Friday and the world of WAC hoops

Kraig Williams says it's Goliath versus Cinderella.  

Shawn Harrison also checks in on the USU - SJSU get-together.

Based on an Adrian Oliver quote, Tony Jones has quite the headline.  

Jeff Hunter writes that it seems unanimous -- "Viva Las Vegas."

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Brandon Russell has posted photos from the Nevada - New Mexico State tiff. 

Sam Wasson has video of the matchup. 

Here's video of Gordo Castillo after the game. courtesy of the Las Cruces Sun-News. 

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Dayton Morinaga reports that even though Hawaii lost, the team is leaving LV in much, much better shape than Nicholas Cage. 

Ferd Lewis writes about UH and the CIT.

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Nick Jezierny explores Coach Leon Rice and his selections as assistant coaches.

Sunday's basketball WAC-iness

 Brian Murphy goes biographical on Leon Rice with a superlative piece in today's Idaho Statesman.

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 Shawn Harrison provides a story on Utah State's exhibition opener.

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From Spencer Farrin at Vandal athletics:

There were still some kinks and some hitches, but Idaho men’s basketball coach Don Verlin liked a lot of what he saw in his team’s exhibition opener against Northwest Christian, an 81-35 Vandal win.

“There were a lot of good things that came out of this game,” Verlin said. “I got to play all 12 guys and I got some guys out there that didn’t have any game experience, so I felt like this game was real important to us as far as finding out what guys can do.”

Not only did 12 Vandals enter the game, but every player scored, 10 of them registered at least one assist, and everyone played at least 11 minutes in the game.

Sophomore center Kyle Barone led all scorers with 15 points and 10 rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting, along with two blocks, while senior Jeff Ledbetter went 5-of-8 from the floor with four rebounds, one assist and one steal.

Juniors Landon Tatum and Deremy Geiger, both of whom are vying to replace the departed point guard spot, each dished five assists, while Tatum scored six and grabbed three steals, and Geiger scored five and had three rebounds.

Verlin said he also liked Idaho’s action on the boards and the way the Vandals shared the ball.

“I thought we did some really good things, especially rebounding the basketball, we passed the ball very well tonight – we had 24 assists on 34 baskets, that’s pretty good,” Verlin said. “That’s one thing you’re going to see with this team, they’re very unselfish.”

The Vandal men dominated down low against the undersized NCU front court, and Verlin said he hopes to see even more improvement from Idaho’s post players as the season goes on.

“That has to be our strength this year,” Verlin said of post play. “That’s where our returning veterans are at, that’s where our size is at, and I think that’s where the strength of our team has to be.”

Between Barone, juniors Luiz Toledo, Djim Bandoumel, Renado Parker and redshirt freshman Joe Kammerer, the Vandals scored 37 points on 17-of-29 (.586) shooting, along with 26 rebounds and three blocks. Idaho out-rebounded NCU by a 51-23 margin and held the Beacons to 14-of-51 (.275) shooting.

Idaho outscored Northwest Christian by a 52-12 margin in the paint, 22-4 off turnovers and 14-4 in second-chance points. The Vandals also ran the floor for 14 fast-break points, while allowing just one transition field goal.

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Wolf Pack athletics offers separate videos and Q-and-As with Deonte Burton and Derrell Connor.

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Brian McInnis offers a Q-and-A with redshirt Zane Johnson.

Leon Rice generating Boise State media interest

ESPN's Andy Katz says that Coach Leon Rice will work to parlay the Boise State football success and national media coverage into a few good hoops recruits. Katz also writes about the newly announced Georgetown - Utah State matchup. Go here.

Leon Rice speaks

The great thing about having a new coach is a number of media representatives who want to do interviews. Here is one with Dave Southern of the Idaho Press Review talking with Leon Rice.

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The Monday WAC report

Hey, if you're a Boise basketball fan in Milwaukee, Seattle, Tulsa, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Indianapolis, Dallas, Minneapolis, Orlando or Chicago, keep a watch for Leon Rice and/or his assistants to be tooling around your town during July. The key locations: airports and gymnasiums.

Nick Jezierny has the details -- go here.

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Tony Jones certainly deserves credit for feeding the WAC basketball appetite over this long weekend.

 Here is Tony's report -- quite the intriguing one in many ways -- on 6-foot-9 Gatete Djuma.

Here is an Aggieville blog entry on 6-foot-4 Jared Stutzman.

Here is Tony with an overall look at USU recruiting the next couple of seasons.

Stew Morrill is well on his way to having his next two recruiting classes pretty much set. Getting all these early commitments burnishes the Aggie basketball program as not only the big dog in the WAC -- these USU inroads are creating quite the positive buzz within the Beehive State.

Friday's WAC-aroni

Here's the report from the LA TECH athletics site on Magnum Rolle's drafting:

Rolle Drafted by Indiana Pacers
Forward becomes 11th LA Tech player ever selected in NBA Draft

Louisiana Tech forward Magnum Rolle was selected with the 51st overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers late Thursday night.

The Pacers and President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird moved up six slots in the second round to obtain the rights to the 51st pick which was originally owned by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"The Pacers bought up from their pick at 57 to 51 to get to Magnum," said Rolle's agent Fletcher Cockrell. "Larry Bird really wanted him, or they wouldn't have bought up. There were a lot of really good players that weren't drafted."

Rolle starred at Louisiana Tech the past two seasons where he helped lead the Bulldogs to a 24-11 mark this past year while earning numerous individual accolades. He averaged 13.9 points and 8.4 rebounds while leading the Western Athletic Conference with 2.1 blocks per game.

"I am extremely excited for Magnum, his family and the opportunity he has at the next level," said LA Tech head coach Kerry Rupp. "I know it is an opportunity he has worked extremely hard for and will continue to work hard towards. It is also the completion of the plan we put in place for him when he arrived at Louisiana Tech along with getting his degree."

