BOISE, Idaho – Boise State men’s basketball head coach Leon Rice has been named an assistant coach for the USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team, which will compete this summer at the 2022 FIBA U18 Americas Men’s Championship, the organization announced Friday.
Rice is joined on the staff by Colorado head coach Tad Boyle and Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton Jr., who will serve as head coach and assistant coach of the U18 squad, respectively.
The coaching selections were made by the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee.
“It’s an incredible honor to be able to serve as a coach with USA Basketball,” Rice said. “I’m looking forward to coaching alongside two of the best coaches in college basketball and mentoring some of the rising stars in our game. It will be an amazing experience, and I am humbled by the opportunity.”
Following a pre-competition training camp in Houston, the U18 National Team will compete in the 2022 FIBA U18 Americas U18 Championship. The U.S. finished first in the 2018 FIBA U18 Americas Championship and has won gold at nine of 11 FIBA Americas U18 Championships held since the event’s inception in 1990.
The winningest coach in Boise State men’s basketball history, Rice has guided the Broncos to seven postseason appearances and nine 20-win seasons in his 12 years at the helm.
Despite the established track record, Rice and the Broncos raised the bar yet again during the 2021-22 campaign. Boise State set program bests for total wins (27), conference wins (15) and consecutive wins (14) on its way to winning the Mountain West regular-season title outright and capturing the Mountain West Tournament crown – both firsts for the program. Rice was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year for his efforts, his second time claiming the award.
The dream season culminated with a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Boise State earned the No. 8 seed in the West Region – the highest seed in program history and the first time the Broncos have been the better seed in a tournament game. The tournament appearance was Rice’s third with the Broncos, following the first two at-large bids in program history in 2013 and 2015.
Rice became Boise State’s all-time wins leader during the 2020-21 season, passing Bobby Dye with his 214th victory. Now with nine 20-win seasons, Rice owns more than half of Boise State’s 20-win campaigns. He has also orchestrated seven of Boise State’s 18 all-time postseason tournament trips, including three of the school’s eight NCAA Tournament bids. He and Dye are the only Bronco coaches to make multiple trips to the NCAA Tournament.
