Bronco Basketball In Costa Rica

[Stanley Brewster]

Bronco Basketball In Costa Rica

Costa Rica Prospectus
Boise State men’s basketball will embark on a foreign trip to Costa Rica this week. The Broncos depart Thursday morning, for five days of competitive and cultural immersion. The team will play four games, while mixing in unique experiences.

Complete coverage of Bronco Basketball in Costa Rica presented by Taco Bell will be available at BroncoSports.com, on Twitter (@BroncoSportsMBB) and on Facebook (Boise State Broncos).


THE GAMES

Boise State will play four games in three days at the beginning of the trip against the Costa Rican National Team and a pair of Canadian universities. The Broncos begin their tour Friday (Aug. 12), with a doubleheader against Brock University and the University of Ottawa. The following day will pit Boise State against Costa Rica’s National Team, followed by a Sunday rematch with Ottawa.


All games will be played under FIBA rules and guidelines. Among the differences between FIBA and NCAA rules are: games will consist of four 10-minute periods; a longer three-point line; a wider lane line; a 24-second shot clock; eight-second backcourt violation; offensive timeout advances ball to frontcourt in final two minutes of fourth period; and it is legal to touch a ball on or above the cylinder once the ball strikes the rim. For a complete list of rules differences, visit www.fiba.com.


THE OPPONENTS

About University of Ottawa

Ottawa finished 17-2 in league play to win the Ontario University Athletics East Division title and tie for first in the conference overall. The Gee-Gees took bronze at the conference championship before advancing to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Final 8 Championship in Vancouver. Ottawa enters this season needing to replace the CIS Player of the Year, Mike L’Africain.


The Gee-Gees will spend nine days in Costa Rica, playing six exhibition games against four NCAA Division I schools. In addition to Boise State, Ottawa will take on Sam Houston State, Liberty and Norfolk State.


About Brock University

Brock took second in the OUA Central Division last season with a 13-6 conference mark. The Badgers advanced to the quarterfinals of the OUA Playoffs. Brock will return four starters from last year’s team, including first-team CIS All-Canadian Dani Elgadi.


The Badgers will spend two weeks in Costa Rica, playing five games. In addition to the Broncos, Brock will face Liberty, Norfolk State and UC Davis.


About the Costa Rican National Team

Costa Rica competed at 2016 Centrobasket in June, the Central American and Caribbean Basketball Championship. The team finished ninth at the tournament in Panama and was led in scoring by Kay Martinez. Costa Rica qualified for the tournament by virtue of a top-three finish at the 2015 FIBA COCABA Championship. That tournament was played on their home court in San José, Costa Rica.


TE LOCATIONS

San José, Costa Rica

The first four days and three nights of the trip will be spent in and around Costa Rica’s capital city of San José. The city and surrounding towns the Broncos will visit at the start of the trip are in the provinces of San José, Heredia and Alajuela.


The region is situated in a tropical savanna climate, defined by warm and mild year-round temperatures with a wet season from May to October. The month of August features an average high temperature of 77 degrees with an average low of 60 degrees and 9.5 inches of precipitation.


Costa Rica is in the Central Standard Time Zone, but does not observe Daylight Saving Time, thus the country is currently the same as Mountain Daylight Time and there will be no time change from Boise during the team’s trip.


-Liceo Regional de Flores | San Joaquin de Flores, Heredia

Boise State will play its first two games of the tour at Liceo Regional de Flores, a high school in the Heredia Province. The Broncos will take on Brock University (Aug. 12, 5 p.m.) and the University of Ottawa (Aug. 12, 7 p.m.) in the school’s gym.


-Costa Rica Tennis Club | San José

Created in 1911, the Costa Rica Tennis Club is considered the country’s premier social club. This is where the Boise State will face the Costa Rica National Team (Aug. 13, 5 p.m.). The new crown jewel is the recently remodeled basketball court. What was previously an all-purpose synthetic floor was replaced in April with brand new hardwood. The court is touted as being the best in Latin America. The club supports 12 different sports and numerous other health-centered classes and facilities.


-Colegio de Palmares | Palmares, Alajuela

The final game of the tour will take place at the Colegio de Palmares, a bilingual preparatory school for children of all ages. The Broncos will again take on the University of Ottawa (Aug. 14, noon).


Playa Herradura, Costa Rica

Following the final game of the tour, the Broncos will travel to Playa Herradura on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast for the last two nights of the trip. The team will stay at a hotel nestled between the Pacific Ocean and a 1,100-acre rainforest.


In addition to spending time downtime on the beach, the Broncos will see the rainforest from the top down thanks to a zip line tour. The 80-acre zip line slides through lush rainforests inhabited by tropical birds and various species of monkeys, all with panoramic views of Herredura Bay of the Pacific Ocean.

 

[Stanley Brewster]

Newcomers Lead Way in Win

HEREDIA, Costa Rica— Boise State men’s basketball traveled to the colorful confines of Palacio de los Deportes for its meeting with the Costa Rica National Team Saturday, in the third game of Bronco Basketball in Costa Rica Presented by Taco Bell. After the slippery conditions of the blue and orange plastic floor delayed the start of the game the Broncos stumbled out of the gate, but once they found their footing they skated to a 74-54 victory.


Freshman Justinian Jessup led the offensive attack. Jessup buried four three-pointers in the second half on his way to a team-high 14 points. Fellow freshman Alex Hobbs poured in 10 of his 12 points in the second half.


A big second quarter put Boise State on top to stay. The Broncos led 17-16 after the first quarter, but locked down defensively in the second stanza and took a 38-25 advantage into the break.


Nick Duncan (13 points) and Zach Haney (seven points) combined for more than half of the scoring output in the first 20 minutes before resting in the second half. Duncan knocked down three triples and Haney again proved to be too much inside despite playing limited minutes.