Rolle earned his bachelor's degree in sociology in March.

The 6-foot-11-inch forward was named second team all-WAC while also earning a spot on the league's all-defensive team for the second consecutive season. He was also named to the Lefty Driesell All-American Defensive Team.

Rolle made 33 starts during the year for LA Tech, scoring in double figures 24 times while recording 11 double doubles. He pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds on three separate occasions and scored a career-high 29 points in a win over Houston.

The Freeport, Bahamas native is the first Bulldog to be selected in the NBA Draft since Paul Millsap was taken by the Utah Jazz with the 47th pick of the 2006 Draft.

Rolle also became the 11th Louisiana Tech player ever selected in the NBA Draft, joining Millsap, P.J. Brown (1992, New Jersey, 29th), Ron Ellis (1992, Phoenix, 49th), Randy White (1989, Dallas, 8th), Karl Malone (1985, Utah, 13th), Willie Simmons (1985, Sacramento, 76th), Victor King (1979, Los Angeles Lakers, 39th), Mike McConathy (1977, Chicago, 79th), Mike Green (1973, Seattle, 4th) and Jackie Moreland (1960, Detroit, 4th).

Rolle was one of four WAC players selected in the NBA Draft joining Fresno State's Paul George (10th overall, Indiana Pacers) and Nevada's Luke Babbitt (16th overall, Minnesota Timberwolves) and Armon Johnson (34th overall, Portland Trailblazers). Louisiana Tech Bulldogs All-Time in NBA Draft

Year Player Pos. Team Selection

2010 Magnum Rolle F Oklahoma City 51st

2006 Paul Millsap PF Utah 47th

1992 PJ Brown PF New Jersey 29th

1992 Ron Ellis PF Phoenix 49th

1989 Randy White PF Dallas 8th

1985 Karl Malone PF Utah 13th

1985 Willie Simmons C Sacramento 76th

1979 Victor King PF LA Lakers 39th

1977 Mike McConathy SG Chicago 79th

1973 Mike Green C/F Seattle 4th

1960 Jackie Moreland F Detroit 4th

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Daniel Lyght reports on Paul George's drafting by Indiana.

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Here's Dan Hinxman on what Luke Babbitt and Armon Johnson are walking into with the Trailblazers.

Chris Murray offers up a bunch of links on last night's draft -- go here and here (loved the headline) and here.

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Leon "The Whirlwind" Rice is captured by Nick Jezierny.

Leon Rice lands another recruit

A prep school forward goes Bronco:

Boise State basketball signs another recruit for 2010 class
Brian Murphy
Idaho Statesman
4/20/10

Boise State’s new-look 2010 basketball recruiting class is coming together quickly.

New Hampton (N.H.) Prep School small forward Thomas Bropleh, a 6-foot-5, 220-pounder, signed a letter of intent to join the Broncos this fall...

Go here for the remainder.

Nick Jezierny reports on Leon Rice's first commit

One Texas junior college backcourter departs (before he arrives) the other day and another one moves right in at Boise State.

"...The new Boise State men's basketball coach received an oral commitment from Tre' Nichols, a point guard at McClennan Community College in Texas..."

Go here for the scoop from Nick Jezierny who will flesh out his post tomorrow.

More on the Leon Rice hire

Nick Jezierny is all over the hiring of Leon Rice at Boise State:

Boise State hires Gonzaga's top assistant as new basketball coach
Leon Rice replaces Greg Graham and will become the school's seventh men's basketball coach.
Nick Jezierny
Idaho Statesman
3/26/10

In coaching circles, Leon Rice is known as a top recruiter who has helped build Gonzaga University into a national power in the college basketball world.

The Bulldogs' associate head coach now has a new moniker: head coach at Boise State.

Rice, a 1986 graduate of Washington State, has been an assistant at Gonzaga for 11 seasons under head coach Mark Few...

Go here for the remainder.

Nick also has an update Greg Graham's November signees.

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Boise has a new basketball coach

It's too bad someone with the surname wheat wasn't in contention for the BSU opening because 'Rice tops Wheat' would have been a small 'c' classic.

ESPN's Andy Katz, quoting multiple unnamed sources, writes that Gonzaga's Leon Rice has been hired to run the mens basketball program at Boise State.

KTVB reports the same -- KIVI reports ditto.

The Gonzaga fan site The Slipper Still Fits has more here.

From the official Zag site comes this Rice bio.

What's up with the Boise job?

Regarding the search for a new basketball coach, is there some sort of 'net 'godfather' program in play up in Boise that isolates content featuring rumors/news and prevents it from being presented? Is AD Gene Bleymaier is using a body double to curtail the tracking of his moves?

With the Hawaii coaching position, news and rumors were rampant. That's not so regarding Greg Graham's replacement unless there's a gold mine of items we are overlooking.

Why the relative absence of coverage? If Chris Petersen had departed, for whatever reasons, the entire state of Idaho -- minus Moscow, of course -- would be on red alert looking for/offering crumbs of speculation about his replacement. We know at least one media outlet would have someone stationed at the Wide Stance bathroom in the Boise Airport pinning down what the users know and when did they know it.

So PTW will settle for what Jeff Goodman/FOX is offering:

"Boise State’s leader in the clubhouse, at this point, appears to be former Montana and NBA coach Larry Krystkowiak – but Gonzaga assistant Leon Rice is also in the mix."

Krystkowiak certainly has some cachet considering his alliances as an NBA player and coach -- his hiring would generate major publicity for the Broncos. Here is his Wikipedia entry.

Leon Rice is past due for a head coaching spot. Here's his Gonzaga bio.