The ultimate goal for Leon Rice's 2023/24 squad was never in doubt because the 0-9 record in NCAA tournament play was the monkey on the BSU basketball program's back. During every preseason interview the coaches and players would mention it. Going into Selection Sunday it felt like something magical was going to happen. Surely the committee would reward BSU for their tough out-of-conference schedule, right? Wrong. A Dayton play-in game was the reward for the tough early schedule the Broncos waded through. And not just a play-in game, but a play-in game versus the most talented team playing in Dayton, the Colorado Buffaloes.
Almost everyone knows how that game turned out. Missed layups and poor 3-point shooting left the Broncos flying back to Boise with a 0-10 program record in the NCAA tournament. As bad as it felt as a fan, I'm sure it felt dramatically worse for the players and coaches. This, as it has several times in the past, felt like "the season" to break the curse. But apparently it wasn't meant to be.
So, what's next? The transfer portal has already opened. BSU has been in touch with several players in the portal and have lost one player to it. Jace Whiting entered the portal 03/28/2024. Several players could also test the NBA waters, though I expect they will return for another season.
So, let's take an in-depth look at what this roster could look like going into next season.
Fresh faces on the court:
Obviously, this section will change, new players will come in from the transfer portal. But let's take a look at the players who redshirted and the incoming true freshman.
Several players could be seen sitting on the bench wearing grey sweatpants all season. Chris Lockett Jr., the former Louisiana Player of the Year winner and Emmanuel Ugbo, the unknown talent from the Netherlands, sat and soaked in a full season of college basketball.
When I heard Jace Whiting had entered the portal my first thought was that Lockett must be good. I could be wrong. I'm sure Jace wouldn't shy away from competition, but for a guy stuckbetween Roddie Anderson III, a blossoming star for this team, and a talent like Lockett, he may have seen the writing on the wall.
Lockett doesn't lack size at the guard position. At 6'4" and a stout 205 lbs he looks the part of a linebacker. Check out his high school highlights and you'll see a playmaker with the ball in his hands who also has the ability to distribute and shoot the three. Lockett did see time during the preseason Canada trip and by some reports looked pretty raw. Hopefully a season of sitting and fine tuning his craft will pay off. I fully expect we will see Lockett on the floor as one of the first off the bench.
Emmanuel Ugbo's career at BSU was delayed a bit. I couldn't tell what caused the delay, coming from another country may have been part of it. But for the short time he has been in the program he's certainly made an impression. Cam Martin raved about Ugbo's talent on more than one occasion. Ugbo, listed at 6'8" and 235 lbs certainly looks the part. He clearly is familiar with the weight room and the contents within. The question will become how quickly he can become accustomed to the United States style of basketball and the faster tempo. With O'Mar Stanley slated to return next year, Ugbo shouldn't have too much pressure on him. He certainly should see the floor, but for how much time is unknown. Per reports, BSU has been in contact with a few forwards already, so they certainly aren't assuming Ugbo will be ready quite yet. Ugbo can jump out of the gym and shoot the 3. He is an all-around talent. Now let's hope that talent can translate to the floor.
As always, the Broncos are very involved in high school recruiting. Two young players have signed and we have good reason to be excited about both. First let's start with the local talent.
Julian Bowie committed to BSU clear back in 2022. Since he committed, his game has only gotten better. Playing for Pocatello High School he is an all-around athlete, playing not only basketball but was an outstanding wideout for the Pocatello football team. On the basketball court, during the 2022-23 season, he averaged 23 points and 3 assists per game. Listed at 6'3" he should fight for playing time right away. Bowie is a winner who led his team to a state championship this year.
Pearson (Peanut) Carmichael is a 6'7" combo guard out of Bend, Oregon. The origin of the nickname is unknown to me, but players and coaches refer to him by it all the time on social media, so I look forward to hearing that story.
Carmichael, like Bowie, who he has grown close to and by all reports will room with this upcoming season, led his team to a state championship. There is a lot to be said for players that grow up in a winning culture. These players take on a mentality that leads them to great things and both Bowie and Carmichael have tasted that success, which should motivate them for more.
