The Boise State men’s basketball team got some good news Wednesday: Marcus Shaver Jr. is coming back.
Shaver Jr., who was second on the Broncos last season with 13.3 points per game, announced on social media that he was withdrawing from the NBA Draft and returning to Boise State.
Included in the announcement were the logos of Crave Delivery and Pro Image. He’s agreed to NIL deals with both companies.
“Bronco Nation, let’s run it back one more time,” Shaver Jr. said in a graphic posted to his Instagram account.
10 is back pic.twitter.com/jkr5Nv6Z2Z
— Marcus Shaver Jr (@marcus10shaver) May 18, 2022
The soon-to-be sixth-year senior has an extra year of eligibility remaining with the NCAA not counting the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shaver Jr. declared for the NBA Draft on April 1 and spent the past seven weeks training and working out in Phoenix. After gaining feedback on his draft stock and professional opportunities, Shaver Jr. elected instead to play another season at Boise State.
“We are thrilled to have Marcus back for another season of Bronco basketball,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said in a release. “Not only is Marcus a special player, he’s a very integral part of our program. The continuity of leadership and experience that he provides will help us continue to elevate this program to new heights.”
The deadline to decide whether to stay in the NBA Draft or withdraw was June 2.
Shaver Jr. played a team-high 33.1 minutes per game last year for the Broncos, who finished with a school-record 27 wins and won both the Mountain West regular season and tournament championships.
Shaver Jr. hit a team-high 57 three-pointers while starting 34 of 35 games last season. He was dubbed ‘big shot Shaver’ midway through the season after hitting four 3-pointers in the final minute to either tie the game or give the Broncos the lead, including two in less than 48 hours to win at Utah State and San Diego State.
But he battled sickness and injury down the stretch and went just 7 for 39 from the field (17.9 percent) in the four postseason games, including just 1-for-14 from 3-point rage. In the loss to Memphis in the NCAA Tournament he went 1 for 10 from the field and had four points.
Shaver’s mom moved to Boise and attended almost every game last season. Coming back for another season seemed to make the most sense all along, given his family’s ability to watch him regularly and the chance for him to finish on a better note.
His return is a needed boost to the Broncos, who have lost starters Abu Kigab, Emmanuel Akot and Malden Armus from last year’s team. Akot remains in the transfer portal and technically could still return to the Broncos, but that possibility is seen as unlikely.
Shaver Jr. will be a huge part of Boise State’s offense next season, which likely played into his decision to return. Shaver Jr., Tyson Degenhart and Texas Tech transfer Chibuzo Agbo are three projected starters, while the two other spots are less certain.
Boise State still has one scholarship available and is searching for a center to replace Armus.
