A Way-Too-Early Look At The Boise State Broncos
Seniors back or not, this Boise State team will be stacked come fall.
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Derrick Alston Jr. headlines a talented Bronco Roster in 2020-2021.
Players have already accepted reality and have begun taking the next step in their careers as of Friday. For some that is beginning NBA draft preparations a little earlier than expected, for others it is finishing their remaining course loads online to better gear up for next semester. Though the last group of players it is looking for their next opportunity and entering the transfer portal.
After sporting leagues around the globe either canceled or postponed their seasons in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA followed suit by outright canceling scheduled spring sports but rewarding seniors another year of eligibility to return and compete next season. This was a swift and just decision in a time of uncertainty for a lot of student athletes, but there was still a group left in with uncertainty.
Winter sport athletes have currently been left with hope, given a ruling from the NCAA that would grant them any sort of extra eligibility given their abrupt cancellation of the big dance. So in the spirit of pure fun we will take a look at Mountain West team’s rosters for next season. Taking a look at both scenarios, just in case the NCAA surprises us.
2020-2021 Roster: In the event seniors are granted further eligibility
G Justinian Jessup GR 6-7 202 Longmont, CO-Longmont HS
F RJ Williams GR 6-7 215 Los Angeles, CA Price HS/East L.A. College
G Marcus Dickinson GR 6-1 183 Norman, OK-North Norman HS
G Alex Hobbs GR 6-4 188 La Porte, TX-La Porte HS
C Robin Jorch GR 6-11 245 Berlin, Germ.-International Berlin Basketball Acad.
G Derrick Alston Jr. R-Sr. 6-9 188 Houston, TX-Strake Jesuit HS
G/F Abu Kigab Sr. 6-6 211 St. Catharines, ON-Prolific Prep
G Marcus Shaver Jr. R-Jr. 6-1 185 Phoenix, AZ-Shadow Mountain HS
G Emmanuel Akot R-Jr. 6-8 203 Winnipeg, MB-Wasatch Academy (UT)
G Chase Berry R-Jr. 6-6 220 Lehi, UT-Skyridge HS/Utah State Eastern
F Mladen Armus R-Jr. 6-10 230 Belgrade, Serbia-SW Christian Academy
F Naje Smith Jr. 6-7 200 Spokane, WA-Lewis & Clark HS/Cochise College (AZ)
G Devonaire Doutrive R-So. 6-5 185 Dallas, TX-Birmingham HS (CA)/Arizona
F Riley Abercrombie R-So. 6-9 210 Wollongong, Australia-Clear Lake HS (TX)
G Max Rice R-So. 6-5 189 Boise, ID-Bishop Kelly HS
G RayJ Dennis So. 6-2 177 Oswego, IL-Oswego East HS
G Kasean Pryor Fr. 6-9 179 Branson, MO-Link Year Prep
C Burke Smith Fr. 6-11 215 Glen Allen, VA-Trinity Episcopal School
| Point Guard | Shooting Guard | Small Forward | Power Forward | Center |
| Marcus Shaver R-Jr. | Derrick Alston Jr. R-Sr. | Justinian Jessup GR | RJ Williams GR | Mladen Armus R-Jr. |
| Rayj Dennis So. |
Alex Hobbs GR
|
Naje Smith Jr. | Emmanuel Akot R-Jr. | Robin Jorch GR |
| Marcus Derrickson GR | Devonaire Doutrive R-So.* | Chase Berry Sr. | Riley Abercrombie R-So. | Burke Smith GR |
| Max Rice R-So. | Donovan Ivory R-So. | Kasean Pryor Fr. |
Things of Note:
- This version of the roster has 18 players on it (two walk-ons)
- Who knows what kind of rules or regulations would come with this decision but I could imagine every player new to the roster redshirting because of a lack of minutes to go around.
I couldn’t imagine everyone returning from this year’s squad if they are afforded the opportunity to do so. Just looking at that depth chart above the Bronco’s have a second string of players that would be competitive with most teams in the Mountain West and maybe win championships in some smaller conference’s around the country.
If they were awarded extra eligibility I could imagine we would see several transfers out of the program as there is just not enough playing time to go around. Also throw in some redshirt years from some guys who would only benefit from playing around RJ Williams or Justinian Jessup for another year in practice. If no one left, this would be a tournament team no question, with the only question being how many other Mountain West teams would join them.
