Quote from Jordan Kaye on July 29, 2023, 10:54 pm

BOISE - Boise State basketball coach Leon Rice sat down for a second on Friday, off to the side of the Broncos' practice court in a cushy chair. One could almost see the gears in Rice’s head churning, trying to imagine different guys in different lineups at different times.

In 2023, Rice will have a luxury: depth. He will have guys down the bench who he can throw in the game and trust. But depth can be a double-edged sword. If wielded correctly, there’s nothing better. If mishandled, it brings about a million questions.

If putting together basketball lineups is a puzzle, Rice is transitioning from a 300-piece cakewalk to a 1,000-piece puzzle of a blue sky. A lot of the pieces look the same. The challenge is finding exactly which one fits.

In Canada this week for a foreign trip that will allow the Broncos to play three exhibition games, Rice gets a chance to see all his pieces in a game setting.

“We can experiment with some things (in Canada),” Rice said, “and do things that maybe I won’t do in games because you feel a freedom to do it in this situation.”

Nowhere is Rice’s godsend/problem more evident than the center position.

He has two guys who could not be more different, but they both look like they can fit.

Cam Martin is entering his seventh year of college basketball following stints at Jacksonville State, DII Missouri Southern State and two seasons at Kansas, where he played in just four games because he redshirted and later got injured. He is a 6-foot,-9, 230-pounder with a stellar shot who relies on his footwork and skill around the basket.

“He’s like (former BSU forward) Nick Duncan,” said guard Max Rice. “He can shoot. He can guard — like you think you can get by him but you can’t. And he’s a veteran player, and it’s hard to get those nowadays.”

Then there’s O’Mar Stanley, the junior who transferred west from St. John’s. Though a bit undersized at 6-8, Stanley would be a heck of a SlamBall player. When he dunks, one can get a little concerned he’s going to bang his chin on the iron after soaring so high. Stanley also has an impressive 3-point stroke and would be a threat to take a long ball or two every night.

[caption id="attachment_6313" align="alignleft" width="300"] St. John's transfer O'Mar Stanley committed to the Boise State men's basketball team on Friday. (Photo taken from O'Mar Stanley on Twitter)[/caption]

“We’re both really competitive, so we’ve had some really good practices,” Martin said of he and Stanley. “I’d say he’s more of a play-above-the-rim (center) and I’d say I can play better at like the pinch post with my passing ability. Maybe more of a pick-and-pop threat. He’s a better rim protector.”

Martin was the first big man to commit to the Broncos, making the announcement in early April. But even with his pledge, the Broncos were still extremely thin at center. After losing Naje Smith and Lukas Milner to graduation, the only 5-man on Boise State when Martin committed was Mo Sylla, who still needs plenty of development.

Rice found his center in Martin. But as the offseason rolled on and the Broncos had a few departures to the transfer portal, the Boise State head coach asked Martin what else he thought the Broncos needed.

“A backup big,” Martin said, elaborating on his response on Friday: “Because Tyson (Degenhart) doesn’t want to play the five. He wants to play his true position at the four, maybe three. So I even told Leon, ‘Go get a backup big. I’m not scared of competition. Whatever’s going to make the team better.”

Just over a week later, Stanley made the announcement he was headed from New York to Boise.

At St. John’s, Stanley’s primary role was forward. Back-door-cuts. Rebounding. Energy. There was little need for him at center while the Red Storm rostered three guys over 6-10. Now, he will be in the post many times against guys bigger than him — which Stanley doesn’t seem to mind.

“I know I can definitely play (center),” Stanley said. “I know I’m definitely that junkyard dog who can go in there and bang bodies with bigger guys. … You’ve just got to go in there with that mentality. I wouldn’t say go in there with bad intentions but go in there with bad intentions, honestly.”

Both Stanley and Martin will get plenty of playing time this season, regardless of who gets the starting nod to begin the season and to find who plays when might be the most interesting question heading into this season. Rice has two different guys with two different skill sets and needs to figure out how to best employ them.

It might be his toughest puzzle this year. And he'll get an early look at the battle this week in Canada, starting with Monday's exhibition game against Trinity Western University.

Bronco Nation News is headed to Canada and will have full coverage of the Broncos' three exhibition games. Watch Bronco Nation News LIVE on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter Monday through Friday at 9 a.m. MT, as well as pregame and postgame shows on Monday and Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. MT and Thursday at 6:30 p.m., for highlights, player and coach interviews, analysis and more. Subscribe to BNN on YouTube here.