BOISE – Rick Adelman is a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer who coached for 23 seasons in the NBA and has the 10th most wins (1,042) in league history.
But for Boise State women’s basketball player Mary Kay Naro, he’s simply known as grandpa.
The 5-foot-11 junior point guard has quite the family pedigree.
Both her parents played college basketball. Kathy Adelman Naro (Portland) and John Naro (Vanguard) also coached Naro and her two younger sisters at Beaverton High School in Oregon. Mackenzie is a sophomore guard for the Broncos, while Maddie is a senior at Beaverton and just committed to Santa Clara.
Uncle David Adelman is an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets.
And then there’s Naro, a starter the last two seasons looking to carry on the family name for the Broncos, who open the year hosting the College of Idaho in an exhibition at 6:30 p.m. Friday at ExtraMile Arena.
“Basketball is something that connects all of us together,” Naro said. “So it’s pretty cool that it’s extended for so long throughout our family. It’s nice to have so many different family members you can go to and talk to about different stuff and give advice. I love it.”
Naturally, Naro was introduced to the family business early on.
“When I was born, I was going to games,” Naro said.
Naro and her sisters were constantly on the sidelines dribbling basketballs while their parents had games or ran practices. Wanting to participate in it herself, Naro got her start with the local YMCA league.
And then meeting NBA stars like two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokić, 8-time NBA All-Star Yao Ming and Cleveland Cavaliers point Ricky Rubio, kind of sealed her fate.
“I remember Ricky Rubio coming up to me one time and he’s like, ‘You have really blue eyes.’ And I remember going like, ‘Oh my God he said something about me,’” Naro said with a laugh. “Just getting to be a part of that is really cool, especially when you’re little.”
Naro ended up turning into a three-time All-Metro League player. She, along with Mackenzie and Maddie, had Beaverton in the midst of a state title run with a 23-4 record and in the Class 6A semis before the coronavirus pandemic canceled the tournament.
It all got the attention of Boise State head coach Gordy Presnell, who is entering his 18th season.
“I remember Kathy playing at the University of Portland. She was a really good player,” said Presnell about the school’s all-time assist leader. “The first time I saw Mary Kay play was in Chicago at Nike Nationals and I thought she was really good (too). Just long and athletic and has great quickness.”
Naro took an unofficial visit her junior year and had a great time despite running out of gas on the way home.
John had always bragged about being the family’s best driver and nothing bad ever happened with him behind the wheel. But in between Boise and Baker City, the car began stalling before John pulled the car over to the side of the road right in front of a gas station sign that read “1 mile to gas station,” of all places.
Luckily, he still had cell service and called the nearby gas station. An attendant drove out with a gas can filled up and John was so grateful that he handed him a crisp $50 bill.
“We always bring it up,” said Naro with a grin. “It always pops up on my phone, so I send it (picture) to him every year.”
Naro has had more memorable experiences associated with Boise State.
She started all 23 games as a freshman during the 2020-21 season and led the Mountain West in assists (119) and finished second in assists per game (5.2). She also set the single-game assist record at Boise State with 16 in an 87-69 win over Utah State on Feb. 18, 2021 that season.
“I definitely did come in here knowing there was a chance to fight for some playing time, but I was not expecting for it to be as much as it was,” Naro said. “I remember after the game, they stopped me to do an interview. And I was like, ‘Why me?’ I didn’t even know. So it’s been really cool to get the opportunity to play here and to do some special things.”
Naro averaged 8.8 points per game last season as a sophomore and had a team-high 106 assists in 29 games.
She gives most of the credit to her family.
Kathy, John and Maddie just helped Beaverton win the first state title in program history in the spring.
Mackenzie is living out an unexpected dream.She had some offers from smaller schools, but decided to follow her sister to Boise State. Mackenzie still wanted to be around the game. So she was a team manager for most of last season. But due to a string of injuries, Presnell asked her if she still wanted to be a college basketball player. It meant giving up her work stipend. The answer was still a resounding yes.
She played in seven games and her first collegiate bucket came on a corner-3 against Air Force on Feb.15.
“I enjoy playing with my siblings. I always have. It’s nice to have that person that you’re so close to that you can talk about stuff and do things with,” Naro said. “It was awesome when she made that shot. So I think it’s just been a great opportunity for her and I’m happy she did it.”
David flies out to games whenever he can and takes her to Nuggets’ practices and games whenever the Broncos are in town.
And Rick watches and analyzes every one of her games on film. He’ll often call or text her his feedback, which Naro applies to the next game or practice.
“The love of the game has just been handed down. There’s just this hunger,” Presnell said. “I hope she has a great year because of just all that she puts into it. Incredible work ethic, incredible desire to win and an incredible passion to try to get our season turned around this year.”
Boise State is coming off a rare 8-21 campaign. It was the first losing season in a decade and the worst in Presnell’s tenure. Eight of the 21 losses came by five points or less and the Broncos were 1-11 in games decided in the last minute and a half. They ended the year with a seven-game losing streak.
The Broncos return four starters and three others who saw significant time from last season, though. They also have a talented freshmen class that include two state players of the year and a bronze medalist with the U20 Australian National Team.
Just two years removed from a fourth straight Mountain West Tournament title and a March Madness appearance, the Broncos were picked seventh in the preseason media poll.
“We’re coming in and people don’t expect us to be anything and we have a chance to prove people wrong,” Mackenzie said. “In practice we’re like, ‘We’re not seventh, we’re not seventh.’ I think once we start playing, we’re just gonna use that as a motivator.”
But Naro doesn’t need any more added motivation.
She has a family legacy to continue on after all.
“He’s (Rick) has done so many amazing things, I’m just a little piece of it. But it’s really cool to carry that on and do something our family loves,” Naro said. “I think it’s really special for him to get to watch us and we’re following the same path as him. It’s just something that I’m really proud to be a part of. It’s just really special.”
(Photo contributed by the Naro family)
(Photo by Boise State Athletics)