But in the event that the NCAA rules against awarding additional eligibility for winter sport athletes, which still seems like a possibility given how long it has taken to hear any news regarding the matter. Here is a list followed by a depth chart of the Boise State roster given their current recruiting class and who we know has entered the transfer portal.
Next: Roster and Depth Chart
This might be the actual reality for rosters come next season.
Roster and Depth Chart
G Derrick Alston Jr. R-Sr. 6-9 188 Houston, TX-Strake Jesuit HS
G/F Abu Kigab Sr. 6-6 211 St. Catharines, ON-Prolific Prep
G Marcus Shaver Jr. R-Jr. 6-1 185 Phoenix, AZ-Shadow Mountain HS
G Emmanuel Akot R-Jr. 6-8 203 Winnipeg, MB-Wasatch Academy (UT)
G Chase Berry R-Jr. 6-6 220 Lehi, UT-Skyridge HS/Utah State Eastern
F Mladen Armus R-Jr. 6-10 230 Belgrade, Serbia-SW Christian Academy
F Naje Smith Jr. 6-7 200 Spokane, WA-Lewis & Clark HS/Cochise College (AZ)
G Devonaire Doutrive R-So. 6-5 185 Dallas, TX-Birmingham HS (CA)/Arizona
F Riley Abercrombie R-So. 6-9 210 Wollongong, Australia-Clear Lake HS (TX)
G Max Rice R-So. 6-5 189 Boise, ID-Bishop Kelly HS
G RayJ Dennis So. 6-2 177 Oswego, IL-Oswego East HS
G Kasean Pryor Fr. 6-9 179 Branson, MO-Link Year Prep
C Burke Smith Fr. 6-11 215 Glen Allen, VA-Trinity Episcopal School
| Point Guard | Shooting Guard | Small Forward | Power Forward | Center |
| Marcus Shaver R-Jr. | Derrick Alston Jr. R-Sr. | Abu Kigab Sr. | Emmanuel Akot R-Jr. | Mladen Armus R-Jr. |
| RayJ Dennis So. | Devonaire Doutrive R-So.* | Naje Smith Jr. | Riley Abercrombie R-So. | Burke Smith Fr. |
| Kasean Pryor Fr. | Chase Berry Sr. | |||
| Max Rice R-So. | Donovan Ivory R-So. |
*Eligible at semester break
2021 stat projections by Bart Torvik.com
Things of Note:
- There are two walk-ons listed above, so there are two open scholarships that could be awarded in the coming days.
- Devonaire Doutrive will be eligible at semester break after transferring in from Arizona.
Boise State was slated to be one of the more stacked teams in the Mountain West next season with a combination of transfers who sat out last season and returning impact players like Derrick Alston Jr. and Abu Kigab.
It’s hard to replace what guys like RJ Williams did on the post of what Justinian Jessup did on the perimeter but Boise State should be fine. An interesting part of the roster should be the Bronco’s depth at point guard with the arrival of transfer Marcus Shaver Jr. who arrived in Boise from Portland in the WCC and soon to be sophomore RayJ Dennis who showed some real promise late in the season as he began to take minutes away from veteran Marcus Derrickson.
Either way this team should be a bit deeper at every position on the floor and should expect another top-5 finish in the conference given no one else decides to transfer out.
In conclusion,
It’s hard to imagine a ruling in favor of extra eligibility for a sport that was let’s say 85% done? I get it, it isn’t college basketball without March Madness but to award a whole extra year of eligibility for players is hard to imagine logistically. Unlike those spring sports athletes who had their season canceled before it even got started, winter sports got to play almost an entire season before theirs was canceled.
For some teams, especially in the Mountain West, their seasons were over. We had our champion. So for everyone else, their season was actually over, barring a postseason invitation to maybe the NIT, CBI or CIT.
Don’t get me wrong I am all in favor of awarding an extra year of eligibility to guys who just didn’t get the closure they deserved. No matter how heartbreaking it may be on a court surrounded by tens of thousands of fans or watched by millions at home. It is tough that hundreds of players didn’t get to experience that.
But there is also a group of players that maybe just wouldn’t return. Some would graduate and move on while others would pursue a professional opportunity. That is their decision and I can’t wait to hear some official news so we can let them do that.
