Jace Whiting steps up in the absence of Marcus Shaver Jr. for the Boise State Broncos

BOISE, Idaho — Last spring when the Boise State Broncos hoisted the Mountain West Championship, Jace Whiting was watching half a world away.

"I was chomping at the bit to get back, it was really fun to watch them, but I was itching to be back and to be part of this team," said freshman Jace Whiting.

Jace Whiting is the all-time leading scorer in the history of Burley High School, but after graduating in 2020, he went over to Finland for two years to serve his LDS mission.

"I came back from the mission not really knowing what was ahead of me," said Whiting. "The first couple of game my legs were feeling pretty heavy and now they are feeling like they are in basketball shape again."

Coach Leon Rice also didn't know what to expect out of Jace, but when the Broncos leading scorer Marcus Shaver Jr. missed time with an injury, the Broncos needed someone to step up.

"We don’t win those three games without Shave without Jace doing what he’s done," said Rice who credited the work ethic of Whiting. "He didn’t make a shot for a couple of months, but I knew he would because he’s been putting in the time and he’s going to become an elite shooter."

Boise State has started the season 10-2 with wins over Washington State, Colorado and Texas A&M, they have won nine in a row and that's an impressive feat with all the newcomers Boise State has this year.

"We got this tough game against Santa Clara and then league, and it starts on the road at Nevada," said Rice. "We need to sharpen some things up and we are going to need everyone to get better."

The good news is Rice told us Shaver is close to returning and so far the veterans have meshed well with the fresh faces on this Boise State team.

"Everybody gets along super well," said Whiting. "It feels like one big family already we are always having fun joking in the locker room, like it feels like a brotherhood."

Boise State plays at Santa Clara at 3:00 p.m. at Thursday, then they play at Nevada on December 28 before returning home to face San Jose State on January 3.