The Boise State men?s basketball team has a deep and explosive backcourt.
Headlined by emotional leader Jeff Elorriaga, emerging star Derrick Marks and versatile Australians Anthony Drmic and Igor Hadziomerovic, the guard rotation gives coach Leon Rice a variety of weapons and lineup options.
But if the Broncos are to contend in the loaded Mountain West Conference, they?ll need a sizable contribution from their big men. In many ways, the Broncos? 2012-13 fate rests upon the broad shoulders of 6-foot-7 senior Kenny Buckner and 6-9 junior Ryan Watkins.
?Those guys are very important for us,? Rice said after his team?s season-opening, 81-63 victory over Texas Southern on Sunday. ?They?re not going to be the biggest dog in the fight on any night probably, so they have to be the scrappiest, the toughest and play the hardest.?
Both big men looked sharp against Texas Southern. Watkins tallied 11 points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes, while Buckner came off the bench to score 12 points while adding five rebounds ? all offensive ? and three assists in just 14 minutes.
The duo also played together for short stretches. Rice said he limited Buckner?s minutes to protect the senior?s healing hamstring, but he plans to play the two in tandem more often as the season wears on.
?I think we complement each other well,? Watkins said. ?It?s nice knowing that if I box somebody out, (Buckner) is going to get the rebound. And if he boxes somebody out, I?m going to get the rebound.?
The 251-pound Buckner averaged 8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds last season. His play was inconsistent at times, but he showed up this season in the best shape of his BSU career and should be able to log big minutes once he is fully healthy.
Watkins enjoyed a solid freshman campaign in 2010, but didn?t show dramatic improvement as a sophomore. A spring break conversation with his dad helped Watkins realize he needed to improve his work habits, and he?s redoubled his efforts this season ? even switching his uniform number to 0 to represent ?zero regrets, zero excuses.?
?It was a good conversation, I needed it,? Watkins said. ?I wasn?t working as hard. I needed to get back to what I was doing, playing hard and trying to rebound.?
Buckner and Watkins combined to make 9-of-11 shots in a dominant effort against undersized Texas Southern, one of the few teams Boise State will have a size advantage against this season.
The sledding immediately gets tougher when the Broncos host Oakland (Mich.) Tuesday.
The Golden Grizzlies (1-1) have qualified for two of the past three NCAA Tournaments and boast an athletic frontcourt anchored by 6-10 center Corey Petros.
?They?re a lot bigger,? Rice said. ?Over the years, Oakland?s been a great defensive team and really physical defensively. That?s going to be a new challenge for us.
Headlined by emotional leader Jeff Elorriaga, emerging star Derrick Marks and versatile Australians Anthony Drmic and Igor Hadziomerovic, the guard rotation gives coach Leon Rice a variety of weapons and lineup options.
But if the Broncos are to contend in the loaded Mountain West Conference, they?ll need a sizable contribution from their big men. In many ways, the Broncos? 2012-13 fate rests upon the broad shoulders of 6-foot-7 senior Kenny Buckner and 6-9 junior Ryan Watkins.
?Those guys are very important for us,? Rice said after his team?s season-opening, 81-63 victory over Texas Southern on Sunday. ?They?re not going to be the biggest dog in the fight on any night probably, so they have to be the scrappiest, the toughest and play the hardest.?
Both big men looked sharp against Texas Southern. Watkins tallied 11 points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes, while Buckner came off the bench to score 12 points while adding five rebounds ? all offensive ? and three assists in just 14 minutes.
The duo also played together for short stretches. Rice said he limited Buckner?s minutes to protect the senior?s healing hamstring, but he plans to play the two in tandem more often as the season wears on.
?I think we complement each other well,? Watkins said. ?It?s nice knowing that if I box somebody out, (Buckner) is going to get the rebound. And if he boxes somebody out, I?m going to get the rebound.?
The 251-pound Buckner averaged 8.4 points and 4.6 rebounds last season. His play was inconsistent at times, but he showed up this season in the best shape of his BSU career and should be able to log big minutes once he is fully healthy.
Watkins enjoyed a solid freshman campaign in 2010, but didn?t show dramatic improvement as a sophomore. A spring break conversation with his dad helped Watkins realize he needed to improve his work habits, and he?s redoubled his efforts this season ? even switching his uniform number to 0 to represent ?zero regrets, zero excuses.?
?It was a good conversation, I needed it,? Watkins said. ?I wasn?t working as hard. I needed to get back to what I was doing, playing hard and trying to rebound.?
Buckner and Watkins combined to make 9-of-11 shots in a dominant effort against undersized Texas Southern, one of the few teams Boise State will have a size advantage against this season.
The sledding immediately gets tougher when the Broncos host Oakland (Mich.) Tuesday.
The Golden Grizzlies (1-1) have qualified for two of the past three NCAA Tournaments and boast an athletic frontcourt anchored by 6-10 center Corey Petros.
?They?re a lot bigger,? Rice said. ?Over the years, Oakland?s been a great defensive team and really physical defensively. That?s going to be a new challenge for us.
