The Boise State men’s basketball team made its first offseason addition via the transfer portal on Wednesday – and it’s a big one.
The Broncos landed a commitment from San Jose State point guard Alvaro Cardenas, who averaged 13.2 points and 5.5 assists per game last season.
Cardenas, who shot 38.5 percent from 3-point range for the Spartans, appears to be the perfect fit for Boise State’s offensive scheme. He’s a strong facilitator who takes care of the ball – his 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio was third-best in the Mountain West – but he’s also a threat to score at all three levels.
New chapter 🧡 pic.twitter.com/vLai07kAyz
— Álvaro Cárdenas (@7Alvaroct) April 11, 2024
The news is somewhat surprising given the improvement Roddie Anderson made at the point guard spot for Boise State last season. Two things could happen now: Anderson could stay and battle with Cardenas and the two could play together at times, or he could elect to transfer somewhere else.
“If I’m being honest I feel like they’ve been in need of a true point guard and that’s just what I’ve done my whole life,” Cardenas said. “I’m a pass-first guy and I make others around me better. That’s just what I do. I like to get others involved, but at the same time I feel I can score pretty well as well.
“Coach Rice wanted to play at a little more up-beat tempo and he wanted someone to create for others and they have amazing players like Tyson Degenhart and Stanley and Chibuzo Agbo and I feel like all those guys will benefit from playing with a player like me who can find them good looks. Im really excited to play with guys of that caliber. They are such good players and hopefully I can make their life a little bit easier.”
The addition of Cardenas could make the Broncos the preseason favorite in the Mountain West. And Boise State still has two scholarships available, one of which they hope will go to a center in the transfer portal. A year after saying he wanted to build a “super team”, coach Leon Rice and his staff might soon actually have it.
Cardenas told BNN the chance to make history was appealing to him. He’s well aware of the Broncos’ 0-10 mark in the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s time to get that first win in the NCAA Tournament and I think this team can do it,” Cardenas said. “I feel like it’s a huge opportunity to make history here at Boise State. I know the fans and the program and everyone who supports the program deserves it.”
The 6-foot-1 Cardenas mostly went unnoticed nationally due to playing at San Jose State, but those in the Mountain West know he’s one of the top point guards around. He’s improved in each of his three years at San Jose State, and comes to Boise State with 88 career starts and averages of 9.9 points and 3.8 assists in 97 career games.
He’s an experienced, battle-tested veteran who should be even better with a better collection of talent around him at Boise State. And he’s got the Mountain West experience already, having played in each opposing road venue the past three seasons.
And he’s dependable. His 35.5 minutes per game last season ranked fifth in the Mountain West.
Cardenas visited Boise State during the weekend of the Sweet 16 and also visited Colorado State. He informed Boise State’s coaches on Tuesday night of his decision to spend his final college season at Boise State before making it official with a graphic on social media on Wednesday.
He picked the Broncos over a final three that also included Santa Clara and Colorado State. Cardenas said assistant coach Mike Burns first reached out the day before the Broncos played Colorado in the NCAA Tournament, and was on a plane to have lunch with him in San Jose the day after the Broncos returned to Boise following the loss in Dayton.
“That kind of showed me from the beginning the interest Boise had,” Cardenas said.
Boise State will now turn its attention to a center. Should they find one good enough to start, the Broncos could play O’Mar Stanley at the four and Tyson Degenhart at the 3. They also could start Stanley at the 5 and have the center be a key contributor off the bench like Cam Martin was this past season.
The Broncos are coming off their third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament and should return maybe the best trio in the Mountain West in Degenhart, Stanley and Chibuzo Agbo. Expectations were already high. The addition of Cardenas just made them higher.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH ALVARO CARDENAS ON BRONCO NATION NEWS HERE:
