BSU Men’s basketball starts new season

NIK BJURSTROM/THE ARBITER. Boise State junior guard La'Shard Anderson goes up for a bucket during Boise State's 111-72 dominating win Tuesday night against Willamette University.

The Boise State men’s basketball team was in action Tuesday night. The Broncos hosted the Bearcats of Willamette University . The game was the first of two exhibition games for the Broncos before the beginning of the regular season when they face Loyola Marymount on Nov. 13.

For both teams, the rust of the off-season showed. The Bearcats, a Division III school, forced the Broncos into some awkward situations.

In the first half, the Bearcats started strong against BSU, forcing turnovers and hitting shots to keep the score close much of the first half. On the offensive side, the Broncos had trouble finishing on close shots. In the second half, it was all BSU. The Broncos bench spent most of the time on the floor. The Broncos coasted to a 111 – 72 victory. La’Shard Anderson and Robert Arnold led the Broncos with 14 points each. Making his BSU debut was Daequon Montreal who also added 13 points for the Broncos.

For the upcoming season, Head Coach Greg Graham has high expectations for his team this season.

“We want to play in the post season,”  Graham said. “The easiest way to play in the post season is win the league. So I guess those two things go hand in hand.”

Winning the Western Athletic Conference won’t be easy for BSU. Graham believes the WAC is a better conference this season and wins won’t come easy. Graham talked about how there are a couple of players on each team’s roster in the WAC who he thinks will eventually be playing basketball professionally somewhere.

“The (WAC) this year is going to be the best it’s been since I’ve been here,” Graham said. ”I think we’ve got a lot players and guys who want to prove something.”

Last year, the Broncos finished 10-6 in conference play. For fans and students alike, the Feb. 16 game against Idaho will be circled on the calendar. For Coach Graham and the Broncos, it goes a little bit further.

“For us, you need to circle all of them,” Graham said. “Our preseason is so important for us to get to the tournament. We need to get the preseason wins as well as the conference wins.”

This season, Graham and his staff see a lot of potential for this team.

“I think this is going to be a very good team,” Graham said. “We’ve got the potential to be as good as any team we’ve had since I’ve been here.”

The Broncos have a deeper bench then they’ve had in years.

“We’ve got ten upperclassmen that can play and contribute,” Graham said. “Then we have a couple freshmen that will fill in where needed.”

The Broncos this season have multiple weapons to supplement the play of veterans Paul Noonan, Anthony Thomas and Kirk Cunningham.

The Broncos next exhibition game is Saturday, Nov. 7, against Concordia, Ore. starting at 7 p.m. at Taco Bell Arena

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