Transfer settles into role as Boise State rolls into daunting Mountain West schedule

St. John’s transfer O’Mar Stanley admitted it took him some time to get comfortable with a new team, a new coaching staff and a new role at Boise State.

Stanley shot a program-record 64.9 percent from the floor at St. John’s last season. He spent almost as much time on the perimeter as he did in the paint for the Red Storm, but the 6-foot-8, 240-pound junior has been asked to play in the post for the Broncos.

“I want to grow my game and get better, but this team needs a post presence, so that’s what I came here to do,” Stanley said Thursday. “My mindset is still the same. I just want to help the team win, whether I’m scoring a lot or a little.”

Boise State coach Leon Rice said Stanley has embraced his new role. He has certainly looked comfortable since breaking into the starting lineup in the Broncos’ 63-60 win over Saint Mary’s on Dec. 1.

Stanley has averaged 12.6 points and 5.9 rebounds the past seven contests. He has scored at least 20 in back-to-back games, including a season-high 23 in a loss to Washington State. He also posted his first double-double as a Bronco with 14 points and 10 rebounds against Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 17.

Stanley and the Broncos (9-4) open Mountain West Conference play at San Jose State on Friday (8:30 p.m. Mountain time, FS1).

“He’s getting better and it’s because of his work and his want to be coached,” Rice told reporters on Thursday. “It takes some time when guys come here. You have to get comfortable with our coaching and figure out how much you’re benefiting from it. When you embrace it, you take off.”

Rice said that for most players, embracing their role comes down to building trust with their teammates and coaches.

“It takes time ... for them to understand what we see and what the big picture is for them,” Rice said. “He’s hung with it, and you can see it coming together more and more for him.”

Stanley said the family atmosphere Rice and his staff create is a large part of why he transferred here. He said trust among the team was forged during a preseason road trip to Canada and a difficult string of games on the East Coast, which included losses to Clemson, Virginia Tech and Butler.

“Those losses helped us a lot,” Stanley said. “That East Coast trip especially helped bring us together.”

The Broncos are hoping a strong nonconference schedule pays off as they begin play in what looks to be a daunting Mountain West. Colorado State (13-1, 1-0) is ranked No. 13 in the latest AP Top 25 poll. San Diego State (12-2, 1-0), Nevada (13-1, 0-0) and New Mexico (12-2, 0-1) are all receiving votes, too.

Utah State (13-1, 1-0) is also off to a hot start and ranks No. 44 in Kenpom, which makes the Aggies the lowest ranked of five Mountain West teams in the top 50. San Diego State is No. 21, followed by Colorado State (28), New Mexico (38) and Nevada (39). The Rams already own the most impressive in-conference win, a 76-68 victory over the Lobos on Tuesday.

Boise State is No. 65 in the latest Kenpom rankings.

Stanley said Thursday that days off become a thing of the past when conference play begins. That held true this week, with Boise State practicing over New Year’s in anticipation of their Mountain West challenges.

“Every team has a vendetta against each other,” Stanley said. “We play each other twice, so everybody knows everybody. It’s like a family rivalry. We’re like siblings going after each other.”

Boise State hosts Colorado State on Tuesday before hitting the road to face Nevada on Jan. 12. UNLV will be in ExtraMile Arena on Jan. 16, and San Diego State comes to town on Jan. 20.

“Nonconference play is really important because you have resume-building opportunities and all those things, but you do feel a shift when you get to conference,” Rice said. “It feels a little different because of how great a lot of these teams have done in the preseason.”

Rice said the Broncos will have their hands full at San Jose State (7-7, 0-1 MW), which knocked off Boise State 74-68 in overtime last February, snapping what was a four-game winning streak for BSU.

The Spartans are led by guards Myron Amey Jr. (13.9 ppg) and Alvaro Cardenas (13.9 ppg). Six-foot-9 forward Tibert Gorener is averaging 13.3 points and 5.2 rebounds a game, while 6-7 forward Trey Anderson is chipping in with 12.5 points and 5.4 rebounds a night. All four were with San Jose State last season, but Cardenas was the only double-figure scorer of the group.

The Spartans lead the Mountain West with 127 made 3-pointers, and they’re hitting 35.5 percent from behind the line, which ranks No. 3 in the conference.

“What coach (Tim) Miles has done there is amazing,” Rice said. “They’re clicking. Their guard play is terrific, and they’re really dangerous when they’re shooting 3’s.”

San Jose State, which has lost five of its past seven, is coming off a 75-73 loss at Wyoming. Boise State opens conference play on the heels of an 85-63 win over Utah Valley, in which Tyson Degenhart and Max Rice both eclipsed 1,000 career points.

Degenhart ranks No. 2 on the team this season with 14.8 points a game, and Rice is averaging 11.7. Chibuzo Agbo leads the way with 15.3 points a game, and Stanley is at 11.5.