Weber State's Balance is Their Strength

Last year, Weber State had Damian Lillard (one of the best players in the country) and a bunch of guys they hoped would contribute around him, with a roster that was hit very hard by injuries. This year, this is no one star, but their strength is that they have a lot of guys that contribute.

Nine guys average in double digits in minutes played, and a tenth (Byron Fulton) will likely join that club as he gets healthier. They have a lot of guys that pitch in, which was never more evident than their Big Sky opener.

They beat Eastern Washington 74-53, as ten guys played double figure minutes. Seven players scored at least seven points, with nobody above 15 points. Jordan Richardson led the team with 15 points... before the year, many thought he would be coming off the bench behind Gelaun Wheelwright.

 The leading scorer on the season is Davion Berry, at 13.6 PPG. Fresh off a 25 point game against BYU, he had just nine points...but pitched in seven assists. Their leading rebounder was freshman Joel Bolomboy. In 22 minutes, he had 9 points, 12 rebounders, and 4 blocks. He is already one of the best defensive rebounders in the country (his DR% of 29.5 is sixth in the country), and he is a good offensive rebounder as well. He is already a high impact player whose biggest problem is difficult finding minutes because of WSU's depth up front.

Speaking of Bolomboy, he is a poster boy for what looks to be a trend in the Big Sky - Weber State is recruiting better athletes than everyone else. With him, Kyndahl Hill, Royce Williams, Richaud Gittens, and Jeremy Senglin among the recruits brought in over the past couple of seasons, it is soon going to be extremely difficult for any team in the conference to match up with the Wildcats athletically.

The Wildcats are 5-3 overall and 1-0 in Big Sky play, but I have a feeling (and I am sure the coaching staff does as well) that they will do a lot of improving this year. There is no elite team in the Big Sky yet this year, but WSU has a chance to be one by the end of the season.

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