Bleed Purple - March 2016 by Weber State Athletic Communications

THE MACHINE Four years of hard work have transformed Joel Bolomboy from a raw, athletic youngster into a double-double machine and a potential NBA first round draft pick.

PLUS...

EVOLUTION OF A POWER HITTER

MARCH

2016

MILESTONES FOR RANDY RAHE 2016 HALL OF FAME CLASS presented by

Volume 2, Issue 1

WeberStateSports.com

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STARTING LINEUP

CONTENTS

FEATURES 14 EVOLUTION OF A POWER HITTER Coaching and confidence has guided Alyson Kulp’s path to become one of the best hitters in the Big Sky Conference and to the top of the Weber State softball record books. BY JUSTIN JOHNSON

18 2016 HALL OF FAME CLASS

Five former athletes and one former coach were recently inducted into the Weber State Athletics Hall of Fame, while a former athlete also became the Hall’s first-ever Lifetime Achievement recipient. BY PAUL GRUA

26 RAHESING THE BAR

Over the last 10 years, Randy Rahe has followed his recipe of running a program the right way, and in the process he has reached uncharted milestones in the ranks of Big Sky Conference head basketball coaches. BY CHRIS J. MILLER

36 THE MACHINE

Four years of hard work have transformed Joel Bolomboy from a raw, athletic youngster into a double-double machine and a potential NBA first round draft pick. BY JIM BURTON

43 MADE OF STEAL

Over the last four years Regina Okoye has rewritten the WSU steals records while leading a turnaround in the success of the women’s basketball program. BY CORIE HOLMES

DEPARTMENTS

4 FROM THE A.D. 6 SNAPSHOTS 12 PLAYIN’ ON PURPLE with Jeremy Senglin 47 HIGH PERFORMANCE 49 COMPLIANCE CORNER 50 NAME GAME 52 TOP TWEETS

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43 WeberStateSports.com

ver the past few months, several current and former Wildcats have been rewarded with accolades, honors, and/or records, all of which accurately reflect their dedication to Weber State and their particular sports. On behalf of the staff of Bleed Purple magazine, I would like to extend a congratulations to each and every one of them. In January, the No. 22 jersey worn by Bruce Collins was lifted to the top of the Dee Events Center, taking its rightful place alongside the No. 35 of Willie Sojourner. Bruce and his teammates helped open the arena with a pair of Big Sky titles and three NCAA Tournament appearances over his four years, and he established a WSU career scoring mark that still stands today. One of Bruce’s teammates, Richard Smith, became the last of the group nicknamed “McCarthy’s Kids” to be inducted in into the WSU Athletics Hall of Fame, taking his place alongside Collins, David Johnson and Mark Mattos. Smith joined former Wildcat athletes Bruce Covernton (football), Crystal Howe (women’s basketball), Wiley King (track/ football), and Meagan Thunell (soccer), and former track & field and cross country coach Jim Blaisdell as the 2016 Hall of Fame class was inducted. The Weber State men’s basketball

program continued to add to its storied list of achievements over the past month as another pair continued to find success with the Purple and White. Senior power forward Joel Bolomboy became the school– and Big Sky Conference–all-time leader in rebounds, passing Sojourner’s long-held mark at WSU. Meanwhile, as the Wildcats’ men’s basketball team continued to have success as a group, the wins continued to add up for head coach Randy Rahe. Rahe recently became the alltime leader in Big Sky Conference games won, and he enters the final week of the 2015-16 regular season needing just two more wins to become Weber State’s all-time winningest coach. Rahe’s decade at the helm of Weber State has been done the right way, winning games with a clean program, graduating players and preparing young men for life. Weber State has been blessed to have had coaches like Rahe and Blaisdell, who have guided student-athletes like Collins, Smith, Howe, King, Thunell and Bolomboy. So to all of the recently honored Wildcats, congratulations....and thank you.

THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF WEBER STATE ATHLETICS presented by

Volume 2, Issue 1 Editor in Chief

Darin Hogge

Executive Editors

Paul Grua Chris J. Miller Corie Holmes

Creative Director

Darin Hogge

Contributing Writers

Chris J. Miller Jim Burton Corie Holmes Darin Hogge Paul Grua Jerry Bovee Julie Hansen Justin Johnson Will Pridemore

Photography

Robert Casey Darin Hogge Justin Johnson

Ad Director

Dave Champlain

EMAIL: WEBERSTATESPORTS@GMAIL.COM WEBSITE: WEBERSTATESPORTS.COM FACEBOOK: facebook.com/WeberStateAthletics TWITTER: @WeberState INSTAGRAM: WSUWildcats

Darin Hogge

Director of Digital Media and Publications

ON THE COVER

Four years of hard work has transformed Joel Bolomboy from a raw, athletic youngster into a double-double machine and a potential NBA first round draft pick. THE MACHINE Four years of hard work have transformed Joel Bolomboy from a raw, athletic youngster into a double-double machine and a potential NBA first round draft pick.

Feature on page 36.

PLUS...

EVOLUTION OF A POWER HITTER

MARCH

2016

MILESTONES FOR RANDY RAHE 2016 HALL OF FAME CLASS presented by

Volume 2, Issue 1

WeberStateSports.com

Photo by Robert Casey.

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From the A.D.

A Message from Jerry Bovee

his is the 4th edition of “Bleed Purple Magazine” and again I’m excited for you to explore a more in-depth understanding of the people that contribute in a variety of ways to the success of the Weber State Athletics program. In this issue you’ll learn more about Coach Randy Rahe, who this year became the winningest coach in Big Sky men’s basketball history and is on the verge of becoming the winningest coach in Weber State men’s basketball history. You will also learn more about men’s basketball all-conference player Joel Bolomboy, senior women’s basketball standout Regina Okoye and softball senior all-everything Alyson Kulp; That and much, much, more in this 4th installment of “Bleed Purple”. This past month was a difficult one as Weber State and the community of Ogden lost a great man in coach Jeff Smith who passed away February 16th after a courageous battle of Leukemia. “Smitty” as all who knew him called him, had served as the Head Women’s Golf Coach for 24 years and was also serving as the Director of Weber State men’s and women’s golf at the time of his passing. I say courageous because in large part, Smitty, fought the battle on his own, just the way he wanted to do it. Many were shocked to hear that he had battled this awful cancer, as he truly did not want others to know what he was dealing with. He did this primarily because, in his mind, 4

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it would be a distraction to us to be spending any time worrying about

“(Jeff Smith) inspired all of us who knew him to be a little better each day, a bit kinder, a bit more patient, a bit more understanding and above all a bit more of a servant leader. ”

him. As difficult as that is for many to understand, if you really knew Jeff Smith, you grasp it completely because that is just who he was at the core. Coach Smith came to see me about 18 months ago to let me know he was dealing with a “few” health issues, as he put it. I dug in a bit deeper, and after some time he admitted it was cancer, but in his words, “a no big deal cancer.” He also

made it clear that it was not my place to tell a soul and he asked that I keep his secret in confidence. As difficult as it was, I did as he asked. Over time he informed his family and just two weeks before his passing he shared with his team and others in the department and community what he was dealing with, but again it was under the premise that it was “no big deal,” and that he was responding well to the treatments. I came to admire Smitty for the wonderful qualities he exhibited. I have not met many people in my life that served others as he did! He is truly an inspiration to all of us as to how we should treat each other. There is not time here to tell the stories that could be told of his life. We will miss having Smitty around to pick us up when we fall down. His passing has left a void in our department that cannot be replaced, but it has also inspired all of us who knew him to be a little better each day, a bit kinder, a bit more patient, a bit more understanding and above all a bit more of a servant leader. Jeff Smith epitomizes what being a Wildcat really means. We’ll miss him, but we’ll all be better for having known him! Until next time, go Wildcats!

