-
1 of 10
-
2 of 10
-
3 of 10
-
4 of 10
-
5 of 10
-
6 of 10
-
7 of 10
-
8 of 10
-
9 of 10
-
10 of 10
Hawkins and Graham–a winning duo
Archive
Comments
Story
ARBITER FILE PHOTOS size=”2″> BY STANLEY BREWSTER
Two particular coaches have taken two high-profile programs at
Boise State to new heights, that Bronco fans may be fortunate
enough to see for a long time to come.
The bar has been raised and the levels are set, now it’s time for
fans to sit back and watch the mastery at work.
Sure it sounds wonderful, but that could be the reality here at
Boise State thanks to two gentlemen that have taken their teams to
heights that this university has not been accustomed to.
Head football coach, Dan Hawkins, and head men’s basketball coach,
Greg Graham, have brought in one style that has fit in perfectly
into their winning seasons—high octane offense.
And thanks to a lengthy contract extension for Graham, and a
positive response from Hawkins to stay here, there is reason for
fans to get excited about a long tradition of winning.
“I’ve told people that I could be here for 20 years and I could be
happy with that,” Hawkins said.
Simmering on the minds of the masses for the football team is how
they will rebound after losing Ryan Dinwiddie, Tim Gilligan and
David Mikell. Let the worry subside until the season starts because
that is the norm when it comes to this team. Year in and year out
this team overcomes some sort of adversity to become the premier
team in the Western Athletic Conference. Since joining the WAC in
2001, the Broncos have gone from averaging 34 points per game to
nearly 45 in 2002 and 43 last season. All of this while speculation
surrounded whether or not the team could even come close to the
season before.
This credit is mainly due to the leadership of Dan Hawkins. Since
taking over the reins as head coach, the team has seen nothing but
winning, and the hopes is that continues.
“The record is awesome, but that’s not what we are concerned with.
I have an awesome staff and I have to give credit to them,” Hawkins
said.
“We hope Hawkins will stay around here for a long time,” BSU
Athletic Director Gene Bleymeyer said.
That concern of whether or not Greg Graham will stick around was
taken care of in April. Bleymeyer and the rest of the top officials
at BSU realized early on the caliber of coach they have in Graham.
In only his second season, he signed a five-year contract extension
worth nearly $1.3 million.
“We wanted to reward Greg for the tremendous job he has done here
in the two short years,” Bleymeyer said.
Graham took a very successful system at the University of Oregon,
and incorporated it to the Broncos. In 2001, the team averaged just
over 62 point per game. Then in his first year in 2002, the team
averaged just over 65 and that skyrocketed this year when the team
averaged an outstanding 73.7 points per game. And don’t think just
for a minute that the team is going to let down next year.
“You’ll see a much quicker team and that can score much easier,”
Graham said. “We will shoot the ball and be more skilled.”
Graham has already signed three players to the arsenal for next
season. Two junior college All-Americans and another JUCO transfer
will join returning starters Jason Ellis, Jermaine Blackburn and
Coby Karl. Kareem Lloyd comes to the Broncos from Brooklyn, via New
Mexico Junior College, where he averaged 13.4 points and 10.3
rebounds per game. Tez Banks singed with the Broncos in the fall,
where he averaged 9.8 points and 6.8 boards per game. The two of
them will help ease the inside banging on Ellis, and will give the
Broncos an inside presence to go with their outside shooting.
That’s where their third new Bronco will come in handy. Antonio
Fitzgerald averaged 21.3 points per game last season at Kilgore
College. He will join an already stacked backcourt with Karl,
Blackburn, point guard Eric Lane, and sharp shooting senior Franco
Harris.
As Graham and his staff continue to fit the pieces of the puzzle
together with the remaining four scholarships they have remaining,
Hawkins is looking to bring in the largest recruiting class in
school history. 27 new players will strap on pads for the Broncos
this fall.
There is reason to celebrate this athletic program, in part because
of these two coaches. The athletic department stepped up and showed
the same commitment to them, as the coaches do to their teams, and
Boise State as a whole.
“I love this place. It’s a great place to live, and a great place
to coach and I’m really looking forward to getting this thing
geared up and amped up for next year,” Hawkins professed.
So are we coach, so are we.
Trevor Horn
Sports Reporter
