Roddie Anderson became the second starter from the Boise State men’s basketball team to transfer in the last week, announcing his decision on Twitter Tuesday evening.
Anderson joins Chibuzo Agbo, who announced he is transferring to USC.
The two departures, along with the graduation of Max Rice, suddenly leaves the Broncos searching for replacements for three starters from a year ago.
Tyson Degenhart is expected to announce his future plans live on his show on BNN Wednesday at 8pm.
Anderson’s transfer shouldn’t be all that surprising given the Broncos’ addition of point guard Alvaro Cardenas from San Jose State. Anderson struggled to shoot the ball this season and didn’t seem like a natural fit at the shooting guard spot. Cardenas had much better stats at the point guard spot – double the points and assists per game for starters – and was slated to be the starter at the point.
Cardenas is essentially the replacement for Anderson, meaning the Broncos must find someone to replace both Rice and Agbo. Internal candidates include Andrew Meadow, RJ Keene, Chris Lockett and incoming freshman Pearson Carmichael, but Boise State likely will need to use one of its four remaining scholarships to add depth at the guard spot.
Boise State already was searching for a post player – they had at least one center visit in recent days – as a potential replacement for Cam Martin off the bench. Should the Broncos land someone good enough to start, they could move O’Mar Stanley to the four and Degenhart to the three, leaving just one opening at the shooting guard spot with Cardenas at the point.
Anderson improved offensively as the season progressed but never seemed to fit the role Boise State looks for in a point guard. Anderson often had careless turnovers and wasn’t a great scorer or facilitator. His best asset was beating his defender and getting to the rim, but he missed way too often inside and also was a poor free throw shooter. He was praised for his defense, which certainly will be something the Broncos have to replace.
He had no assists in 38 minutes in the loss to Colorado in the NCAA Tournament and also had a costly turnover with about five minutes left that helped fuel the Buffaloes’ comeback.
Asked afterwards about the turnover, Anderson seemed to downplay the importance of it and said simply, “stuff happens.”
For the year Anderson averaged 6.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 33 games (27 starts) after transferring from UC San Diego. He helped the Broncos beat San Diego State at Viejas Arena late in the season with a strong game and certainly had some positive moments. He was Boise State’s best penetrator and shot creator – something the Broncos will have to replace.
Agbo is the biggest loss to this point. He averaged 13.7 points and 5.1 rebounds last season while making a team-high 76 3-pointers. Agbo and Rice combined for 150 made 3s last season.
Meadow and Keane both should be improved next season. Meadow, in particular, could be ready for a much bigger role. But with four scholarships available, the Broncos certainly will need to add some players – and at least one or two impact ones – via the transfer portal.
The transfer portal window closes at the end of the month, buf that’s for players to enter the portal. They can continue visits and and committing to teams well into May and June.
B.J. Rains and John Mallory will discuss the departure of Anderson on BNN LIVE on Wednesday morning at 9am on the Bronco Nation News YouTube, Facebook and X accounts.