Jerry Bovee Weber State Director of Athletics

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March 2016

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Pole vaulter Shaelynn Wacaser clears the bar at the Weber State Indoor Invitational in WSUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Stromberg Complex in January. (Photo by Robert Casey)

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Joel Bolomboy throws down a dunk in a 74-62 Big Sky win over North Dakota on Jan. 7. The senior forward finished the game with 20 points and a career-high 23 rebounds. (Photo by Darin Hogge)

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Weber Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Austin Warner extends his lead foot over the final hurdle in the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 55 meter hurdles at the Weber State Indoor Invitational. (Photo by Robert Casey)

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with Jeremy Senglin Get to know men’s basketball’s Jeremy Senglin a little better as Corie Holmes met up with the star guard for another edition of Playin’ on Purple.

Playin’ On Purple: What’s your favorite memory or moment at Weber State? Jeremy Senglin: My favorite memory is when we won the Big Sky tournament and

won conference. Just that memory, not too many teams do that or accomplish that and I was there for that my freshman year. That memory will never go away.

P.O.P Who is your favorite athlete of all time and why? J.S. My favorite athlete of all time is Michael Jordan and that’s probably everyone’s

favorite athlete and it’s because of what he did. He was doing moves back then that people are just starting to do today so he was the future of basketball. And of course his shoes, I love his shoes and him as an athlete is just all good.

P.O.P. If you could have any super power what would it be and why? J.S. I would wanna be able to run super fast like Flash. Growing up he’s always been my favorite super hero. Not Superman, Superman is kinda like cheating to me because he’s unstoppable. So Flash, because I think I would wanna run fast.

P.O.P. Who is your celebrity crush? J.S. My celebrity crush is Beyoncé and it’s because growing up I always listened to her music with my sister and I loved her videos… The “Uh-Oh” dance, all those things she used to do. I always liked Beyoncé.

P.O.P. What is something that not very many people know about you? J.S. That I’m afraid of like insects, different kind of bugs, animals, creatures. I’m afraid

of all those little things, snakes, everything. Except dogs, I like little dogs. That’s the only thing I’m not scared of is little dogs. 12

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Weber State University

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EVOLUTION OF A

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POWER HITTER

Coaching and confidence has guided Alyson Kulp’s path to become one of the best hitters in the Big Sky Conference and to the top of the Weber State softball record books.

By JUSTIN JOHNSON onfidence. That’s the word that Alyson Kulp uses to best describe her ascent from a promising freshman to becoming the most prolific hitter in the brief history of Weber State softball. “I felt way more confident at going to the plate,” said Kulp after recording a school-record 78 hits to go along with a .396 batting average as a junior in 2015. “I just stepped into WeberStateSports.com

the box knowing that no pitcher can beat me. Going up with that mentality really helped me to believe that no matter what they threw at me, I could hit it.” Kulp was the tip of the spear on a Wildcat offense that shattered record after record during the 2015 season, culminating with a sweep of the Big Sky Conference tournament and the program’s first-ever berth in the NCAA Regionals. She is the Weber State career leader in hits,

runs scored, doubles, and RBI, and needs three more home runs and two more triples to become the Wildcats’ career leader in those two categories as well. The program’s previous singleseason hits record was 59, set by former Pacific Coast Softball Conference Player of the Year Lynsey Minnich during the 2012 season. Kulp passed that mark with nearly a month left in the season. “My mindset was different as I March 2016

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came up to the plate last year,” Kulp said. “Coach Amicone said when you get here, you want to have a routine at the plate; you want to do what makes you comfortable and what makes you relax, and going in to my junior year, I really took her words of wisdom to heart, and it led me to that record.” Kulp joined Weber State out of El Modena High School in Orange, Calif., in 2013, and was immediately an impact player for the Purple and

White as she started 44 out of 46 games, recording 30 hits and 14 RBI. It was the arrival of head coach Mary Kay Amicone in 2014 that saw Kulp turn that potential into power. “It’s really all about who she is,” Amicone said. “She is competitive in nature. She’s fiery and she wants to be the best. Any coaching point, she would take in and she’s a gifted athlete, so she would take in the information and come in and stay late. She wanted to be coached. She

wanted to work on things.” As a sophomore in 2014, Kulp hit .306 with 48 hits and 24 RBI, all double-digit percentage increases over her first season. It wasn’t just about more hits, but also the improvement in the power of her hitting. As a freshman, Kulp had seven extra-base hits, with five doubles, a triple, and a home run for a modest .286 slugging percentage. By the end of 2014, however, she was slugging .484 with five home runs and nine doubles. “I think it was mostly analyzing quality at-bats and looking for situations she could be successful in,” Amicone said. “She worked on any area she could to be better. Her improvement was a combination of more experience, more information, and wanting to be the best.” With two years of experience under her belt, including a full season under Amicone, Kulp realized her full potential as a hitter in 2015 as she scorched the Wildcats’ single-season offensive record books for 78 hits, which, coincidentally, was the exact number as her combined hits total of her first two seasons. And it wasn’t just hits, it was pure power. Of those 78 hits, 30 were for extra bases, with 20 doubles and nine home runs, as she slugged .645 with 49 RBI and 53 runs scored. A classic display of Kulp’s game-changing ability last season came in the Big Sky Conference tournament championship game Kulp’s leadoff home run against Sacramento State in the Big Sky Championship game last spring helped the Wildcats to a dominating 13-1 win and the school’s first-ever conference title.

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against Sacramento State. As the lead-off hitter, Kulp absorbed four pitches before smashing the fifth over the left field fence at Idaho State’s Miller Ranch Stadium, igniting what would eventually become a 13-1 win over the Hornets. “I got a lot stronger last year over winter break,” Kulp said. “I worked a lot harder, I worked out twice as much. (Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach) Andi Pigeon really helped build me up. “Since my freshman year, I’ve grown to be a better leader, so coming in this year, as a senior, I know my role and want to be an example. I’m going to work just as hard and keep going forward. I’m not going to focus on last year’s record, because that’s a closed book.” As Kulp turns her attention to this, her final season, with the Wildcats, she points to what she feels is the most critical part of her, and the teams’ success. “I think our chemistry starts from the top,” Kulp said. “We have a great coaching staff. I think they are doing a great job with the way they are coaching us. They are together as a unit, which builds our chemistry as a team to be together.” Weber State, after a record-setting 38-19 season in 2015, was picked first in the preseason coaches straw poll and the Wildcats are 9-7 through the first 16 games of the season. “I don’t think being picked first in the polls changes anything,” Kulp said. “Everyone can think what they want, but as long as we still come out going strong as a team, and working together as a team, we are a powerful unit, and if we stay together, we will be that much stronger.” WeberStateSports.com

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2016 ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME Five former athletes and one former coach were recently inducted into the Weber State Athletics Hall of Fame, while a former athlete also became the Hall’s first-ever Lifetime Achievement recipient.

By PAUL GRUA

From left to right: Meagan Thunell (Soccer), Jim Blaisdell (Track & Field/Cross Country coach), Crystal Howe (Basketball), Richard Smith (Basketball), Bruce Covernton (Football), Wiley King (Track & Field/Football).

ive former standout athletes and one former coach make up the 2016 class of inductees to the Weber State University Athletics Hall of Fame. The inductees were honored at the annual event on February 26. This year’s Hall of Fame inductees are: Jim Blaisdell (women’s track and field/cross country coach), 18

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Bruce Covernton (football), Crystal Howe (women’s basketball), Wiley King (men’s track and field and football), Richard Smith (men’s basketball) and Meagan Thunell (women’s soccer). In addition, former Weber State men’s basketball player and longtime college basketball head coach Ben Howland became the first-ever recipient of the Weber State

Athletics Lifetime Achievement Award.

