Boise State loses out on transfer portal guard; Two former Broncos find new homes

Broncos striking out on top transfer portal targets

RJ Keene II. | Boise State Athletics

The hits keep coming for the Boise State men’s basketball team. 

Two days after losing out on Auburn wing Abdul Bashir (committed to San Francisco) and guard Cayden Ward (returned to Cal Poly), the Broncos came up short in a three-team race for Northern Illinois transfer Makhi Valentine. 

Valentine, a 6-foot-3 junior-to-be guard, announced his commitment to George Mason on Friday. Valentine was also considering Boise State and Monmouth. 

A small-school prep standout for Pennsylvania’s Steel Valley High School, Valentine initially signed with Missouri State before transferring to Northern Illinois last offseason. He started 29 games for the Huskies and averaged 13.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, one assist and one steal while shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc. 

Valentine is the latest recruiting loss for the Broncos, who must replace all five starters from last year’s team that finished 20-12 overall and failed to reach the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. 

Boise State has landed three transfer portal commits this cycle: Center Jikany Deang (North Dakota State College Of Science), forward Jerquarius Stanback (Alabama State) and point guard Damari Wheeler-Thomas (North Dakota State). 

Wheeler-Thomas put up 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals during his junior season for the Bison. He is projected to take over for Dylan Andrews as the Broncos’ starting point guard. 

Stanback averaged 8.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and two blocks as a freshman en route to SWAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Stanback, a 6-foot-9 frontcourt player, should also slide into a starting role. 

Deang dominated at the junior college level last season, averaging 17.6 points and 8.5 rebounds as a sophomore. Deang could earn a spot in the rotation next season. 

Two former Boise State guards announced their transfer portal landing spots on Friday.

RJ Keene II will finish his college career in the ACC for N.C. State. Noah Bendinger is transferring to Montana. 

A three-year contributor for the Broncos, Keene II made 88 career appearances with 35 starts, including 24 last year. He averaged 2.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists during the 2025-26 season. 

Keene II is the fourth Boise State transfer to land with a power conference team, joining forward Javan Buchanan (West Virginia), center Drew Fielder (Alabama) and wing Andrew Meadow (Oregon). 

Bendinger signed with the Broncos in November 2024 out of Utah’s Corner Canyon High School. He redshirted last season and has four years of eligibility remaining.