In addition to Duncan and Haney, Chandler Hutchison’s night was through after the first half while James Reid rested the entire game as he continues to work back from offseason knee surgery. The limited veteran presence allowed Boise State’s youngest group to play extended minutes.


The young guys took a punch at the start of the second half, allowing the first four points including an open-court steal and layup. They responded with the knockout blow. Hobbs and Jessup scored the next nine points and the Broncos rattled off a 20-6 run. Boise State ultimately took a 58-38 lead into the final quarter before coasting to the 20-point win.


Sophomore Cameron Oluyitan hauled in a team-best six rebounds. Redshirt freshman Malek Harwell led the way with three assists.


The final game of the tour is slated for Sunday at noon. It will be a rematch against Ottawa. The Gee-Gees defeated Norfolk State Saturday, prior to the Broncos’ taking the floor. In the words of Leon Rice’s timely analogy, “Friday’s doubleheader was pool play. Today started the medal round and we advanced to the gold medal game where we get to play the one team that beat us.”


Following the game, the team will leave San Jose and travel to the coastal town of Playa Herradura for the final two nights of the trip.



--
Mike Walsh
broncosports.com

 

[Stanley Brewster]

Lots to Like in Doubleheader Split

VIDEO: Leon Rice Postgame

FEATURE: Broncos Escape Comfort Zone in San Jose

SAN JOAQUIN DE FLORES, Costa Rica— Boise State men’s basketball began the competition portion of its foreign tour in Costa Rica with a doubleheader split against a pair of Canadian college programs. The Broncos used a strong second half to defeat Brock University 76-56, before their comeback bid fell just short in a 90-88 setback against the University of Ottawa.


Zach Haney averaged a team-best 19.5 points per game in the two outings, including a day-high 25 points in the opener. Paris Austin also scored in double figures both games.


In the first game, the Broncos trailed Brock 33-27 at halftime but took command in the second half behind its senior leadership.


The Bronco coaching staff entered the trip with a plan to manage everyone’s playing time across the four games in three days, while also accounting for offseason injuries, mixing lineups and allowing the newcomers to play extended minutes. Part of the plan included Nick Duncan and James Reid sitting the first half of the first game.


The duo made an immediate impact upon taking the floor after halftime. Boise State started the third quarter on a 19-3 and ended up outscoring the Badgers 26-5 in the period. The lead ballooned in the fourth quarter and eventually Boise State closed out a 20-point victory.


Haney controlled the paint all game, displaying an array of post moves and finishing with touch around the rim. Many of the Broncos adjusted to the physicality of the game in the second half, including Robin Jorch who finished as Boise State’s second-leading scorer with 13 points.


Duncan, Haney and Reid continued their strong play in the second game. Reid led the way with 17 points, including five three-pointers. It was not enough to keep up with the 17 triples from Ottawa.


The Gee-Gees shot their way to a 52-43 lead at the half. Duncan’s 11 first-half points kept the Broncos within striking distance. The third quarter featured Reid trading shots with Ottawa. The Broncos crept closer, but a buzzer beater from the Canadian side put Ottawa up 77-70 headed into the final quarter.


Despite playing into their fourth-consecutive hour of game action, Boise State never backed down or folded. Another spurt from the Gee-Gees left the Broncos down by eight with three minutes left, but the Blue and Orange whittled it back down to four with just over a minute to go.


Boise State forced enough turnovers in the final minute to keep hope alive, but could not get the elusive final field goal to go down. Austin sank two free throws with 12 seconds left to get within two and the Broncos had one more look at a game-tying shot but it was not to be.


Boise State will return to play Saturday, against the Costa Rica National Team. The game is set to tip off at 5 p.m. MT. The fourth and final game will be played Sunday morning, bringing a rematch with Ottawa.




--
Mike Walsh
bronco sports.com

 

[Stanley Brewster]

 

[Stanley Brewster]

Tour Ends with 73-49 Win

PALMARES, Costa Rica— Boise State men’s basketball locked down defensively for a 73-49 win Sunday, against Ottawa to wrap up the competition portion of Bronco Basketball in Costa Rica Presented by Taco Bell. Boise State exacted revenge from its only loss on the tour by holding Ottawa to 35 percent shooting from the field and forcing 23 turnovers.


The Gee-Gees took a 16-14 lead into the second quarter, but Boise State started the period on a 16-3 run over the first five minutes to take the lead for good. The defensive effort continued in the third quarter when the Broncos limited Ottawa to nine points and controlled a 12-point cushion going into the fourth.


Ball pressure was key as Paris Austin and Marcus Dickinson played together, harassing the Gee-Gee ball handlers out to 30 feet. Alex Hobbs, Chandler Hutchison and Justinian Jessup played the passing lanes and led to transition opportunities.


Ottawa made one last charge out of the quarter break, scoring the first seven points of the period before three minutes had passed forcing the Broncos to call timeout. The defense rallied and allowed just four points the rest of the game.


Hutchison recorded a double-double to lead the way. He scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, including eight on the defensive end.


Austin also scored in double figures, finishing with 13 and adding three assists and three rebounds. Cameron Oluyitan logged a highly-productive 15 minutes. Oluyitan scored seven points, grabbed five rebounds and the Broncos were plus-29 on the scoreboard while he was on the floor.


Nick Duncan scored just three points—hitting the only shot he took—but contributed four rebounds, four assists and two steals.


The Broncos will spend Sunday and Monday night in the coastal town of Playa Herradura before returning to Boise Tuesday. Stay tuned to BroncoSports.com for complete coverage of Bronco Basketball in Costa Rice Presented by Taco Bell.