Rising junior college center commits to Boise State — what it means for Broncos’ roster

The Boise State men’s basketball team added an intriguing frontcourt piece from the transfer portal on Saturday.

Jikany Deang, a 6-foot-11 center from North Dakota State College Of Science, announced his commitment to the Broncos and head coach Leon Rice on Saturday.

Deang was a two-year standout at the junior college level who averaged 17.6 points and 8.5 rebounds last season while shooting 36 percent on three-pointers. Deang tallied 15.3 points and 9.2 rebounds as a freshman.

And under-the-radar prospect, Deang grew up in St. Cloud, Minnesota and attended Premier Prep Online Academy before heading off to North Dakota State College Of Science. Deang helped lead the Wildcats to a 26-6 overall record last season.

Deang has two years of eligibility remaining.

Deang could be in the mix to start at center in place of Drew Fielder, who entered the transfer portal earlier this month. Fielder averaged 14.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists as a junior and was voted second-team all-Mountain West.

The 6-foot-11 Fielder is rated the No. 53 overall player and the No. 9 center in the portal by 247Sports. Fielder visited Alabama on Saturday and has also made trips to Nebraska and Washington.

The Broncos have lost six players—including all five starters—off last year’s team. Shooting guard RJ Keene II, wing Andrew Meadow (transferred to Oregon), forward Javan Buchanan (transferred to West Virginia) and Fielder all hit the portal. Point guard Dylan Andrews and backup center Dominic Parolin are both out of eligibility.

With the addition of Deang, Boise State is up to three transfer portal commits. The Broncos previously signed North Dakota State point guard Damari Wheeler-Thomas and Alabama State forward Jerquarius Stanback.

The 6-foot-9 Stanback, who is also a candidate to start at center or power forward, won SWAC Defensive Player of the Year as a redshirt freshman last season. Stanback averaged 8.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and two blocks.

Wheeler-Thomas, a 6-foot point guard, put up 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals during his junior year for North Dakota State. He helped lead the Bison to an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Wheeler-Thomas and Stanback are likely to slide into starting roles alongside returners Pearson Carmichael (shooting guard) and Spencer Ahrens (forward). The Broncos are also bringing back reserves Julian Bowie (guard), Bhan Buom (forward) and Ethan Lathan (forward) and redshirt Noah Bendinger (guard). Brady Hennig, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard from Washington’s Mount Si High School, signed with Boise State in November.

Sophomore-to-be point guard Aginaldo Neto has not announced his plans for the 2026-27 season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google