Boise State hoops adds former standout as assistant coach. His name ring a bell?

BOSIE (Idaho Statesman) — Boise State men’s basketball’s all-time leader in games played is returning to the program.

Boise State announced on Wednesday morning that former guard Max Rice will be an assistant coach for the Broncos heading into the 2026-27 season.

Rice played at Boise State from 2019 to 2024 and made 160 appearances across a playing career that saw the Broncos win a Mountain West regular season and tournament title in 2021-22, and make three straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2022-24.

He also ranks seventh in program history in 3-point field goals (213) and ninth in defensive rebounds (406). And his name, of course, is quite familiar on campus. His dad, after all, is the head coach.

“When Max expressed an interest in coaching, it was an absolute no-brainer to add him to the staff and welcome him back home,” Leon Rice said in a news release. “Max’s knowledge, paired with the success he enjoyed as a player, both collegiately and professionally, will serve as an undeniable asset.”

Max Rice is returning to his alma mater after a two-year professional playing career that featured a stint at Danish team Team FOG Naestved, followed by a season with the East Perth Eagles in Australia.

Rice’s return to Boise State doesn’t come as a major shock, with the East Perth Eagles having announced his departure from the team on May 21 to pursue an “NCAA Division I college coaching role.”

That followed the news from mid-May that longtime Broncos assistant coach Tim Duryea was retiring.

“I can’t express how much of an honor and privilege it is to return to Boise State and serve this program, athletics department, university and community,” Max Rice said in a news release. “I’ve always been a student of the game, and I’m looking forward to beginning my coaching career with an incredible staff and a supremely talented roster. I was fortunate enough to be part of some of the most successful teams in program history, and it’s my goal to pay it forward this season and beyond.”

Max Rice’s hire fills just one of three openings on the staff. In addition to Duryea’s retirement, assistant coach Lexus Williams left the program in April to join the coaching staff at Minnesota; Coby Karl, who acted as assistant to the head coach for one season, also left.