John Patrick-Idaho Sports Talk Producer @JPktik

To borrow a phrase from the late NFL coach Dennis Green; “They are who we thought they were.” He was talking about the Chicago Bears. I’m talking about the Boise State men’s basketball team.

I thought the Broncos would be going through a rebuilding year. However, they started the season with four straight conference wins. The past four games are a different story. The team is young with only two seniors. They are going to make mistakes, but when they do, they pile up at some of the most inopportune times.

There are plenty of things to like. Chandler Hutchison has taken on the leadership/scoring role. He has made tremendous strides from his sophomore to junior seasons. Paris Austin is a solid point guard. Freshman Justinian Jessup is showing a lot of potential.

I like the play of James Reid, the senior graduate transfer from Arkansas-Little Rock. He’s not afraid to shoot. It’s too bad Boise State will only have him for one season.
Nick Duncan has always been the same type of player. He’s consistently streaky. Hot one game, and cold the next. Against Nevada he seemed hesitant to shoot. His confidence was lacking. That would explain shooting 2-9 from 3-point range.

It did not surprise me that Nevada came away with a 19 point victory on Wednesday night. It has been part of Boise State’s DNA plenty of times over recent years. They tease fans like they might be something great, then play a poor game in front of the biggest crowd at Taco Bell Arena. Granted, the bigger crowds come to see the better teams.

This year the Broncos deserve a free pass because of their youth. The potential is there, but in the end, I need to remember who they are, and the expectations I had at the beginning of the season.