Boise State has its second transfer of the offseason. And it’s another big one.
One day after Emmanuel Ugbo entered the transfer portal, former Georgetown center Drew Fielder will reportedly be signing with the Broncos. After spending two seasons at Georgetown, Fielder initially committed to USC upon entering the portal, but later flipped and will now return to the Treasure Valley instead. Originally from Boise, Fielder spent two years at Rocky Mountain High School, before moving down to SoCal Academy in Castaic, CA.
A former four-star recruit, Fielder started 31 games for Georgetown this past season, averaging 23.5 minutes, 7.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and was considered one of the top centers in the portal. He will join UCLA transfer Dylan Andrews, as the second power five starter to come to the Broncos through the portal. As of now, Fielder will be the heavy favorite to be the Broncos starting center next season.
I dove into some numbers and watched film on Fielder, and I think this is a phenomenal pickup for Boise State. Similar to the Andrews signing, you’re getting a proven power five player with a ceiling that Bronco Nation will hope this staff can tap into. Fielder’s not a towering big, he was listed at 6-11 at Georgetown, but was 6-9 in high school and looks closer to 6-9 on film, in my opinion. What he lacks in height for a big, he makes up with athleticism. Fielder moves well for a center, displaying quick feet, speed in transition and lateral quickness that makes him more switchable defensively than traditional bigs. His athleticism is maximized in transition. Fielder runs the floor well and scored 1.55 points per possession in transition, 95th percentile in college basketball.
The first thing that jumps out to me about Fielder’s game is his rebounding. He is a tenacious rebounder who shows the type of effort on the glass that Leon and this staff prioritize. This past season, Fielder had an OReb% of 7.9% and a DReb of 19.1%, both of which are top-500 nationally and makes him a top-2 rebounder currently on the roster (along with RJ Keene, who slightly beats out Fielder). The drawback of his effort on rebounding is that on film he would often prefer to box out his man instead of providing weakside rim protection. With a 2.1% block rate last season, don’t expect Fielder to be an elite rim protector, which I believe is still a significant weakness for the Broncos.
Offensively, Fielder was largely a role player for the Hoyas. They didn’t regularly run offense through him, and his role was typically in the dunker spot, setting screens and cutting, or spotting up. As a result, Fielder’s offensive stats aren’t eye-popping, just 7 points per game on 51% eFG last season. I thought the film didn’t do the box score justice with how talented Fielder’s offensive game is. He was excellent around the rim, shooting 69% on nearly half his field goal attempts. Many of those attempts are dunks off cuts or in transition, but he also flashed really nice touch around the rim and showcased a developed post-up move set that I don’t think Georgetown tapped into enough. When Fielder did get a post-up, he scored 1.31 points per possession, 95th percentile in the spot. His excellence in the post is a combination of natural feel for defender’s leverage, good footwork in the post, and a soft touch with the ability to finish with either hand around the rim.
Fielder’s inefficiency largely came from his three-point shooting. He shot 25% on almost 2.5 attempts per game. However, Fielder shot 41% as a freshman, making him a career 32% shooter from deep. I believe his offensive ceiling will largely be tied to how well he shoots from three. If he’s not a consistent shooter, I think he’s a solid offensive role player who can be a cutter and roll-man alongside Andrews. If his three-point shot starts falling again I think his ceiling is an all-Mountain West caliber player. His game reminds me of another all-conference big man: former Nevada center Nick Davidson.
On the defensive end, I think he’s plug-and-play for the void left by Tyson Degenhart. Fielder showcases high defensive IQ with the ability to play multiple pick and roll coverages and provide high level team defense. He has good fundamentals and played with consistent effort in the tape I watched. With Fielder, Boise State will get a good defensive center, but I think it’s unlikely he’ll ever be a great defensive big man. At his size, he doesn’t have the length to be an elite rim protector, and he didn’t consistently provide help rim protection on film. His 2.1% block rate backs that up, although that number was at 4.9% as a freshman, suggesting there is room for him to grow as a rim protector.
I’ll echo what I wrote in the Dylan Andrews breakdown: this is a fantastic signing for Boise State. Before this offseason, the Broncos had never signed a proven power five transfer, now they have two in the span of a week. At worst, I think Fielder can step in day one and be a quality rotational player. That’s his floor. At his ceiling, I think there’s enough growth in Fielder’s offensive game for him to be an all-conference player next season. There’s flashes of on-ball creation that, when combined with the IQ as a cutter and in transition, look a lot like Tyson Degenhart as a young player. Even if he comes short of being a player of the year candidate, Bronco Nation should be ecstatic with this signing, and I think the expectation in 2025-26 will once again be winning the conference and getting the program’s first NCAA Tournament win.
