‘I’m the connector’: This Boise State guard is filling the hole left behind by Max Rice

On Saturday evening, Boise State men’s basketball redshirt junior guard RJ Keene may have had the most fruitful zero-point performance in recent memory.

In his 30 minutes on the court in Boise State’s 67-65 overtime victory over Saint Mary’s, Keene went 0-for-3 shooting and pulled in six rebounds. But his plus-minus, the stat that shows the point differential for each player while on the court, was the highest for Boise State at plus-seven.

“He certainly is the connector of this team,” head coach Leon Rice said Monday.

Keene made his first start for Boise State against the Gaels as Rice continues experimenting with his starting lineup.

Keene’s start and heavy inclusion in Saturday’s game resulted from the coach needing a player who could bring down rebounds against a strong Saint Mary’s team. The Gaels rank 19th in the nation for rebounds, averaging 42.1 per game.

Although Keene doesn’t exactly rank highly on the Broncos squad for rebounds — he ranks fourth on the team with 36 — the redshirt junior often finds himself in the mix and tipping the ball on for teammates. He had a couple of big tipped balls that allowed senior forward O’Mar Stanley to cash in on buckets against Saint Mary’s.

Those are the kind of plays that don’t show on the stat sheet but Rice finds so valuable.

“I think that’s a lot of things we lost with Max (Rice),” Rice said. “He was doing a lot of those kind of weird team plays, winning plays, that we talk about. And RJ brings that to the table.”

Of course, replacing Max Rice isn’t an easy ask. Max holds the record for most games played in Boise State history (160) and is among the program’s all-time top 10 in numerous key stats, such as defensive rebounds (eighth with 406) and 3-point field goals (seventh with 213).

It’s not just the on-the-court intangibles that Keene is bringing the Broncos, but off the court, too.

“I’m the connector, so I’m bringing the whole team together. I play the music off the court, I smile off the court, it’s just who I am,” Keene said Monday. “I think it’s a perfect role for me to help our team win. I’ll dive on the court, I’ll go get the rebounds I’m not supposed to get, and that’s fun to me.”

Keene hasn’t magically found himself in this role. He’s in his fourth year with the Broncos, but Rice has to remind himself sometimes that Keene is 22 years old and holds a position of influence among the team. Keene redshirted his freshman year and then was injured for his second season, meaning he didn’t even get to play his first game for Boise State until last season.

“He’s just matured,” Rice said. “Young guys have to go through stuff. Young guys make mistakes that they won’t make two years from now.”

Keene’s 30 minutes played against Saint Mary’s was a career high as he continues to build his role on the team.

“In college basketball, the older you are, the more the game slows down, and the better you play,” Keene said. “I just knew if I stuck it out, I’d get my chance eventually. And I mean, I’m starting to get my chance, I had career-high minutes, and I think I’m deserving of it.”

Keene will get a chance to build upon the Saint Mary’s game Tuesday night when the Broncos host Texas Southern at 7 p.m. at ExtraMile Arena. It’ll be Boise State’s final non-conference game before Mountain West play begins Saturday with a home matchup against Air Force.