketball games on campus before this year, but that changed during the Broncos’ run to their first outright regular-season Mountain West title.
Bachmeier said Monday that he’s been to eight or nine games this season and that he’s excited to watch the Mountain West Tournament, which begins Wednesday in Las Vegas. Boise State is the No. 1 seed and owns a first-round bye. The Broncos will face No. 8 Nevada or No. 9 New Mexico in the second round at 1 p.m. Thursday.
After the football team took the field for its third spring practice of the year Monday, Bachmeier took on the role of analyst and broke down the Broncos’ strengths on the court.
“They play really great, gritty defense,” he told reporters. “I feel like they’re a collective unit, and I’m super excited about their run.”
Bachmeier isn’t just a basketball fan. He’s also a coach, and a throwback to a time when basketball coaches saved their most stylish outfits to wear on game day.
The senior has spent much of the winter coaching an intramural squad full of his teammates, including former Borah High football and basketball star Austin Bolt; Boise State wide receivers Eric McAlister, Jalen Richmond and Cole Wright; tight end Russell Corrigan; and former Timberline High quarterback Andy Peters.
Bachmeier wanted to play in the league, but he had knee surgery in December and said he didn’t want to risk suffering a setback.
Instead, he’s coaching a team that is undefeated as the intramural season moves into the playoffs. The semifinals are Tuesday and the championship game is scheduled for Thursday, and Bachmeier said the top team on the other side of the bracket is led by 6-foot-6 redshirt freshman quarterback Taylen Green, and defensive backs Tyric LeBeauf and Seyi Oladipo.
McAlister and Corrigan are both 6-3, and Peters is 6-2, so Bachmeier’s squad has plenty of size, too. But the offense runs through Bolt, a 6-3, 215-pound guard who Bachmeier said is not only the best player on his team, but maybe the most skilled basketball player in the league.
The intramural league even had to institute a ban on dunks after Bolt damaged a rim, Bachmeier said.
“It’s not even close,” Bachmeier said of Bolt. “He could play on Boise State’s basketball team.”
Bolt led Borah’s basketball team to back-to-back 5A state championships as a junior and senior. He averaged a double-double as a sophomore (12.1 points, 12.8 rebounds a game), junior (14.8, 11.0) and senior (19.4, 12.5).
On the football field, Bolt started at quarterback and safety at Borah, and returned kicks and punts. He racked up 2,771 yards of offense and 36 touchdowns as a senior, earning Gatorade Player of the Year honors for Idaho. He followed that up by earning the same Gatorade honor in basketball.
Bolt is a redshirt sophomore at Boise State who has contributed on special teams, but he has yet to see regular playing time on offense. He’s listed on the roster as a tight end, but he spent time as a defensive end and wide receiver last season, and even had a shot at his first collegiate reception on a deep pass that fell incomplete in the Broncos’ regular-season finale at San Diego State.
When asked on Monday which young wide receivers he thinks will take a step into the spotlight this season, Bolt was the the first name out of Bachmeier’s mouth.
“His hair is bleach blond, he’s paler than these walls, he’s skinny and he’s out here ‘Mossing’ dudes,” said Bachmeier, referring to ESPN’s “You Got Mossed” segment, which highlights the most acrobatic catches each week during football season and is the namesake of Hall of Famer Randy Moss. “I’m really excited about him.”
This story was originally published March 8, 2022 at 12:57 PM.
