Winter means that basketball season is in full swing. It’s that special time of year when the Extra Mile Arena is filled with students decked out in blue and orange, yelling their favorite chants and waving blue balloons to distract the opposing team. In the fighting Bronco spirit, here are 5 ½ things about basketball at Boise State that you may not know.
1) Electric home games
What better way to spend a cold winter evening than to go support your Broncos at the Extra Mile Arena? You can feel the energy and excitement in the stadium. There are 13 men’s and 10 women’s home games left in the season, so mark your calendar! You won’t want to miss out on the action. Games are free for students – just bring your student ID. Go early, be loud and stay late.
2) “Bronco License to Success”
Each player, coach and staff member have a wallet-sized card that lists the qualities that the basketball program values. The athletic media relations for Alex Semadeni says, “The most valued quality is being ‘good.’ When the team faces adversity, we want the first response to be ‘good.’ When something is wrong and going bad, we want the team to look at each other and say ‘good.’”
3) 2023 season stats
Women’s:
Wins: 5
Losses: 1
Total points: 399
Points per game: 66.5
Total rebounds: 262
Total Turnovers: 104
Women’s basketball won the Mountain West Championship four seasons in a row (2017-2020), in addition to their win in 2015. Is another championship title in their future?
Men’s:
Wins: 13
Losses: 5
Total points: 2451
Points per game: 72.1
Total rebounds: 1215
Total Turnovers: 379
Last season, men’s basketball earned the 2022 Mountain West Tournament Champions title and went to the NCAA Tournament. Let’s see them keep up a winning streak!
4) A proud moment on the court
“Boise State has started 4-0 for the first time since the 2020-21 season. Trailing for a majority of the game, the Broncos were down by as much as seven points in the third quarter, but the team came back to make it 42-40 entering the final quarter. Natalie Pasco hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the final two minutes to seal the victory and go 3-0 on the season.” – Alex Semadeni
5) Players with potential
Women’s:
Mya Hansen is a force to be reckoned with on the court this season. Her first year, she scored 31 points against BYU —- the most points scored for the team in a single game last season! Even though Hansen was injured during the last season, she came back strong for the Mountain West Tournament against Utah State where she scored 20 points.
Men’s:
Be on the lookout for #11 — Chibuzo Agbo. The Texas Tech transfer has seen tremendous growth and confidence that will be of great benefit to the team this season. As a guard for the Broncos, he puts in the work to get stronger on and off the court. Agbo averaged around 17 points per game so far this season. In his junior year last season, he scored 12 points and grabbed 9 rebounds at the NCAA Mountain West Tournament against Northwestern.
5 ½) Perseverance at its finest
Student-athletes withstand daily pressure to excel in sports and studies. When life gives them an airball, perseverance and determination are necessary to keep their heads in the game. Walk-on Sam Winter is an inspiring example of this. Read how Sam Winter perseveres after a critical injury as he pursues college basketball.