Jim Blaisdell Jim Blaisdell spent 33 years (1981-2014) as the head coach of the Weber State women’s track and field program. He spent the last eight years of his career as the Director of Track and Field for the Wildcats WeberStateSports.com

Jim Blaisdell won 18 Big Sky titles as head coach of the Weber State track & field and cross country teams.

and was also the women’s cross country coach for 26 years. Blaisdell coached more than 1,000 athletes during his time at Weber State. In those 33 years as a head coach, Blaisdell led the Wildcats to 18 Big Sky Championships in indoor track, outdoor track and cross country. He has also guided the Wildcats to 31 second place finishes in conference meets. He led WSU to nine Big Sky Indoor Championships, capturing titles in 1984, 1991, 1992, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2012 and finished second nine times. WSU still holds the conference record by winning four-straight conference titles from 2002-05. The Wildcats won five outdoor titles under his watch with wins in 1992, 1993, 1998, 2000, and 2002 when the Wildcats set a Big Sky record with 242 points in route to winning the conference title by 111 points, also a conference record. In cross country, Weber State won four titles under Blaisdell, 1993, 1997, 2000 and 2006 and have finished second 12 times. He led the Wildcats to a top 10 finish in the NCAA Cross Country Mountain Region Championships in 25 of 26 meets, and finished in the top five 14 times. WeberStateSports.com

From 1990-2007, a span of 50 conference championships in cross country, indoor, and outdoor track, Weber State finished first or second 42 times. Blaisdell was named Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year 18 times during his career at WSU and was honored as the District VII Coach of the Year four times. He coached 28 All-Americans at Weber State and numerous All-Conference athletes. Bruce Covernton Bruce Covernton played four years of football at Weber State from 1988-91 for Mike Price and Dave Arslanian. Coverton came to WSU out of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and originally joined the Wildcats as a defensive lineman. His first two seasons were spent as a defensive

linemen with the Wildcats and he started all 11 games as a sophomore. After his sophomore season, the player nicknamed “Tuna” moved to

the offensive line and became an anchor to the Wildcat offense. His final two seasons as an offensive tackle on the left side of the line, Covernton blocked for Jamie Martin won the Walter Payton Trophy in 1991 as the nation’s top player. In his senior season of 1991, Covernton earned First Team All-American honors as he helped lead Weber State to an 8-4 record and the Wildcats advanced to the NCAA I-AA Playoffs for just the second time in school history. Martin led the nation in total offense that year, throwing for more than 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns. After leaving Weber State, Covernton was drafted with the first overall pick in the 1992 Canadian Football League Draft by the Calgary Stampeders. He played in 72 games in seven years in the CFL. He was on the offensive line for Stampeder quarterbacks Jeff Garcia and Doug Flutie. Crystal Howe Crystal Howe played four years for the Weber State women’s basketball team from 2000-03 and was part of the Wildcat teams that won two Big Sky titles and twice advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Howe, a native of Roy, joined head coach Carla Taylor’s squad as a freshman in 1999-2000. As a freshman she averaged 11.6 points and led the team at 7.7 rebounds per game. She also led the Big Sky in field goal percentage at 51.6 percent and was named the Big Sky Freshman of the Year, one of just two Wildcats to ever win the award. She averaged 14.4 points and 10.1 rebounds a game as a sophomore and earned All-Big Sky honors. As a junior during the 2001-02 season, Howe averaged a career-best 15.2 March 2016

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points and 7.2 rebounds a game and once again earned First Team All-Big Sky honors. That season she helped lead the Wildcats to an 11-3 conference record and their first Big Sky title in school history. The Wildcats won the Big Sky Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. As a senior in 2002-03, Howe averaged 12.4 points and 9.5 rebounds a game, once again earned first team All-Big Sky honors and the Wildcats repeated as Big Sky Champions and once again advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Howe appeared in 119 career games at Weber State, the fourth most games played in school history. She started in 108 games and started every game of her final three seasons. She still ranks sixth in scoring in school history with 1,597 career points. She is also third in WSU history in rebounds with 1,042 and ranks fourth in field goals made, fifth in free throws and eighth in career 20

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blocks. She is one of just three players in Weber State history to earn Big Sky All-Conference first team honors three times.

Wiley King Wiley King came to Weber State as a freshman for the Wildcat track and field and football teams in 2002. Four years later, he finished his career as one of the top athletes in school and conference history. King was a two-sport standout at Weber State, competing four years for the Wildcat track and field and football teams from 2002-06. He was honored as the 43rd best male athlete in Big Sky Conference history. King ranks as one of the top track and field athletes in Weber State and Big Sky Conference history. King won 13 Big Sky individual titles, winning six in indoor track and seven in outdoor track. He currently holds seven Weber State school records and is the Big Skyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career leading scorer at both the indoor and outdoor championships. In indoor track, King won Big Sky Athlete of the Meet in all four Big Sky Championships he competed in

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and scored a conference record 115 points in those four meets. As a freshman in 2002, he scored 23 points, won the long jump title and helped the Wildcats to the team title with a conference record 170.5 points. The following year, he scored 26 points, won the 55 meter hurdles and finished second in the long jump and high jump. As a junior in 2004, King set a then-conference record with 35 points by winning the 55 meters and 55 meter hurdles and helped lead the Wildcats to the team title. During his senior year of 2006, he scored 31 points and finished first in the long jump and heptathlon. He also earned All-American honors by finishing sixth in the Heptathlon at the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championships. In outdoor track he scored 108 career points in the conference meets, captured seven Big Sky titles and was twice named Athlete of the Meet. As a freshman in 2002 he won the triple jump as the Wildcats won the conference title with 215.5 points and in 2003 he won the title in the 110 meter hurdles. During his junior year of 2004, King set a conference record with 42 points, winning the title in the 100 meters, 110 meter hurdles and the 200 meters and the Wildcats won the team title. As senior in 2006 he won the title in the 100 meters and 110 meter hurdles. Under the coaching of Chick Hislop and Dan Walker, King was a part of five Big Sky Championship teams and he still ranks as the only athlete in Big Sky Conference history to score 100 career points in the indoor and outdoor championships. King still holds Weber State school records in the 55 meter hurdles, 60 meters, 60 meter hurdles, 100 meters, 110 meter hurdles, long WeberStateSports.com

jump and heptathlon and ranks in the top 10 in four other events. He not only starred on the track, King also played 41 career games for the Weber State football team from 2002-05 as a wide receiver and kick returner, playing for Jerry Graybeal and Ron McBride. He still ranks third in Weber State history in career kickoff returns with 98 for an average of 20.7 yards per return. He is also ninth in school history in career all-purpose yards with 3,294.

Richard Smith Richard Smith played four years of basketball for the Wildcats from 1976-80 and was part of some of the best teams in school history. Under head coach Neil McCarthy, Smith helped lead the Wildcats to two Big Sky titles, three Big Sky

Tournament titles and three trips to the NCAA Tournament. He came to Weber State as a freshman for the 1976-77 season out of Green River, Wyo. The 7-0 center was joined that year by three other freshmen who, over the next four years, would form one of the strongest groups of players Weber State has ever seen. Smith joined freshman Bruce Collins from Rock Springs, Wyo., David Johnson from Loomis, Calif., and Mark Mattos from Santa Barbara, Calif. Those four players, who would become known as “McCarthy’s Kids”, combined to appear in 437 games in their four seasons as Wildcats. They won two Big Sky titles, three Big Sky Tournament titles, went to three NCAA Tournaments, and formed a strong bond that continued long after their careers

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team All-Conference honors as a senior in 1980. During his four years the Wildcats posted a 90-30 overall record. He finished his career with 1,158 career points, at the time the fifthbest in scoring in school history. He now ranks 17th in career scoring and is fifth all-time in career rebounding with 764 rebounds. Smith was drafted in the seventh round of the 1980 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. In 2013, he was named to the Weber State 50th Anniversary team along with his McCarthy Kids teammates Collins, Johnson and Mattos.

ended. Smith played in 18 games and started just one game as a freshman but over the next three years, he started in all but two games as a center for the Wildcats. As a sophomore in 1977-78, he averaged 10.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game as Weber State moved into the brand new, 11,500 seat Dee Events Center. That year the Wildcats finished third in the regular season but won the tournament title in Montana and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. As a junior in 1978-79, Smith stared in all 34 games and averaged 14.4 points and led the team in rebounding at 9.1 per game and field goal percentage. The ‘Cats finished 25-9, won the conference title and again advanced to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated New Mexico State in the first round before falling to Arkansas. 22

