Boise State guard RJ Keene II to enter transfer portal, raising questions for Broncos backcourt

The Boise State men’s basketball team is expected to have substantial roster turnover following a disappointing 2025-26 season.

The first domino fell on Wednesday as guard RJ Keene II announced that he will be entering the transfer portal, which opens on April 7. Keene II is a fifth-year senior who is applying for a sixth year of eligibility.

Thank you Boise State🧡💙 It was a honor to be your glue guy. Forever a bronco pic.twitter.com/2TE9T5ac4f
— RJ Keene (@rjkeeneii) March 25, 2026

“Thank you Boise State,” Keene II wrote on X. “It was an honor to be your glue guy. Forever a Bronco.”

The 6-foot-7 Keene II made 24 starts for the Broncos last season and averaged 2.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 22.2 minutes per game. He improved his three-point shooting to 34.5 percent on 1.8 attempts per game.

Keene II played 28 scoreless minutes in Boise State’s 84-74 loss to San Jose State in the first round of the Mountain West Tournament. The Broncos declined an invitation to the NIT and finished the season with a 20-12 overall record.

The Broncos have two other perimeter players with similar physical profiles who may enter the transfer portal: Pearson Carmichael and Andrew Meadow.

The 6-foot-7 Carmichael took a step back as a sophomore and averaged 7.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 19.1 minutes. Carmichael shot just 30.5 percent from beyond the arc and 41.2 percent overall.

Meadow, another 6-foot-7 wing, put up 12.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and one assist while shooting 38.6 percent on three-pointers last season. The senior-to-be would have substantial interest from power conference teams if he chooses to enter the transfer portal.

Head coach Leon Rice said Boise State will be looking to add toughness in the transfer portal.

“We’re going to go out and get some dogs. We’re hunting for ‘em,” Rice said following Boise State’s MWC Tournament exit. “I want guys who want to wear the blue and orange with such pride, and we’ve always had that. And that’s what I’m going to go get this offseason, the toughest guys and the guys that will compete and guys that will lead and the guys that will just continue to fight.”

Keene II was a coveted three-star prep prospect coming out of Texas’s Concordia Lutheran High School. Rated the No. 13 overall player in Texas and the No. 51 small forward recruit nationally, Keene II chose the Broncos over reported offers from Grand Canyon, North Texas, Utah State and Wyoming, among others.

Keene II redshirted as a true freshman and missed the following season due to injury. He was a key rotation player for the Broncos the last three years.