Chandler Hutchison, Boise State challenge for MW supremacy

Looking for feedback after last season as to whether he was ready for the NBA, Boise State’s Chandler Hutchison visited several league facilities and decided he needed more time.

His decision to return to the Broncos for his senior season affected the entire Mountain West, and largely because of Hutchison, Boise State is challenging UNR for conference supremacy.

“The neat thing about him is when he plays, he’s not doing it for himself, he’s playing for the team, so his motivation has never wavered,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “As a coach and as a parent, you sit in their homes and you promise them you are going to do everything you can to develop them, and to see it come to fruition like this, nothing’s more rewarding for a coach as when you deliver way more than you promised. That’s what makes you proud of your program and proud of Chandler and what he’s been able to accomplish.”

The 6-foot 7-inch guard is the leading candidate for Mountain West Player of the Year, and Boise State (18-4, 8-2 MW) is a dangerous team to play, as UNLV (16-6, 5-4) saw up close Dec. 30. Now the teams meet again at 5 p.m. Saturday at Taco Bell Arena in Boise, Idaho. CBS Sports Network will televise the game.

Hutchison averages 19.7 points and 7.7 rebounds. In the Broncos’ 83-74 victory over UNLV at the Thomas & Mack Center, he made 13 of 18 shots, grabbed 12 rebounds and scored 32 points.

After the game, UNLV coach Marvin Menzies said Hutchison “was on a mission” to show what he could do with the Rebels’ highly touted freshman, Brandon McCoy, also on the floor.

“Knowing how hard it is to win, especially a road game, that’s something that weighs way more for me,” Hutchison said. “But in the back of mind, yeah, that’s always something I carry with me, being a competitor that I am wanting to play against the best. So knowing this guy that they have, McCoy, he’s supposed to be an NBA talent, that sparks me, no question, to want to bring my best and compete against him at a really high level.”

Hutchison’s mission, though, isn’t just about beating McCoy and the Rebels. It’s about taking his team to the Mountain West title and making a run in the postseason.

“I couldn’t ask for more, the position we’re in as a team and me individually what’s come with it,” Hutchison said.

He came back from testing the NBA waters with renewed vigor.

The experience was important because it showed him he needed to improve his 3-point shot and get stronger. He’s shooting a career-high 38.3 percent from 3-point range on 81 attempts (12 more than all of last season). Hutchison keeps his weight around 200 pounds and said he thinks that won’t be an issue.

“I wanted to look at it two ways,” he said. “One, how close I was to reaching that goal, but also how hard it is and really how far away I actually am. It’s really hard to make it, and you’re competing with guys every year that are in the same situation as you, really talented guys that have proven themselves and gotten the opportunity to be in the NBA talk. Once I realized it would be smart for me to come back for another year, the mindset I’ve had every day was to look at ways to separate myself.

“That was something that’s helped me every game and every day this year.”

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Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @markanderson65 on Twitter.