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McCarthy’s Kids became seniors for the 1979-80 season and that year still ranks as one of the best in Weber State history. The Wildcats finished 26-3 and captured another Big Sky title, finishing 13-1 in league play. Weber State had an 18-game winning streak during the season, still a school record, and was ranked as high as 15th in the nation in the AP polls, the only season in school history Weber State has been nationally ranked. The Wildcats hosted Lamar in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Dee Events Center but lost 87-86. Smith started all 29 games as a senior and averaged 11.6 points and a team-best 7.0 rebounds per game that season. For his career he played in 109 games for the Wildcats. He earned first team All-Big Sky honors as a junior in 1979 and earned second

Meagan Thunell Meagan Thunell has been associated with Weber State women’s soccer for more than 15 years. She played four years for the Wildcats as a goalkeeper from 1998-2001, helping lead the Wildcats to two Big Sky Championships. She has spent the past 11 years an assistant coach at Weber State. Thunell joined the Wildcats as a freshman goalkeeper in 1998, the third year of Weber State soccer. As a freshman that season she helped lead Weber State to a 17-3 record and its first-ever Big Sky title. She was named Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year that season and finished fourth in the nation in goals-against average. She also set a school record with 15 wins that season and only allowed seven goals during the year, a Weber State single-season record. As a sophomore in 1999, she set a school scoreless streak spanning seven straight games without allowing a goal. She allowed 23 goals that season and was named the Big Sky Conference Defensive MVP, one of three players in school history to WeberStateSports.com

earn that honor. In her junior season she set a school record with 130 saves and also was named to the NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-America team. During her senior year of 2001, she led the Wildcats to a 6-0 Big Sky record and another conference title. Thunell played in 67 games and started 65 games in her career and still holds Weber Stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career record with 31 wins. She is also the career leader in saves with 411, which is the second most in Big Sky history. She also ranks third in shutouts with 19.5, fourth most in BSC history. She earned Big Sky All-Conference first team honors three times in her career and holds five WSU single-season records. She has spent the past 11 seasons as an assistant coach under Tim Crompton with the Wildcats. As an assistant she has been a part of three Big Sky Championship teams at Weber State.

Ben Howland Ben Howland will receive the firstever Weber State Athletics Lifetime Achievement Award. Howland played two seasons of college basketball at Weber State and has since become one of the most successful college basketball coaches in the country. Howland played two seasons at Santa Barbara City College before joining coach Neil McCarthy for two seasons at Weber State from 1977-79. He played in 62 games in his two seasons with the Wildcats, started 39 games, and helped lead the Wildcats to Big Sky Championships in each of his two seasons. He averaged nine points and three assists per game and the Wildcats compiled a 44-19 record in his two seasons. He was named Team Defensive MVP WeberStateSports.com

both seasons and helped the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament each year, playing alongside Hall of Famer members Bruce Collins, David Johnson, Mark Mattos and Richard Smith. He graduated from Weber State in 1979 with a degree in Physical Education. Following his Weber State career Howland went into the coaching ranks. His first stop was Gonzaga University where he became a graduate assistant coach in 1981, helping coach future Hall of Famer John Stockton. He got his first full-time coaching job at UC Santa Barbara where he spent 12 seasons as an assistant coach. His first head coaching job came in the Big Sky at Northern Arizona where he spent five years (1995-99) and led the Lumberjacks to the 1997 Big Sky Championship. In 1998, he led NAU to the Big Sky Tournament title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. Howland then became the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh in the Big East Conference. In his four seasons (2000-03) at Pitt, Howland compiled an 89-40 record

and was 57-11 in his final two seasons with the Panthers, including being ranked as high as second in the country. In 2002 he guided Pittsburgh to a school-record 29 wins and was named the National Coach of the Year. In 2003, he was named the head coach at national powerhouse UCLA. In 10 seasons with the Bruins, he led UCLA to seven NCAA Tournaments, highlighted by three-consecutive Final Four appearances. He also led the Bruins to four Pac-10 titles. While at UCLA, he became one of three coaches in NCAA history to win at least 30 games in three consecutive seasons joining Adolph Rupp and John Calipari. In 2015, he returned to coaching, becoming the head coach at Mississippi State in the SEC. In his 19 years as a head coach Howland has more than 400 career victories and has led his teams to the NCAA Tournament 10 times, to the Sweet 16 five times, and the Final Four three times. Howland and his wife Kim, a former Weber State cheerleader, have two children, Meredith and Adam, and one grandson.

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RAHESING THE BAR Over the last 10 years, Randy Rahe has followed his recipe of running a program the right way, and in the process he has reached uncharted milestones in the ranks of Big Sky Conference head basketball coaches.

By CHRIS J. MILLER

ud Heathcote. Dick Motta. Mike Montgomery. Herb Williams. Phil Johnson. Stew Morrill. Neil McCarthy. Larry Krystkowiak. Don Monson. Ben Howland. Ron Abegglen. The Big Sky Conference boasts a roll call of some of the coaching greats in college and pro basketball. Add Randy Rahe to that list, whether he wants you to or not. Rahe coached his 313th game at Weber State University last week -- passing McCarthy for the most in school history -- and has now picked up his 204th victory in 10 years. With two more wins, Rahe will become the all-time winningest coach at Weber State. With two victories at home on Feb. 11 and 13, Rahe surpassed Mick Durham and them all for the most wins ever in Big Sky play (128 and counting). “I don’t know all the milestones,’’ Rahe reflected recently while sitting in his office at the Dee Events Center. “I really don’t pay attention to them. “What we try to do is go about our business every day, and try to work really hard, hopefully do it the right way and hopefully have some success.’’ Some success, indeed. In their 10th season, Rahe and his staff have won four Big Sky championships, WeberStateSports.com

with a fifth in their sights. “I remember 10 years ago, telling (then-WSU) President (Ann) Millner that we want to run a program where we can have it all. I think you can have it all: Have kids that want to be here, get their education and graduate, have kids that represent your university the right way, run a program that’s NCAA compliant, and have success doing all those things,’’ he said. While some programs around the country skip some of those steps, Rahe is pleased with the character and integrity of his players, their relationship with the administration

and the community. “And have at least enough success that they’ll want to keep you around doing it that way,’’ he added. “The key to Randy’s success, I think, is he’s not bigger than the program,” WSU Director of Athletics Jerry Bovee said. “He supports the other teams and programs here at the University. He understands how he fits in. “Randy has been around winners in his career, and has taken positives from them and added them to his plan,’’ Bovee added. “He deserves all the milestones he’s achieving. I hope he’s around long enough to

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“I understand you have to win, but I want to have everything else at a high standard. I’m never satisfied. I always want to win more. I know we’ve got quality kids.’’ double all those records.’’ Talented players, a strong philosophy and perseverance are the keys to Randy Rahe’s decade of success. So, too, is Rahe’s support system. Paying his dues An Iowa native, Rahe loved playing baseball and basketball growing up in Bancroft. “I thought I was going to be a major league baseball player, until I figured out I couldn’t hit a breaking ball,’’ he said. Rahe was a two-sport athlete at Buena Vista College. He earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education. “I knew I wanted to be a coach, a teacher and a coach – and did that for a few years. I really loved coaching high school, and still stay in touch with kids I taught in fifth grade,’’ he said. “I kind of fell into college coaching.’’

