BOISE, Idaho — Wednesday Weekly: April 19, 2023.
The NFL Draft is eight days away. If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years pertaining to Boise State: you have to be ready for anything. Like Ian Johnson and Kellen Moore going undrafted, and Jay Ajayi dropping like a rock—then Ezra Cleveland sneaking into the second round three years ago. Mock drafts that include all seven rounds are filtering out now, with all their ups and downs. Dane Brugler of The Athletic is rather painstaking about it. You have to scroll all the way down to the early fifth round to find JL Skinner going to the Indianapolis Colts. But later in the fifth, Brugler has Scott Matlock being picked by the Arizona Cardinals, and you’ll see John Ojukwu going in the sixth round to the Detroit Lions. Again, Skinner is the only sure thing among former Broncos. But Matlock and Ojukwu are more than bubbling under.
PORTAL DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN
Although some players around the country got a head start by announcing their moves, it was last Saturday that the spring transfer portal window opened for college football. It closes on April 30. There’s been nothing yet out of Boise State, but you can expect there will be after internal depth charts were penciled out following spring ball. The Broncos’ most recent entry was running back Elelyon Noa, the younger brother of Zeke Noa. He went in at the start of spring football—it was clear that Noa was stuck behind George Holani and Ashton Jeanty on the depth chart. According to Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic, more than 1,650 players have entered the portal since August 1 of last year. Seventy percent of them have found new schools, and five percent have withdrawn. There are still 450 looking for new homes.
SUDDENLY, A FULL BOISE STATE BENCH
Last weekend started with a Boise State basketball commitment from O’Mar Stanley, a 6-8 forward from St. John’s who—by his own admission—could be a clone of Naje Smith. Stanley is a clever, long, high-energy scorer and defender who averaged 4.5 points in 31 games last season, coming on late for the Johnnies. Stanley also shot better than 45 percent from three-point land. His best game of the season was a 15-point, eight-rebound outing on March 4 against Big East champion Marquette. Looks like the Broncos have hit a trifecta in the transfer portal.
I’m thinking Boise State coach Leon Rice might want to have lunch soon with College of Idaho’s Colby Blaine. After dealing with a lack of depth this past season, Rice now appears to have an abundance of it with the three highly-touted incoming freshmen and three key signings out of the portal. Blaine, of course, parlayed his depth into an NAIA national championship. No Coyote came close to playing 30 minutes per game during the 36-1 run—there were nine Yotes who averaged between 14 and 25 minutes. Rice will be managing minutes next season. There’s still Jace Whiting and the often-forgotten R.J. Keene on the bench. And there’s always the chance Kobe Young could still develop. On paper right now, there are at lease 10 guys who could rotate.
FOR EVERY TEAM, THE SLATE IS CLEAN
It’s time for the Kelly Cup Playoffs, and the Idaho Steelheads drop the puck tonight a little after 7:00 against the Utah Grizzlies in Idaho Central Arena. The Steelheads are favored to win it all, and they do have the talent and the coaching to get it done, with two first-team All-ECHL selections, the top five plus-minus performers in the league, and coach Everett Sheen, who yesterday won the Brophy Award as the ECHL Coach of the Year. We’ll call it the Brophy Trophy. The last Steelheads coach to win the award was Derek Laxdal in 2009-10, the last time the team made it to the Kelly Cup Finals.
One thing about the start of the playoffs: everybody is 0-0. It doesn’t matter that the Steelheads won an ECHL-record 58 games and logged a record 117 points this season. The postseason is a blank canvas, and the Steelheads know they have to re-prove themselves as their first-round series opens. Just taking the ice for the postseason is a big deal for these Steelies, though. Rewind to 2020. They would have made the playoffs, but the season was scrapped the second week of March when COVID hit. And because of the pandemic, the Steelheads opted out of the ECHL season two years ago. Then last season: a tremendous disappointment, as the Idaho missed the playoffs during an active season for the first time in its history. So it’s not like the Steelheads won’t be hungry tonight.
BATES NEAR THE TOP OF THE BOARD IN BOSTON
In the past when we’ve tracked local ties in the Boston Marathon, well, let’s say the top finishers have been way down there. Not so Monday with Emma Bates. The Boise State Athletic Hall of Famer was the top American woman in the famed race by almost 2½ minutes, coming in fifth overall (best result ever by a Broncos alum) with a personal-best time of two hours, 22 minutes and 10 seconds. Bates was in the lead with just under five miles to go before dropping back. She has now secured a qualifying time for the 2024 Olympics. Bates was inducted into the Boise State Hall last November. She was the 2014 national outdoor champion in the 10,000-meters and earned 12 All-America awards during her Broncos career. Bates was twice named Mountain West Female Athlete of the Year.
