Gone are four starters, including All-Mountain West first-teamer James Webb III, from last season’s 20-victory team.
But if Boise State basketball coach Leon Rice has proven anything, it’s he can churn out 20-win seasons, and maybe that’s why the conference media forecast a fifth-place finish for the Broncos even with all the personnel losses.
The Broncos went 20-12 last season (11-7 in the Mountain West) for their fifth 20-win season in Rice’s six years. He is the first Boise State coach to pull that off since the program went to Division I in 1970.
Now he has to merge the one returning starter, 6-foot-8-inch senior forward Nick Duncan, with four other lettermen who are back, three players who redshirted and five newcomers.