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After working summer camps in the Midwest, learning to be a better coach as well as developing contacts in the profession, Rahe was offered a position at Colorado College. “He told me the pay would be $1,200. I thought, ‘I’m single, I can live on $1,200 a month,’ ’’ Rahe remembered. “He said, ‘No, the pay is $1,200 a year.’ “But I wanted to give it a go, jumped to that, and one thing led to another.’’ Over the next few years, Rahe worked on the staffs at the University of Colorado and Denver University, was let go when one head coach was fired, spent a season on one staff without a salary, and paid the bills by working summer camps and clinics. Then a pair of influential men gave

him his break. “Coach Boyd Grant, a man I got to know at Colorado State camps, got me on board with Stew Morrill. And Stew gave me the break my career needed,’’ Rahe added. From 1990 to 2004, Morrill and Rahe found success at Colorado State and Utah State. In 2004-2005, Rahe joined Ray Giacoletti at the University of Utah, helping the Utes reach the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. A year later, Rahe was hired as the Wildcats’ next head coach. Dynamic duo As important as family and togetherness is to Rahe and his basketball squad, it’s the foundation of his own family, which includes wife Laura and teenage sons Luke and Kade. It’s where the balance that makes Rahe successful developed.

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“Family is the most important thing in my life, and I hope that’s made me a better coach,” Rahe said. “Laura brought balance to me, and helped me understand how important family and balance is. I love her to death for that.” The pair first met, of course, on the basketball court. She was coaching a girls prep game in Colorado; he was there to scout a player in the following contest. “I was impressed with her, so being the courageous guy that I am, I went home and wrote her a letter,” Randy joked. But they did eventually get to know each other. The pair learned they both had Iowa roots and similar goals. “Thank God we met. To be the wife of a coach takes a special person. I wouldn’t be coach of the year if it wasn’t for her,” he added. In truth, Laura Rahe might not be the talented college basketball official she is, if not for her husband. “Randy is so passionate about coaching, he truly loves it. But he’s always been a No. 1 support for me (as an official),” Laura said. “After a tough game, I really appreciate his love and support. He makes our home complete. “Randy’s much better at folding laundry than me,” she joked. While Randy developed his coaching philosophy, Laura developed her skills as a top-notch hoops official, working chiefly in the Mountain West Conference as well as several smaller leagues. She’s been fortunate to work a couple of NCAA Tournament games. “And she’s never missed a call,” Randy throws in. The two don’t often discuss where their two professions cross paths, but when they do, it’s productive. “Laura’s always watching game WeberStateSports.com

tapes, she puts her heart and soul into it. When she’s working, she’s got great rapport with the coaches and kids on the court,” Randy offers. “The big thing with me is she helps me see the game and understand the game through an official’s eyes. She’s educating me on what they’re looking for, whose call it is. She’s settled me down. Basketball’s an emotional game, and the officials are trying to do the best they can.” “Laura has helped Randy develop that balance in life,” Bovee said. “She has achieved that balance as well with her officiating and her work

Randy and his wife Laura have always been very supportive of each other’s careers and the pair have found a nice balancing point as head coach and referee, husband and wife, and as parents of two young boys.

here on campus. The Rahes represent the University well. They’re great members of the community.” Randy’s eyes light up when talking about his sons, both adopted during their time in Logan. “Luke is a sophomore at St. Joseph Catholic High School, and his favorite sport is baseball, like his dad. We

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have a batting cage out in the back yard and it’s fun to watch him. “Kade, the youngest, loves to play tennis, and is an old soul. They are both adopted, but we are so blessed to have them as part of our lives,” Randy added. “Laura’s responsible for our boys turning out the way they are,” Randy said. “She understands coaching; how hard it is, but also how great it is. I think she understands the emotions that I go through. I hope that’s made me a better coach.” “I wish people knew that Randy loves to have fun with his family,” Laura reflects. “We could have a lot of fun if he didn’t work so much.” But he does, and Laura supports that drive. “Early on, he was so determined to become a coach. We had to put some boundaries on time; he would work 24/7 if he could. But he’s grown,” said Laura, who works at Weber State year-round as an instructor and supervisor of student-teachers in WSU’s education program. “We are both in tune to the coaching profession.” Laura, herself a former college basketball player as well, sees the growth in Randy’s coaching philosophy. “It’s actually become easier for him as a head coach, because of the repetitions. Randy has become good with the patterns of coaching, knowing which players to push hard, and which players to push differently,” she said. “Randy genuinely cares about these kids and wants to help them make an impact beyond the game.” Building the program This year’s Wildcat squad is similar to some of the most successful over the past decade. Led by league player of the year candidate Joel Bolomboy and Jeremy Senglin, 30

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Weber State built momentum in a tough preseason, then got on a roll in Big Sky play. An eight-game winning streak and home dominance helped the Wildcats start Big Sky play in a strong manner. The ’Cats are 14-2 in league play (22-7 overall), and are in first place following a home win over Montana. Now come the dog days of league play, followed by the Big Sky Conference tourney in Reno, and hopefully, postseason games. “We have some younger kids this year, but I like where we are,’’ Rahe

said. The ’Cats are coming off a subpar season in which WSU finished with a 13-17 overall record. Their season ended in the Big Sky semifinals. “We knew last year was going to be tough. We had to remove some kids that didn’t fit our culture,’’ Rahe said. “I saw it coming and tried to get some junior college kids. We just didn’t have the right personnel. And that’s my responsibility.’’ That doesn’t mean the 2014-15 season was a bust. “I actually enjoyed coaching a lot

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last year, because even though we didn’t have the right personnel; they tried really hard,’’ Rahe said. “I enjoyed coming to practice every day.’’ The last two seasons also illustrate Rahe’s philosophy, win or lose. “I understand you have to win, but I want to have everything else at a high standard,’’ he said. “I’m never satisfied. I always want to win more. I know we’ve got quality kids.’’ The development begins in recruiting. “We talk about it a lot then. We recruit players that have character and integrity,’’ Rahe said “It’s all based on character, trust and togetherness. We recruit to those three areas.’’ The process is the same with every student-athlete, from the first recruits when he took over the program, to NBA All-Star Damian Lillard, to the current roster. “We recruit kids that have character and integrity, then it’s up to us to develop a relationship so that we have trust,’’ Rahe said. “With trust and relationship, they’ll do what we want them to do. Then you can coach them hard. When they know we love them and trust them, that togetherness comes and they mesh well.”

and accountable for everything they do, even if they’re late a minute to practice,’’ he added. Decade of memories Rahe believes the Big Sky Conference is as strong as ever. “I think every program has gotten better. There have been some coaching changes and better players. When I got here there were maybe 3-4 teams you had to worry about, but it’s not like that anymore,” Rahe said. “There has been great parity the last 3-4 years. It’s not just us and Montana.” Rahe remembers being a bit intimidated when he was hired. “I wasn’t the most qualified for the job,” said Rahe. “They took a chance on me; I didn’t think there was any way I would get the job. Then I looked back, first at the coaches at Weber State (Motta, Johnson, Gene Visscher, McCarthy, Abegglen, Joe Cravens). It really drove me to make sure I upheld that standard. The staff feels like we have a responsibility of the tradition at Weber State.” Then there are the many outstanding

my name with that group,” Rahe said. “It’s been amazing.” The memories over the past 9½ seasons come flooding back. It started with a huge challenge. “The first season we had was a surprise, had to sign 10 new kids,” Rahe recalled. “It was April 1 when I got the job, and I told my wife we’ve got three players on our roster. She asked, don’t you need five to play. So I said ‘I’ll see you in a month,’ and

Rahe relies on a strong group of assistant coaches, including Eric Duft, who has been with the Wildcats for 10 seasons as well. “I have wonderful assistants. We hold the players to a high standard

coaches who spent time in the Big Sky. “Every year, you want to make sure you are where you want to be,” the four-time BSC coach of the year said. “It’s not possible for me to put

went recruiting. “We signed 10 kids and that group set the tone of how we want to run a program. I have great admiration for that team. They set a foundation.” Led by Big Sky MVP David Patten,

Randy found success early in his career at Weber State, winning the Big Sky Championship his first season.

“I’m an old school guy and believe that our main mission is to bring in kids and help them to understand how to grow into men and give ’em a chance to try to get them to be successful husbands and fathers and people when they walk out of here. That’s as important as anything.”

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“Coach Rahe had so much energy and enthusiasm. He inspired us from our very first meeting. I really enjoyed the experience.”

