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Wednesday Weekly…January 29, 2025.
Javan Buchanan has been the big “bubbling under” guy for Boise State men’s basketball this season. But this may finally be his time. In fact, coach Leon Rice hints that it could have already happened were it not for Buchanan’s persistent foul trouble. Now, the Broncos really need it to happen, as they’ve lost three of their last four games going into tonight’s matchup against Nevada. In late November, there was a stretch during which Buchanan looked like he was going to be a world-beater, scoring 24 and 28 points in back-to-back games at the Cayman Islands Classic. Then teams schemed him up because of that, and it was back to the learning curve. But Buchanan is on the rise again, as he’s been in double-figures in four of his past five games. During that same run, he’s committed 18 fouls. Aye, there’s the rub.
But Buchanan, the transfer from Indiana Wesleyan has been a playmaker on offense more often than not this season. Despite playing only 22 minutes per game, Buchanan is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 10.6 points, second among regulars in three-point accuracy at just under 38 percent and second in blocked shots with 14. He looks like the closest thing Boise State has to a replacement for Chibuzo Agbo. It feels like it’s time to turn Buchanan loose once and for all.
DEGGIE’S RACE TO THE RECORD
Boise State tries to right the ship tonight against Nevada. Spotlight No. 1: let’s see how Rice’s rotations are tweaked after a two-game losing streak. Spotlight No. 2: Tyson Degenhart’s chase of the Broncos’ career scoring record. With 1,721 points and counting, Degenhart ranks fifth on the school’s all-time list. He needs 224 more to surpass Tanoka Beard, the recent Boise State Athletics Hall of Fame inductee. Beard had 1,944 points—and you may remember that Anthony Drmic scored just two points less in his career and could have broken the record had the Broncos not opted out of the postseason in 2016. As for Degenhart, Boise State has at least 12 games remaining. It’ll probably be more, but based on that, he’ll have to average 18.7 points per game to break it.
DIGGING BACK FROM ‘ROCK BOTTOM’
In his 15 seasons as head coach, I don’t think I’ve ever heard coach Rice with harsher words for his team. After the 75-72 loss at Colorado State last Wednesday night, Rice used the term “rock bottom” when describing the state of the Broncos. He didn’t like their effort and energy. During the game, I tweeted, “20 games into the season, there still doesn’t seem to be a 5-man combo with chemistry.” I almost took it back when Boise State rallied, but this seems to be a huge issue. Chemistry has always been strong in Rice’s program. Where it has gone this season is beyond me.
ROTATION ROTATION ROTATION
Even coach Rice questioned his 11-man rotation—extremely unusual for Boise State—after the loss in Fort Collins. But Rice walked back on that a bit in Monday’s press conference. “We’ve got 11 guys who care,” he said. Is it bad to have 11 capable players at your disposal? Or would it be better to identify seven or eight really good players and let them have at it? We’ll find out where Rice has settled following a bye weekend full of spirited practices when the Broncos face the Wolf Pack. The Pack have their own wounds they’re nursing—they lost to San Diego State 69-50 last Saturday night on their home floor.
WILL KELLEN FINALLY GET THE CALL?
Boise State’s player drought in the Super Bowl extends to seven seasons now that Washington and Buffalo were drummed out Sunday. But seeing Kellen Moore coach in a Super Bowl should be consolation enough for Bronco Nation after Philadelphia laid waste to the Commanders 55-23 in the NFC Championship Game. Offensively, he will do whatever it takes to win, and this season has been a lesson in playing to your strengths. Saquon Barkley fell into Moore’s lap, and the Eagles promptly ranked second in the NFL in rushing. And, of course, their 55 points were a record for the NFC Championship Game.
Now, the Kellen Moore head coaching wait is on. The New Orleans Saints job is the only one left in the NFL, but they may have found their man. The Saints reportedly started their in-person interview with the former Boise State great on Monday evening, and it went deep into the night and early morning. Moore is certainly peaking at the right time as an offensive coordinator.
ANOTHER OPENING IN THE WR ROOM
Cam Camper will not be a part of Boise State’s wide receivers room in 2025. Camper became eligible for an extra season through the NCAA’s one-year waiver for players who played in junior college, but he declared for the NFL Draft over the weekend. Whether or not that pans out, you can hardly blame him. A knee injury derailed most of Camper’s junior season at Indiana, and he didn’t want to risk that happening again. He was far-and-away the leading receiver among Broncos wideouts this past season with 58 catches for 903 yards and four touchdowns.
