SPOKANE, Wash. — Mt. Spokane alum Tyson Degenhart has exploded onto the college basketball scene this year as a freshman. However, up until three weeks ago he had sparingly played meaningful minutes for Boise State.
“The first time he got introduced for starting lineups, our announcer didn’t know how to say his name because he’d played so little,” said Boise State head coach Leon Rice with a laugh.
Degenhart scored 12 points total in Boise State’s first six games of the season.
Then he got put in the starting lineup.
Ever since, he’s averaged 15.3 points per game.
“It was definitely a shock. It was definitely a surreal moment,” said Tyson of when Leon told him he’d be starting. “I didn’t think this year would be the time I would start, but life throws you a curveball, so you’ve got to take it and go with it.”
“I wanted a competitive guy, I wanted a winner, I wanted somebody that makes people better, and that’s what I got with Tyson,” said Leon of why he moved Tyson into the starting lineup. “By putting him in this role, it really expanded his game, and it brought out the best in all the other guys, and that’s what I was trying to do.”
For Leon, who spent 11 seasons as an assistant at Gonzaga before going to Boise State, it means a little more to him that a kid from Spokane is making this sort of impact so early on in his career.
“Absolutely, it does,” said Leon emphatically. “Not only that, but to have a kid that we identified as an eighth grader the first time we saw him play. It actually was my wife. She loves to take credit for it.”
Boise State next takes on Washington State at the Spokane Arena on Wednesday at 5 PM, and with his confidence at an all-time high, Tyson is ready to show out in front of the city that raised him.
“It’s definitely exciting to have a lot of people I know who are going to be at the game, and I’m hoping that we have enough people to outnumber the Wazzu fans,” said Tyson.