--David Patten

the Wildcats won 20 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament, something they’ve done three times since. “Coach Rahe had so much energy and enthusiasm,” Patten recalled. “He inspired us from our very first meeting. I really enjoyed the experience.” Patten remembers the Wildcats were overmatched in their NCAA game against UCLA, an eventual Final Four squad that season. “A lot of his coaching principles are the same as they were that first year,” said Patten, now the color commentator for WSU basketball on the radio. “But he’s always seeking to refine them, just like he taught us to do. I certainly have a lot of respect for him. “If he told me to run to the end of the room and back right now, I

would do it,” Patten added. “My senior year with him was a great experience.” “You look back to the years we won championships (2007, 2009, 2010, 2014),” Rahe reflects. I thought the 30-win season (2012-13, 30-7) was a fun year; we had a really good team. For the kids to bounce back from the (Big Sky tournament championship) loss – was special.” Former Standard-Examiner sports writer Roy Burton has followed Rahe’s career for more than a dozen years, starting with his USU years under Morrill. “I was always intrigued by the similarities between Stew and Randy’s coaching styles and personalities – and their differences,” Burton said. “One thing they had in common was an intense focus on ‘win our next game’ and no interest in talking

about anything beyond that.” While they ran similar systems and use some of the same play sets, “Randy’s teams had a little more freedom to improvise,” Burton said. “But they both are extremely efficient. USU and Weber State each led the country in shooting percentage at different times when I was covering them.” “Stew and Randy are both obsessed with preparation, which Stew says comes from being a world class worrier,” Burton said. “Randy once told me he wanted to hire an assistant who was ‘nervous,’ someone who would see things before they happened and take care of a problem before it became a problem.” Bovee agrees. “Randy has a way of keeping his players on edge. He’s grown in his understanding of how each athlete can be motivated,” Bovee said. “I think he really loves the process of bringing guys in and developing them. For Randy, it’s not about the outcome but staying involved in the process. He really believes the results will take care of themselves.” There are a decade of other memories for Rahe. And players, including league MVPs like Lillard, Patten, McCoy and Davion Berry. All-leaguers like Scott Bamforth, Many of the Wildcats that have come through the program over the last decade continue to remain in close contact with their former coach, including NBA star Damian Lillard.

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Dezmon Harris and Kyle Bullinger. Patten recalls an impromptu dunk contest the Wildcats staged that first year in a pre-game shootaround. “Coach Rahe said he wanted to dunk it, so Steve Panos and I tossed him toward the basket, expecting he would hang on the rim after he was done,” Patten said. “Unfortunately, he dropped from 10 feet straight onto his back. “But Coach jumped right up, excited to be part of the contest,” he added. “That’s the kind of guy you want to play for.” “I think the years when Damian was with us (2009-2012), and to see how he grew as a player and everything he did for our program was pretty special,” Rahe remembers. “Then two years ago, to win the championship with a team I wasn’t sure could win it was pretty special,”

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he added. “There are some fond memories for sure.” “The things that really jump out are the kids that come in to your program as 18-year old kids and walk out as men. “I’m an old school guy and believe that our main mission is to bring in kids and help them to understand how to grow into men and give ’em a chance to try to get them to be successful husbands and fathers and people when they walk out of here,” Rahe said. “That’s as important as anything. “Damian is an obvious one, but I’m proud of them all. I stay in touch with all of them. I get texts from all of the guys when I get a big win -from Brody van Brocklin, who started with me, to Damian to Kyle Bullinger and the others. “We talk about the wins and some

of the coaching stuff, but really everything. These are life-long relationships.” “I’m always glad to see him,” Patten added. “I’m proud of the winning, but also the kind of kids we have,” Rahe concluded. “We have a great administration here at Weber State, from Jerry Bovee to (Vice-President for Administrative Services) Norm Tarbox, to University President (Charles) Wight and President Millner before him. Jerry has been very instrumental in helping me stay here and we want to be here as long as I can. Ogden is a blue-collar community and I like to think that’s who I am, a blue-collar guy. “I wake up every day and know how lucky and blessed I am to be the head basketball coach at Weber State.”

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Jeff Smith Memorial Golf Scholarship Fund

Jeff Smith was the Director of Golf at Weber State for 24 years. Smitty’s positive attitude and genuine selflessness made a lasting impression on everyone that came to know him. Please join with us in honoring his memory by donating to the Jeff Smith Memorial Golf Scholarship Fund, which will benefit both the men’s and women’s golf programs at Weber State. Visit WeberStateSports.com, click here, or contact the Wildcat Club at 801-626-6576 to contribute. 34

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THE MACHINE Four years of hard work have transformed Joel Bolomboy from a raw, athletic youngster into a double-double machine and a potential NBA first round draft pick.

by JIM BURTON

oel Bolomboy is making a lot of noise these days, which is sort of strange considering the 6-foot-9, 235-pound Weber State basketball star is as soft spoken as he is humble. The senior power forward from Fort Worth, Texas is one of the top players in the Big Sky Conference and he currently ranks third nationally in rebounding, averaging better than 13 boards a game for the Wildcats. Although he was not considered a great offensive player when he came to play for coach Randy Rahe, Bolomboy’s hours of hard work in the gym have transformed him into a two-way player. This season he is averaging nearly 18 points a contest, which puts him among the Big Sky’s top 10 scorers. “I think the second I stepped on this campus, on my official (recruiting) visit, I knew from that moment I wanted to commit and come here one day,” Bolomboy said. “Everything that the coaches have promised me has come true. I’ve had to put in the work, but I’ve had great success just because of the coaching staff here. The teammates I’ve been around, they’re great people. They push me, they challenge me to be my best everyday ” Because his personality is as far from obnoxious as Fort Worth is

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from Kiev, Ukraine – his birthplace – Bolomboy isn’t a big talker. As evidenced by the above comments, he is very loyal – he declined offers to play for more high-profile programs because Weber State showed early interest in him – and

remarkably humble. He’s also really, really good. So good, in fact, that he’s all over the NBA radar. His name has begun appearing in mock drafts all over the Internet, and in much the same way former

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“He brings those things that translate. He’s tough, he’s athletic, he rebounds. And the best thing about him is, he still has a long ways to go. He can still get so much better.”

-- Randy Rahe

Wildcat and current Portland Trail Blazer Damian Lillard drew NBA scouts and executives to the Dee Events Center, Bolomboy has been attracting attention of his own. “There’s a lot of (NBA scouts) who come watch him,” Rahe said. “Obviously he’s getting some attention, the NBA guys are coming through. I’m sure everybody’s looking at him and trying to evaluate him right now. I think if he keeps playing the way he’s been playing, I think he’ll get an opportunity. I really think he can play at that level.” Rahe is quick to point out exactly why he believes Bolomboy can make the jump to the next level. He

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certainly possesses the measurable things the scouts look for, namely good size and strength. But, Rahe said, Bolomboy also has the intangible skills that can’t necessarily be coached. “He brings those things that translate,” he said. “He’s tough, he’s athletic, he rebounds. And the best thing about him is, he still has a long ways to go. He can still get so much better.” It’s interesting to note the obvious affection Bolomboy has for Rahe and Bolomboy will leave Weber State with more rebounds than any other player in Big Sky Conference history, having pulled down over 1,200 boards.

his coaching staff. He credits them for making him into the player he is now. And yet Rahe, on the other hand, practically beams when talking about Bolomboy, crediting his transformation to strong character and good work ethic. The truth, of course, lies in the middle. Bolomboy came to Ogden with a tremendous upside. He had great athleticism and a natural knack for rebounding that cannot be taught. But he was still raw, skinny and lacking in an offensive skillset. Knowing that Bolomboy already had a strong work ethic, Rahe and his assistants pushed their young pupil to refine his skills.

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“His first year or two he couldn’t do much (on offense),” Rahe said. “He’d turn the ball over left and right.” The key to Bolomboy’s improvement, Rahe said, was getting a better feel for the game. That’s something that Bolomboy has added the Weber State all-time blocked shots record to his list of accomplishments, with over 170 in his career.