Carmichael is just about everything you hope for in a "tweener", or a player that can play both guard and forward. He shoots the three, passes the ball well and plays great defense. Carmichael nearly averaged a double-double with 23 points and 9 rebounds a game.
Last year Andrew Meadow was the talk of the team, for good reason. Carmichael should fill those shoes going into this season. Expect Carmichael to push for playing time right away. I don't think BSU is done losing players to the portal, so his path to playing time may become clearer as the off season continues.
The returning talent:
Like the above section, this could all change as well. In the era of the transfer portal no player should be assumed back. That being said, there is a lot of talent here.
Those testing the NBA waters would be Chibuzo Agbo and Tyson Degenhart. However, as I said above, I would expect both to return. Both have NBA level talent but would do much better for themselves coming back and working on what the NBA scouts will tell them to improve on.
Just to be clear; do not freak out when you see these two declare for the NBA draft. The NBA rules allow a player to enter the draft, be scouted and receive feedback from NBA scouts. They may then remove their name from the draft to return to school. It is very normal for this to happen and can serve as an incredibly useful tool in a burgeoning sports career.
While Agbo and Degenhart are a heck of a start to this team, even more important to keep around is O'Mar Stanley.
BSU hasn't been blessed with big men like Stanley very often. In the past, most BSU big guys do one thing well, and maybe lack somewhere else. And that's the life of most mid majors. But Stanley is an exception. He's a beautiful combination of size and talent and has future NBA player written all over him. He is going to be my dark horse choice for MWC Player of the Year next season.
Rounding out the returning starters is Roddie Anderson III. I can't recall ever seeing a player improve in-season as much as Roddie did this year. To begin the season his play looked rough. He was driving the lane out of control and that usually ended in a turnover. But steadily throughout the season we saw great progress. His ball movement improved, he showed some great hands-on defense and even started to look confident shooting the three by the end of the season. I still think he needs to slow himself down a beat, he has a bad way of missing some layups, but Bronco Nation should have reason to believe he will only get better from here. He is a bright young man with an even brighter future.
With no more Max Rice, who will take that 5th starting spot? At this moment Andrew Meadow would be my guess. He came in with all the hype you could ask for last season and showed some flashes of greatness. His ability to score around the basket is undeniable. His 3-point shotis beautiful. I still see plenty of room to improve defensively, however. He was commonly one step behind on his help defense and it led to some easy buckets for the opponent. This is to be expected by a true freshman and the question becomes how much he will improve. It's well documented that Andrew is a gym rat so I have little doubt we will see progress during the off season.
So that leaves the bench. As normal for the last few seasons, depth will again be a question. I mentioned before that I could see BSU losing more to the portal. RJ Keene and Kobe Young could both be candidates for a change of scenery. And I wouldn't blame them. The way Coach Leon Rice plays his bench is at times a head scratcher. RJ Keene had games in which he looked great, but then wouldn't be seen for the next three games. Kobe Young plays outstanding defense but has brought little to nothing offensively. Both have great innate talent, but just haven't seen action on the floor.
I hope neither leave. Both should see more playing time this upcoming season, but I also said that last season. Kade Rice is also on the bench; he is pretty much an unknown. It sure appears he can shoot the ball, but we just haven't gotten a chance to see much from him yet.
The losses of Jace Whiting, Max Rice, Mohamed Sylla, Sam Winter and Cam Martin leave plenty of room for the Broncos to be active in the transfer portal. Hopefully they can find hidden gems like they did in Chibuzo Agbo and O'Mar Stanley.
Preseason expectations
There is no reason the Broncos shouldn't be picked to finish outside the top 3 in the preseason MWC poll. Tyson Degenhart will be in the running for MWC Player of the Year, although I think he actually had a disappointing year this season. And Chibuzo Agbo and O'Mar Stanley should be first team preseason players, though I doubt both will.
The goal once again is simple: Win that first NCAA tournament game. Break the streak. Get the monkey off your back. And this team, like prior teams, has all the talent to do so.
But will they?
