Boise State men's basketball coach Leon Rice is finding his job got a little harder this week. In addition to losing 7 seniors that included nearly the entire starting lineup, the former Gonzaga coach just lost an assistant coach and several more players. Assistant coach Shaun Vandiver has left the program to become the new head coach for the Emporia State Hornets, a Division II team.
"It’s all about the fit," Rice said, "and this was a good fit that Shaun couldn’t turn his back on.”
Still, the loss is tough for Rice whose team finished 22-13 this year. He must now contend with finding another good assistant at a time when he is still trying to find the players to fill in the holes left by the departing seniors.
And two veteran players have announced they are also leaving. G.A. Hill, a 5'9" sophmore who had limited play in seven games last season but did not score, is leaving the program and plans to transfer to a school where he’ll have a chance to see more action. And sophmore Sam Hicks, 6'9" 248 lbs, is also leaving the program. Hicks was another who had limited play in seven games, producing an average of 1.3 points.