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sounds relatively easy, but in actuality, it can be a painstaking process. “What he needed to improve on was his feel for the game and his skill level – passing, ball-handling … all that stuff,” Rahe said. “Obviously (he needed) low-post work because he couldn’t score with his back to the basket and he couldn’t shoot jumpers.”

Rahe said it all became a process of seeing Bolomboy make incremental progress along the way. “Now to see him where he’s gotten a lot better at scoring on the block, he’s gotten better at shooting the ball on the perimeter (it’s gratifying),” Rahe said. “He feels the game much better, I mean he sees it coming. His first years the game was so fast for him because when you’re a guy that doesn’t really feel the game very well, guys are moving (around the court) and you don’t know why they’re moving where they’re moving. Now he sees the game much, much better. It’s been fun to watch him.” Bolomboy’s commitment to the Wildcats, and to himself, was evident in how hard he worked to get better. He stayed in Ogden during most the offseason, returning to Texas only briefly, before getting back in the gym. “Back to the basket, driving, passing, shooting, finishing,” Bolomboy said, rattling off a list of skills he worked on. “Everything you can think of. Conditioning, rebounding … everything.” His workouts were often broken up into days spent focusing on specific skills and other days spent taking jumpshots … lots of jumpshots. “On the shooting days, the minimum would be, like, 400 (shots),” he said. When asked about the personal gratification that comes from seeing all that hard work turn into something special, Bolomboy offered a slight grin and a typically quiet response. Indeed, the sort of quiet-but-confident response one might expect from a man who is more comfortable letting his game make all the noise. “Yeah,” he said. “I can definitely tell it paid off.” WeberStateSports.com

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MADE OF STEAL Over the last four years Regina Okoye has rewritten the WSU steals records, and in the process has led a turnaround in the success of the women’s basketball program.

By CORIE HOLMES

egina Okoye is a senior and captain on this year’s women’s basketball team at Weber State. Okoye’s love for basketball started long before her time at Weber State. “I was always playing with my WeberStateSports.com

brothers on our street when we were kids,” Okoye said “We got one of those little standard rims and we would drag it out and play in the road. We would get all of our neighbors involved and we’d just play. After a while I thought, “Ok, maybe I’m alright at this.”

When she hit middle school Okoye realized basketball could help provide a future for her. “When I reached middle school is when I was on a competitive team,” Okoye said. “Just from there I played more and more and fell in love with it. I tried to get on little March 2016

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AAU teams and build up my skills and it was fun. “Playing basketball in college was always something I wanted to do. My coaches told me I had the skill sets to go to college and then I kept working on it. I wanted to be able to look back and say that I was a college athlete.” Weber State wasn’t the only program that wanted Okoye. She received several letters from different schools and she was excited at all the future possibilities. “I saw the one from Weber State and thought, “What is Weber? What is Utah?” she said. “I totally put it to the side but Coach Ord kept calling me and calling me and coming to my games and I finally broke and decided to look into it. I came on a visit and I fell in love with it. I loved the mountains, they were green and colorful. The coaching staff and players really sold it for me.” The 2012-13 season was a rough season in Wildcat history. The women’s basketball team ended that season with a 0-29 record. That was also Okoye’s freshman year. “As we started losing it got really hard for me and the rest of my teammates,” she said. “I knew coming in it wouldn’t be easy and that we were trying to build up our program. I kept looking toward the future. I had to keep telling myself “this will get better, this is just the

beginning and things will turn around for us. “That’s what really drove me even through all the hard times. I wanted to give up a lot. I wanted to transfer to a different school but I saw the brighter picture. I saw the light at the end of the tunnel and it has gotten progressively better every year. As a junior in 2014-15 Okoye

stole her way through the record books. Okoye led the nation in steals averaging 3.68 per game and had 107 on the season. With her outstanding defensive efforts, Okoye broke every steals record in the Weber State record books. She had 10 steals against San Diego on December, 5, 2014 breaking the single game steals record and her 107 season total

In addition to becoming the Weber State all-time steals leader, Okoye has been a consistent threat on the offensive end of the floor for the Wildcats and recently joined the 1,000-point club. 44

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broke the single season steals record. By the end of her junior year Okoye had amassed 267 becoming the all-time career leader in steals. This year Okoye has amassed 45 steals averaging 2.64 per game. She has reached 300 career steals, the first athlete in Weber State men and women’s basketball history to hit the milestone and

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the fourth ever athlete to break 300 in the Big Sky Conference. “Leading the nation in steals was one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever experienced in my life,” she said. “Once I was on a roll, I got hungry for it and wanted more and more. I definitely attribute my success to my teammates that put me in a good position to do what I needed to do. It never was just

me, it was a team effort.” In January of 2016, Okoye became the 17th Wildcat in school history to hit 1,000 career points. She is currently the team’s top scorer averaging 16.9 points a game. “I was really excited when I heard I broke 1,000 points,” Okoye said. “That is a big accomplishment and I was happy for myself. My teammates helped me get to that point. I felt honored and proud to hit the milestone. It actually felt like I’d done something with my life.” Okoye started out averaging 7.9 points per game her freshman year and now averages over 16 points a game and has scored 20 or more points six different times this season. “I’ve continued to work hard and build on past years,” Okoye said. “I don’t want to underachieve, I want the best for myself and my teammates. By making myself better I make my team better. So I will probably keep building on that.” Okoye has hit big milestones in her career for the 2015-16 seasons but she still has big goals before her senior season comes to an end. “My next big goal is to win the Big Sky Championship,” she said. “It’s not just something I want for my self but for my team. We started out rough, losing all the games my freshman year, it’s the least I could do my senior is to get the Big Sky Conference championship.” In the game against Idaho State at home, Okoye went down with a knee injury with just two minutes left in the game. She has been rehabbing the injury but has been unable to compete in the last 10 games for Weber State. March 2016

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High Performance

WSU Strength & Conditioning - Nutrition

Dried Fruit - A Power Snack for Athletes By JULIE HANSEN, MS, RDN, CSSD, CD • Weber State Athletics Team Dietician

ried fruits are an ideal snack for athletes because they are a nutritious, convenient, palatable, low-cost source of carbohydrates. Dried fruits like raisins, craisins, dates, figs, mangos and apricots are loaded with magnesium and potassium, nutrients athletes need for performance and recovery. Dried fruits are calorically dense with a serving providing 110 calories and 24-30 grams of carbohydrate. This size serving is ¼ cup which is equivalent to the size and volume of a golf ball. Dried fruit can be consumed during exercise to provide important carbohydrate fuel and studies have found this form of fruit compares favorably to other high cost supplements such as gels or GU’s. Athletes do need to experiment to make sure dried fruit does not upset their stomach during competition. Dried fruit also makes a great recovery snack to help replace carbohydrate stores used during exercise and help athletes get ready for their next training session. This snack is a great travel and tournament food! Try adding dried fruit to salads to boost the nutrient content. Here is a great easy recipe to try and makes a nice lunch or evening meal. WeberStateSports.com

Wild Rice and Chicken Salad with Dried Cranberries This is a very easy salad to put together and keeps for several days.. Recipe by Julie Hansen, MS, RDN, CSSD, CD

• 2 cups cooked wild rice, cooled (2/3 cup dried, cooked according to the package directions)

• • • • • • • •

2 cups cooked, diced chicken (can use rotisserie chicken) 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries 4 or 5 green onions chopped (1/3 cup) 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or to taste 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, or to taste 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste Freshly ground black pepper, or to taste Optional but really good: Add ½ cup feta cheese and 1/3 cup walnuts

Directions: Combine the wild rice, chicken, cranberries and green onions in a large bowl; mix well. Sprinkle the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper to taste over the salad and toss to combine thoroughly. Taste, and adjust the seasoning and oil as needed. Add feta cheese and nuts as desired. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;My scholarship means a lot to me because not a lot of people get the chance to play at the collegiate level. So I thank God every day.â&#x20AC;? Richaud Gittens - Basketball Tempe, AZ Class of 2017

