Bronco Basketball team Sign Two
BOISE, Idaho – Boise State men’s basketball signed two decorated high school athletes to National Letters of Intent head coach Leon Rice announced Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. Tyson Degenhart (Spokane, Wash.) and RJ Keene (The Woodlands, Texas) officially joined the Broncos and will enroll as freshmen for the 2021-22 academic year.
“We are so excited to bring in such high-quality student-athletes,” Rice said. “Both of these young men possess the characteristics our program has been built around. They have a love for the game, a great work ethic and a team-first mentality. They will be great Broncos.”
Tyson Degenhart | 6-7 | Forward | Spokane, Wash. | Mt. Spokane HS
Leon Rice on Degenhart: “Tyson is a very versatile, high-motor guy with a ton of skill and toughness. He has a very mature game that will translate to this level and give him an opportunity to make a significant impact as a Bronco. He can score at all three levels and is an excellent rebounder. In addition to all of his basketball abilities, Tyson is a tremendous student and young man.”
Degenhart burst onto the prep basketball scene as a sophomore, leading Mt. Spokane to its first appearance in the WIAA 3A state title game. He was named to the All-Greater Spokane League First Team and earned a spot on the 3A all-state team after averaging 19.3 points per game. He expanded his game last season, and was rewarded with GSL MVP honors, Spokesman-Review All-Region Player of the Year accolades and a spot on the Seattle Times all-classifications all-state second team.
He scored 24.5 points per game as a junior, including seven 30-point outings. Degenhart led Mt. Spokane to a tournament title at the Les Schwab Invitational ‘The Eight’ in January. He averaged 29.3 points at the three-game tournament.
Degenhart enters his senior season as the state’s No. 4 recruit, according to Washington Prep Hoops.
RJ Keene | 6-7 | Guard | The Woodlands, Texas | Concordia Lutheran HS
Leon Rice on Keene: “RJ is very good with the ball in his hands and can really shoot it. He brings similar size and shooting ability to the guard position that Bronco fans grew accustomed to while watching Justinian Jessup play here for four years. He has a high basketball IQ that comes from an athletic lineage. His grandfather played basketball at LSU, his father at Illinois and his mother was a college athlete.”
In two seasons at Concordia Lutheran, Keene has guided the Crusaders to a 63-13 record, including an appearance in the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) 6A state semifinals as a sophomore. That season he averaged 14 points, seven rebounds, three steals and four assists per game. As a junior, Keene upped his production. He averaged 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals, while knocking down 135 three-pointers – 10th-most nationally last year, according to MaxPreps.
Keene earned TAPPS 6A all-state recognition each of the last two seasons. He was named to the second team as a sophomore, and snagged first-team accolades last year.
A four-star recruit and the nation’s No. 33 shooting guard according to ESPN, Keene carries a composite rating of .8731 from 247 Sports. The outlet also tabs Keene as the 12th-best prospect in Texas.
Keene’s father, Richard, played at Illinois from 1992-96. He made 237 three-pointers and scored 1,145 points, leading the Illini to three NCAA Tournaments and one NIT.