Presented by CORSO ITALIAN STEAK.
Wednesday Weekly: June 24, 2026.
Tyson Degenhart is all smiles these days. In between workouts, the former Boise State star is wedding planning with his fiancé Brook Thompson, the former pitcher for Broncos softball. They’ve spent some quality time in Boise and Spokane before Tyson dives back into basketball. Degenhart, Boise State’s career scoring leader, is keeping his NBA dream alive, as he’s slated to play on the Toronto Raptors’ Summer League team next month.
Degenhart’s rookie season with Raptors 905 in the G-League was solid. He averaged 6.4 points per game and shot 55 percent from three-point range in the Tip-Off Tournament last fall—then put up averages of 9.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 22.5 minutes per game during the regular season (although his three-point shooting did come back to earth at 35.5 percent). Degenhart got high marks for playing efficient, mistake-free basketball for one of the G League’s best teams.
COULD BE A QUIET DRAFT
One round down, one to go in the NBA Draft—we’ll see if the combination of the Mountain West and the new Pac-12 go without a pick. The only projection on the board for the second round is Grand Canyon wing Jaden Hensley. Gonzaga has had 18 players drafted since 2000, including recent lottery picks Chet Holmgren, Jalen Suggs and Rui Hachimura. But the Zags, the new Pac-12 juggernaut, may be shut out for the second consecutive year. The Mountain West as a conference has had only one player, Colorado State’s Nique Clifford last year, go in the draft since 2022. The MW seemed to be on a roll in 2020, when it had three players taken: San Diego State’s Malachi Flynn in the first round and Boise State’s Justinian Jessup and Utah State’s Sam Merrill in the second. But it has cooled since.
LOCKING IN A LOCAL
When Boise State gets a scholarship commit from a Treasure Valley recruit, it deserves a nod. The first for 2027 is Maxton Barnes, an offensive lineman from Columbia High who grew up a Broncos fan. On his official visit, Barnes told Bronco Nation News he got a tutorial on all the left tackles Boise State has sent to the NFL. At 6-6, he wants to be a left tackle and says he has a “long reach” that fits the roll. Barnes is considering enrolling in January to get a head start, an increasingly common move among high school recruits.
The Broncos continue to prioritize the O-line, as BNN reports they also got a verbal over the weekend from Ben Rainwater of Kenmore, WA. Rainwater is 6-6, 290. Other new commits include safety Jayden Bradley from Aurora, CO and kicker Landon Kingston from Tacoma. By my count, Boise State’s current commit list stands at 14.
AND THE QUARTERBACK ROOM…
This nugget has been kind of under the radar, but Boise State now has not one, but two quarterbacks committed for the 2027 class. Kael Snyder was the first player aboard overall last October, and he’s been as strong a social media advocate for the Broncos program as you could hope for. Then last week, Ryce Palepoi of Corner Canyon High in Draper, UT, became the second QB commit. Yes, Corner Canyon, the same school that produced Zach Wilson, a Boise State commit 10 years ago until he reneged and went to BYU. Palepoi is 6-0, 205 pounds and is rated a three-star by 247 Sports. His stats hopefully don’t tell the whole story, as last season Palepoi passed for 18 touchdowns against 13 interceptions and completed less than 55 percent of his throws.
AC BOISE REBOUNDS
From the “just what the doctor ordered” department, Athletic Club Boise followed its worst loss of the season with perhaps its most impressive win, a 1-0 takedown of USL League One’s first-place team last Saturday night. AC Boise got a goal on a header by Tumi Moshobane in the 69th minute to top Union Omaha before a league-record crowd of 7,247. To say it was all about defense is an understatement. ACB held Omaha to one shot on goal and had only one itself, with Moshobane converting. There’s now a league break, as ACB doesn’t play again until a week from tomorrow on its home pitch against One Knox SC, the defending USL1 champion. The scene at AC Boise Stadium continues to be amazing—that was the team’s ninth consecutive sellout.
STILL A PATH FOR CURRENT HAWKS
Despite their status as an independent team in the Pioneer League the past five years, the Boise Hawks still give players hope of climbing the ladder. The Houston Astros purchased Hawks infielder Brandon Nigh’s contract last week and have assigned him to the Fayetteville Woodpeckers in the Carolina League. Nigh left Boise with a .342 batting average, five home runs and 34 RBIs. The signs were there on Opening Night last month, when Nigh clubbed a two-run homer to key a victory over Ogden. His former teammates are in the middle of a six-game series against Ogden right now, and Tuesday night they rapped the Raptors 15-5 to improve to 19-12 on the season.
FORMER YOTE SHINES IN THE BIGS
It’s about time we get caught up on former College of Idaho star Riley O’Brien, because he’s having a breakout season with the St. Louis Cardinals. O’Brien has emerged as the Cards closer this year and has 19 saves to go with a 3-3 record. He’s been averaging 98 miles per hour on his sinker and has relied on it to get out of jams. No jams Monday night, as O’Brien threw a spotless ninth to get the Cardinals past the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-2. O’Brien made his major league debut in 2021 but appeared in only one game for Cincinnati. The following year he pitched in just one game for the Mariners. But in 2023, he finally got a real shot with St. Louis, and he’s made it count. He played his senior season with C of I in 2017, going 3-4 with a 2.15 ERA.
REJUVENATION ON THE DIAMOND?
A couple of years back, Boise State softball was a thing in the spring. Recently, not so much, partly because it was decimated by the transfer portal. I feel like the Broncos are going to get their community mojo back with the hiring of Andrew Rich as their new coach. Rich has been excellent the past five seasons at Idaho State, winning three Big Sky regular season titles and conference Coach of the Year honors. Not to forget that the Bengals beat Boise State 5-3 in Pocatello in April on their way to the NCAA Tournament. Rich will be hungry—and will be back in friendly confines at Dona Larsen Park, where he was on the Broncos staff from 2019-21.
This Day In Sports…brought to you by POOL SCOUTS…perfect pools, scout’s honor!
June 24, 2013: The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Boston Bruins in the first Stanley Cup Final between NHL Original Six teams in 34 years. The Blackhawks scored two goals 17 seconds apart in the final 1:16 of Game 6 for a 3-2 win and a four games-to-two series victory for the Cup. It was Chicago’s second championship in four years, capping a lockout-shortened season that saw the Blackhawks begin with a 24-game unbeaten streak. Chicago would take the Cup again in 2015—that was the last time one of the Original Six franchises won it.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra and anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK. He also served as color commentator on KTVB’s telecasts of Boise State football for 14 seasons.)