Join the Wildcat Club and help support WSU Student-Athlete Scholarships Call 801-626-6576 or visit WeberStateSports.com for more information or to join. 48 Bleed Purple March 2016

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Compliance Corner

Occassional Meals

One of the missions of the Weber State Office of Athletics Compliance is to educate those who support our athletics programs. You may or may not know that NCAA rules control what a booster can and cannot do with recruits and current student-athletes. Improper interactions between a booster and a current or future student-athlete may jeopardize the student-athlete’s eligibility. According to NCAA rules, you are a booster if you 1. Have participated in or have been a member of an agency or organization promoting the institution’s athletics program (e.g. Wildcat Club); 2. Have made financial contributions to the athletics department or to an athletics booster organization; 3. Have assisted or been asked to assist by the athletics department in the recruitment of a prospective student-athlete; 4. Assist or have assisted in provided benefits to student-athletes or their families; OR 5. Have been involved otherwise in promoting the institution’s athletics program. It is important to remember that once you trigger booster status with an institution, you are always considered a booster.

n the world of NCAA athletics compliance, I think there’s a stereotype that the favorite word of people in my position is “no.” While we do have to say “no” at times, we will try to find a way to get to a “yes” or a “no, but you can do this instead…” response. In this space, I want to highlight as many things that are permissible under NCAA as is possible. In the August 2015 issue of Bleed Purple, I covered the rules on permissible student-athlete employment. This time, I want to cover a topic that is on every college student’s mind- food, especially the

free variety. You might not know that NCAA rules allow Weber State boosters to provide an occasional meal on infrequent and special occasions to a student-athlete or group of student-athletes. Not surprisingly, NCAA rules place a few restrictions on these meals: 1. As a booster, you can provide an occasional meal to student-athletes at your home or at an on-campus facility. It is not permissible for boosters to provide an occasional meal to student-athletes in a restaurant. 2. Any occasional meal must be

approved by Weber State’s Office of Athletics Compliance before the meal may occur. Our occasional meal request form may be found here. If you have questions about the permissibility of an occasional meal, or any other rules question, please feel free to contact me. Until next time,

Will Pridemore Director of Compliance williampridemore@weber.edu 801.626.8552 WeberStateSports.com

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Name Game

By CHRIS J. MILLER

t’s a busy time of year at Weber State, with basketball in full swing, and many other sports just starting their 2016 seasons. WSU women’s basketball is enjoying one of its best seasons in recent memory, building an 8-3 preseason mark before starting Big Sky Conference play with five wins in their first seven outings. A highlight every season for Coach Bethann Ord and her team is the midday game at the Dee Events Center when local schoolchildren fill the Dee and loyal fans treat the Wildcats to a big crowd. The fans didn’t disappoint this year, as 3,200 fans watched the Jan. 14 game against Portland State. The ‘Cats did their part as well with a 102-73 victory over the Vikings. Ord’s squad is led by senior Regina Okoye and Brittney Dun50

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Women’s Basketball Treats Local Youth

bar as well as junior Deeshyra Thomas. The WSU women’s squad has also picked up some national attention

with some impressive trick shots courtesy of sophomore guard Kaillie Quinn. Here are links to a couple of the shots, via CBS Sports:

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The Wildcats (18-7 on the season) have already surpassed last season’s win total, and are on pace for their first winning season since the 20062007 campaign.

High praise for Hi-C

Before Damian Lillard and Davion Berry and Joel Bolomboy came along, Weber State’s most storied basketball star just might have been Bruce Collins. Collins led the Wildcats to impressive heights during the late 1970s, and left the school as WSU’s all-time leading scorer. Recently, Weber State Athletics announced the school will retire Collins’ jersey, where his No. 22 will join Willie Sojourner’s No. 35 high above the Dee Events Center floor. Collins was honored during Weber State’s home game on Feb. 13 against Portland State. Collins played four seasons for Coach Neil McCarthy, from 1976 to 1980. He still ranks as Weber State’s all-time leading scorer with 2,019 points, and holds four school career WeberStateSports.com

records, and is a member of WSU’s 50th Anniversary Team. During his four years with the Wildcats, Collins led Weber State to two Big Sky Championships, three Big Sky Tournament titles and three trips to the NCAA Tournament. He earned first team All-Big Sky honors three times, one of just five Weber State players ever to do so. In his four seasons with the Wildcats, Collins helped lead Weber State to a 90-30 overall record. He was named the 44th greatest athlete in Big Sky Conference history in 2013. “I still can’t believe it. I’m in awe,” Collins said when told of the announcement. “When I went to Weber I was just trying to make the team. I didn’t even know if I would start. To now have this honor is really a dream to me.’’ Collins, nicknamed “Hi-C,” came to Weber State out of Rock Springs, Wyo. After graduation, Collins was drafted in the second round of the 1980 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He also played three

seasons of professional basketball in Asia. After retirement he returned to Wyoming and worked for many years for the city of Rock Springs in a family recreation center. He also has continued to do basketball camps for boys and girls.

Hall of famers

Congratulations to the six inductees that make up the 2016 class of the Weber State University Athletic Hall of Fame. The group includes former track and field/cross country coach Jim Blaisdell, football player Bruce Covernton, women’s basketball player Crystal Howe, track and field/football player Wiley King, men’s basketball player Richard Smith, and women’s soccer player Megan Thunell. Additionally, former WSU basketball player Ben Howland will receive the first-ever WSU Athletics Lifetime Achievement Award. The group will be inducted at the Hall of Fame banquet on Feb. 26, March 2016

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and honored at the Feb. 27 at the WSU-Montana basketball game. For banquet ticket information, call the Wildcat Club at 801-626-6576.

Crowd pleaser

WSU guard Dusty Baker played well in the ’Cats’ 67-point victory over Multnomah University (8 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds) on Dec. 28, but saved his best for last by proposing to girlfriend Maddi Udall at halfcourt after the contest. The crowd cheered when she said yes. The couple plans to be married in early May.

Tidbits

We note the passing of Weber State Director of Golf Jeff Smith, who died on Feb. 16 after a battle with leukemia. Smitty, who was the women’s golf coach at WSU for 24 years, was 61. He will be missed but never forgotten. … WSU’s men’s tennis team was tabbed No. 1 in the preseason Big Sky Conference polls. The WSU women were picked sixth. . … Weber State’s football coaching

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staff lost a couple of key members after the season as Oregon State hired defensive secondary coach Cory Hall, and BYU hired offensive coordinator Steve Clark away from the ’Cats. … WSU coach Jay Hill promptly promoted Fesi Sitake as offensive coordinator, and Jason Kaufusi as the defensive coordinator. … Junior soccer player Chansi Compton was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Pacific Region third team. ... Senior center Joe Hawkins was named to the Walter Camp 2015 FCS All-America Team. … WSU’s women’s cross country squad finished 22md at the NCAA championships in November. … Former WSU linebacker Roger J. Trinchero was the commencement keynote speaker for the University’s 146th graduation in December. Eric Duft has been alongside men’s basketball coach Randy Rahe for his entire career at Weber State.

Trinchero played for coach Sark Arslanian in the late 1960s. He now is a successful businessman in the wine industry in California. … Randy Rahe’s successful decadelong run at WSU has had one constant, assistant coach Eric Duft. For a great read on Duft’s contributions, see Brandon Garside’s story in the Standard-Examiner here ... Finally, ex-’Cat Damian Lillard says he wants to spend his entire playing career in Portland. “It’s always good to be the first one to do something,’’ Lillard told SportsNet Northwest’s Jason Quick after he became the first Trail Blazer to tally 40 points and 10 boards in the Moda Center. “Especially being part of an organization I plan on being a part of for my entire career.”

Chris J. Miller, a 1986 graduate of Weber State, is a former Weber State Signpost sports editor and editor in chief, as well as a former longtime sports editor at the Standard-Examiner. He can be reached at cjmiller62@outook.com. Follow him on Twitter at cjmsports.

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