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Bronco Men’s Basketball Preview
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The 2006-07 men’s basketball season officially kicked off Oct. 11 as the Western Athletic Conference held its annual media day. The conference was held in Salt Lake City, Utah this year. Head Coach Greg Graham and seniors Kobe Karl and Eric Lane represented BSU at the event. The conference was the first opportunity to size up the Broncos next to the rest of the WAC.
This season Graham is returning the most experience of his five years at Boise State. The Broncos return five players that started more than five games for the team last year. In the preseason conference coaches and media polls, Boise State was voted number six out of nine. Despite the expected depth for the newest Broncos, the WAC as a whole may turn out to be the best group of teams the conference has ever seen.
“I think overall the WAC is the best in the five years I’ve been here,” Graham said. “Our preseason schedule is very challenging. Probably the best top-to-bottom schedule Boise State’s ever had in basketball.”
Included in the preseason schedule are games at Wyoming, Washington State, Colorado State and Montana. The Broncos will also host BYU, Sacramento State and a second meeting with Colorado State. If coach Graham can get his team through the first two months of the season with some success, the sixth place ranking may not last for long.
“Obviously that’s the best rankings since I’ve been here,” Senior point guard Eric Lane said. “We’re obviously moving up, but those things are right half the time. It’s good to know where they see you standing, but it’s also good to prove people wrong. Show them who you are.”
Lane is part of the senior class that will anchor the Boise State backcourt this season. Alongside preseason All-American candidate Coby Karl, the two provide the most experience on the team and will be called upon as leaders by Graham. Last season, Lane was second on the team in scoring (11.4 ppg) and averaged 3.1 assists per game.
Karl used his junior season to assert himself as a premier player in the conference and in the country. Karl boosted his scoring average to 17.2 ppg last year. He also led the team in assists with four per game to go along with his 5.1 rebounds per game. With the final season on the brink for Karl and Lane, both hope to make their senior year their most memorable.
“I want a championship,” Karl said. “There’s no doubt about it. Individual accolades don’t mean anything to a guy in a team sport. If you get a championship ring and share it with your team, it’s more special than anything.”
Karl and Lane will be supported by a battle-tested group of guards and a new group of big men.
Junior Matt Bauscher started 20 of 29 games as the third perimeter player last season.
Bauscher was third on the team in scoring (8.5 ppg) and also provided a hard-nose effort on both ends of the floor.
Coach Graham is also expecting big things from his post play this year. The Broncos do return two experienced forwards with Seth Robinson (6-6, 209) and Tyler Tiedeman (6-7, 210. Tiedeman actually spent most of last season sharing minutes with Bauscher on the wing, but is capable of posting up and using his size.
The most anticipated new comer may be transfer Matt Nelson. Nelson was the Big Sky Freshman of the Year at Eastern Washington University. Nelson spent last season as a redshirt due to NCAA transfer rules.
Rounding out the talented group of big men is Reggie Larry (6-6, 225), a very athletic junior college transfer from the College of Southern Idaho. Larry led the Golden Eagles in rebounding and was second in scoring in route to the team qualifying for the NJCAA national tournament.
“This is the first time since three years ago, or two years ago, that we’ve had some veterans back and some guys that have been in the program for a while,” Graham said. “The key for us is our maturity. Last year we were in almost every game. Hopefully our maturity will take care of some of the unforced turnovers and mistakes that cost in those games.”
The Broncos open the 2006-07 season on Nov. 2 at home with an exhibition game against Western Oregon.
The Broncos first preseason game is at Wyoming on Nov. 11.
Jake Garcin