BOISE STATE’S NCAA TOE-STUBBING
It’s been a while since Boise State was in NCAA hot water, but the men’s tennis program was slapped with sanctions Tuesday. The infractions happened under former coach Kristian Widen’s watch and center around recruiting violations, and the school acknowledged them. The key one: a former Broncos assistant coach recruited three athletes who weren’t in the transfer portal, and one of them transferred to Boise State, making him retroactively ineligible. Penalties include a $5,000 fine, two years probation, and reductions in paid recruit visits in the 2023-24 recruiting cycle. It's too bad for current coach Luke Shields. The Boise State Athletic Hall of Famer is already turning things around for the Broncos. Shields overcame adversity when he was one of the best players in school history—now he faces a little bit of it as a coach.
TROY MERRITT’S CHIN IS UP
Troy Merritt meets challenges head-on. The former Boise State star is in one of the most difficult stretches of his career. But despite missing the weekend again last Friday at the RBC Heritage, Merritt was able to celebrate a career milestone, and he did it this way on Twitter: “I’ve always considered 9 to be my lucky number. I didn’t want to hit 9 consecutive missed cuts this week, but not being able to close out rounds hurt. Really cool to have my 300th PGA Tour start at the RBC Heritage! Looking forward to the Zurich Classic with @therealstrebber.” He’s referring to playing partner Robert Streb. They tee off tomorrow in New Orleans in the Zurich Classic’s team format.
BRONCOS GYMNASTICS VAULTS AHEAD
The forever goal of the Boise State women’s gymnastics team has been to make the NCAA Championships as a team. It hasn’t happened yet, but the Broncos got some nice consolation prizes late last week courtesy of individual qualifiers Emily Lopez and Courtney Blackson. First, Lopez logged the highest bars score of any Bronco at nationals when she posted a 9.90, finishing sixth in her event. Then Blackson became the first Boise State gymnast ever to make the podium when she was national runnerup on vault, scoring a 9.925. Both athletes recorded perfect 10s during the regular season. Lopez and Blackson were the only individual qualifiers at nationals who weren’t from a power conference.
A LOCAL TOUCHPOINT IN MOSCOW
From the Capital High coaching staff to Jason Eck’s crew at the University of Idaho. That’s Bobby Jay’s journey. Jay has been hired as safeties coach with the Vandals after nine seasons in various roles at the University of San Diego, the last year as defensive coordinator. Jay began his coaching career as an assistant under Todd Simis at Capital in 2006-07. Jay is presumably jumping right into spring football in Moscow, a place brimming with optimism after the breakthough 7-5 season last fall. For all the accolades heaped on the offense and quarterback Gevani McCoy, it was the defense that made just as much progress. The secondary in particular was good, and that’s what Jay walks into. The Vandals allowed 256 yards per game passing in 2021—that dropped all the way to 190 per game last season.
HAVE YOU SEEN FRANK SOLICH AROUND TOWN?
There’s a retired gentleman living in Eagle, enjoying time with his grandchildren. His name is Frank Solich, who finished his career as the winningest coach in MAC history at Ohio University in 2021. Solich also represented a turning point in the fortunes of Nebraska football, as he was the last bastion of stability there 20 years ago. Solich was fired as coach in 2003 after going 58-19 in six seasons, and he hasn’t been on campus since. (Man would that record sound good now after six straight losing seasons.) For athletic director Trev Alberts and new head coach Matt Ruhle, part of making it right is making the past right. Solich is finally returning to Memorial Stadium this Saturday to be honored at the Cornhuskers’ Red-White spring game. He may not instantly recognizable in Eagle, Idaho. But he sure is in Lincoln, Nebraska.
THIS DAY IN SPORTS…April 19, 1991:
It’s the “Battle of the Ages,” a bout between 28-year-old world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield and 42-year-old former champ George Foreman. Holyfield was at the peak of his career, while Foreman had won 24 consecutive fights since launching a comeback in 1987. Before a star-studded audience that included Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, Holyfield ultimately wore down Foreman in a unanimous decision. Incredibly, Foreman would regain the heavyweight title briefly in 1994 at the age of 45.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
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