Bronco Basketball
Young Broncos step up in opener
Coach Rice: "We really need more fans to come out."
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Attendance poor in Broncos opener Video by IdahoOnYourSide.com
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Several young Broncos made a statement in Boise State's season-opening win over Texas Southern, including sophomore Derrick Marks, who led the way with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Fellow sophomore Anthony Drmic chipped in 11 points, and freshman Mikey Thompson scored 10 in his BSU debut.
The Broncos out-rebounded the Tigers 40 to 22, helped by the fact that Boise State had a size advantage over Texas Southern. That won't be the case very often this season, and it certainly won't be true in BSU's next game against Oakland.
"It's funny, because when you have the size advantage, you're like 'they have the quickness advantage,'" laughed Head Coach Leon Rice.
"But when you're smaller, you're like 'they're a lot bigger than us, that's a big advantage.' You're going to see that all year, where the different match-ups each night present different challenges."
A somewhat unexpected challenge that the Broncos faced Sunday was a nearly empty arena. Less than 2,000 people attended Boise State's opener. Coach Rice said he was disappointed to see all the empty seats.
"It's a chicken and the egg thing. To have a great program, you have to have a great home court advantage, and the fans are such a huge contribution to that. We need people to come out. We really need them to come out and help us in these next two huge home games."
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