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Basketball season starts tonight when the Mavericks for the University of Texas Arlington come to town. Tip-off is at 8:00pm MST.
Today, we highlight the starting lineup for the Broncos. I hope they all look familiar because they all return from last year. Boise State is the only NCAA Tournament team to return all five starters.
After the profiles, we take a look at the projected depth chart and ask you what you think of the upcoming year. Bonne Chance!
#3 | Anthony Drmic | Guard/Forward
Height: 6'6
Weight: 196lbs
Year: Junior
Hometown: Endeavor Hills, Australia
Last School: Australian Institute of Sport
Season outlook: The reigning MWC scoring champ will look to build off last season's success. He took the summer off from international competition to let his body heal up and prepare for the upcoming season. A pretty good all-around scorer, he's starting to turn some heads as a potential NBA prospect.
Nickname: Drmic-ologist
Childhood cartoon character: Jake from Rescuers Down Under. He's just so darn charming, isn't he?
Skip ahead to 3:15 for my favorite part...
#11 | Jeff Elorriaga | Guard
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 180lbs
Year: Senior
Hometown: Portland, Oregon
Last School: Jesuit High School
Season outlook: When Elorriaga went down for a couple of games last season with concussion-like symptoms, Boise State went through its worst stretch of basketball. The two are definitely linked. Elo is the glue and most important piece of the squad. He plays excellent 'D' and stretches the floor with his excellent outside shooting (MWC-leading 84 3-point fg made at 44.7%). Many people might say some other players are more important, like Derrick Marks. To them, I would counter with the first Wyoming game last year when Marks was suspended. The team played solid and unselfish all night in a very hostile environment and it was ultimately Elo who won the game for the Broncos (see below).
Nickname: Elo, not to be confused with Craig Ehlo.
Childhood cartoon character: Bart Simpson—Blonde brothers for life
#12 | Igor Hadziomerovic | Guard
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 202lbs
Year: Junior
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
Last School: Australian Institute of Sport
Season outlook: Iggy is kind of an enigma to me. When he is on the floor, he seems to be spectacularly unspectular (i.e. solid, but not amazing), yet Coach Rice still starts and plays him regularly. At times, Mikey Thompson played in front of Hadziomerovic and seemed like the more potent option. Of course, Thompson was a lot more likely to turn the ball over. A summer of international competition, however, has Hadziomerovic primed to impress us all. It has also been mentioned that he hasn't been particularly healthy since he has been Boise and I'm excited to see a fully-functional Aussie running the point pusher.
Nickname: Iggy Pop
Childhood cartoon character: The Tasmanian Devil. A couple of things: I'm not sure if calling someone a Tasmanian is offensive to an Aussie and there's only so many Australian cartoon cartoons.
#2 | Derrick Marks | Guard
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 206lbs
Year: Junior
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Last School: Plainfield Central High School
Season Outlook: From some chatter on the message boards, Marks looks ripped. That's good to hear. Not saying he was out of shape, but you could tell he needed some more time in the weight room if he wanted to fulfill his potential as a ballplayer. His tough, penetrating style of play also calls for a bit more muscle mass in order to protect the body and maintain control in the lane. Marks definitely has a killer instinct—just ask Creighton—and probably has the most upside of any Boise State basketball player since Chris Childs. I expect Marks to battle Drmic all season long for MWC MVP honors.
Nickname: Silk
Childhood cartoon character: Vince LaSalle - Eeeeekkkk. LaSalle? Too early?
#0 | Ryan Watkins | Forward
Height: 6'9"
Weight: 229lbs
Year: Senior
Hometown: Canyon Country, California
Last School: Reseda High School
Season Outlook: The man in the middle is pretty important for Boise State's success this year. Even though he is surrounded by four guard-types, Watkins is the main cog for rebounding, put-backs, and interior defense. He won't be a focal point for the offense and opposing defenses won't key on shutting him down. He's been mostly a vulture up to this point in his career and if he has gained strength and refined his post moves, the Boise State offense can get to another level.
Nickname: Swat-kins
Childhood cartoon character: Bender—Deceptively strong despite his arm girth
2013-2014 Projected Lineup
Your Turn
Are you excited for the season? Are you going to the game tonight? Who is going to surprise us this year? How far can this team go in March?