NO. 2 IS NO. 2, AND NO. 91 IS NO. 67
Ashton Jeanty is gone, but there’s always going to be chatter about him. The now-former Boise State star was ranked No. 2 on ESPN’s list of the top 100 players in college football this past season. You can guess who was No. 1 (Heisman déjà vu). ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti reaffirms what we all know: “In any other year, he would have been the Heisman winner.” But how about this? Boise State’s Ahmed Hassanein made the list at No. 67. “Though Jeanty gathered plenty of the shine for the Broncos this season, what Hassanein did on the defensive side of the ball should not go unnoticed,” writes Uggetti. “The senior built upon his breakout junior season and was a force to be reckoned with.” Suffice to say we’ll be watching more than Day 1 of the NFL Draft in less than two months. Hassanein is gonna go.
ANOTHER WORLDLY COMMIT
On the Boise State recruiting trail, there have been a number of commits that got buried by the Fiesta Bowl news cycle. But we can get back on it again—and Monday the Broncos got a verbal from defensive tackle Bethel Imasuen from Acalanes High in Lafayette, CA (in the Bay Area). Imasuen is 6-4, 275 pounds, but the best part of his bio is that he’s only played one season of high school football, as he’s an exchange student from England. These are pretty good numbers for a raw talent: 77 tackles, six sacks, 12 quarterback hurries and three blocked kicks. Sports Illustrated notes that Imasuen is the fifth international member of Boise State’s 2025 recruiting class, joining edge rusher Bol Bol (Canada), defensive back Arthur de Boachie (England), kicker/punter Roland Podesta (Australia) and offensive lineman Daniil Starykh (Germany).
NOT TOTALLY DISMISSING SAC STATE…
Now, I’m among those not excited about Sacramento State in the Pac-12, despite the massive amount of money the Hornets say they’re putting into athletics. You’ve gotta pay dues first, and besides that, Sac State is just not a primary focus in that market, overshadowed by the Sacramento Kings—and to a lesser extent, all the Bay Area franchises. But Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News points out that early football recruiting rankings for 2026 have the Hornets ranked No. 37 by 247 Sports. That’s not just FCS. That will change a lot in the coming months, but still—it shows how serious the Hornets are about their football program under Brennon Marion, formerly of UNLV. They’ve beaten some Big Ten and SEC schools for recruits, believe it or not. Sac State’s acting like an FBS school.
SHOLLIE’S STEELIES FINALE
After mentoring Idaho Steelheads goaltenders Bryan Thomson and Ben Kraws and seeing spot duty between the pipes, Tomas Sholl is moving on with life. Coach Everett Sheen gave Sholl one final start last Saturday night, and he responded with 45 saves before Tulsa won 5-4 in overtime. Sholl’s next career awaits in the Meridian Fire Department. That’s the remarkable thing about the Steelheads organization and Boise and the Treasure Valley—the guys who come from all over the U.S. and Canada and elect to settle down here. Sholl finished his Idaho career with a 66-21-8 record. The 66 wins are second most in the Steelheads’ ECHL era, while his 12 shutouts are the franchise record. Up next: the Steelies have an unusual Friday-Saturday-Monday series coming up on the road against the Utah Grizzlies.
CANYON COUNTY CRUISING
After a couple of wild wins over upset-minded Oregon Tech and Southern Oregon last weekend, College of Idaho stays over yonder with games at Bushnell and Corban Friday and Saturday. The Coyotes edged Tech 82-76 and topped SOU 71-67. The Yotes, now 18-2 overall and 13-1 in the Cascade Conference, know how to win—and that cannot be discounted. Meanwhile, Northwest Nazarene remains in contention in the GNAC, where the Nighthawks are 7-2 in conference and 14-3 overall. NNU is looking for a bounce-back after letting a 15-point lead get away in a 58-54 loss at Saint Martin’s. The Nighthawks are on the road again at Central Washington Saturday night.
This Day In Sports…brought to you by VETERANS PLUMBING…we care about your water!
January 29, 1995, 30 years ago today: San Francisco becomes the first NFL franchise to win five Super Bowls, beating the San Diego Chargers 49-26 in Miami. 49ers quarterback Steve Young, getting out from under the long shadow of Joe Montana, tied a Super Bowl record with six touchdown passes, three of them to Jerry Rice. Running back Ricky Watters caught two more of Young’s TD throws and added a rushing touchdown in the Niners’ romp. San Francisco’s coach was George Seifert, and it was actually his second Super Bowl title after replacing Bill Walsh in 1989.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
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