Former Boise High star will finish college career as Bronco; Skyview grad honored by WCC

Rachel Roberts
·5 min read

After four seasons at the University of Oklahoma, Mandy Simpson decided she missed her Boise roots.

The 2017 Boise High graduate will finish her college basketball career at Boise State, in the city where her passion for the sport first bloomed. Simpson was added to Boise State’s roster on Thursday as a graduate transfer. The NCAA granted athletes an extra year of eligibility because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The decision to transfer wasn’t an easy one for Simpson, who said her experience at Oklahoma was everything she’d hoped it would be.

“Out of high school, I wanted that big school, big football vibe,” Simpson told the Idaho Statesman in a phone interview. “I think now that I’ve done it and been away for four years, I’ve realized how amazing Boise is and just how special it is. A lot of my teammates at OU, they’re from Oklahoma, and all of their family members and all their friends from back home come watch them play every single game. I kind of envied it a little bit, because my parents could only make it out to one or two games a season.

“That’s something you can’t put a price on, and I’m just really excited to be able to have my parents come to every single game, my brothers and all the people that watched me while I was growing up and while I was playing at Boise High.”

With the graduation of redshirt senior Mallory McGwire and the transfer of leading scorer Jade Loville, the Broncos were in need of veteran leadership heading into the 2021-22 season. Forward Rachel Bowers was set to be the only senior on the team.

“I think one of the biggest things that they are looking for out of me is leadership qualities,” Simpson said. “Obviously it’s going to take time to earn the respect of the girls and get to know them and know what they each respond to individually, but that’s definitely something I am excited about and something I’ll definitely thrive in, because that’s one of the biggest things I’ve learned at Oklahoma — is just how to be a leader and how to be an effective one.”

Simpson, a 6-foot-1 forward, will graduate from Oklahoma in May with a degree in women and biological studies. She is particularly interested in working with breast cancer patients. Simpson will pursue her master’s in business administration at Boise State. She was accepted into Oklahoma’s competitive nursing program but has put that on hold.

“I’m gonna get my MBA at Boise State, and that’s a two-year program,” Simpson said. “If after that nursing is still exactly what I want to do, then I won’t have any regrets. I’ll know that’s the profession I’m supposed to be in and I’ll just go for it with my whole heart and not have any concerns that I’m choosing the wrong path.”

Simpson started 72 of 105 games she played with the Sooners. She finished her career there with 432 points (4.1 ppg), 545 rebounds (5.2 rpg), 202 assists (1.9 apg), 61 steals and 14 blocks while shooting 41.6% from the floor.

“We are so happy that Mandy Simpson has chosen to come home,” Boise State coach Gordy Presnell said in a news release. “She was a very effective player in the Big 12, and we are excited for what she can bring to Boise State. She will make a great Bronco.”

During her time at Boise High, Simpson was voted to the Idaho Statesman’s 5A All-Idaho first team her junior and senior seasons. As a senior, she averaged a double-double of 16.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Simpson committed to Oklahoma in September of 2016 after narrowing down a list of more than 25 Division I offers to the Sooners, Arkansas, Arizona and Boise State.

“At the end of the day, I’ve been through it. I know what I’m looking for,” Simpson said. “BSU just checks all the boxes, and beyond that, just with their positivity. At the same time, they’re willing to challenge me, and they’re not going to be afraid to tell me what I need to do.”

Simpson is the second player to join Boise State’s women’s basketball team this week. Sydney McQuietor, a 6-2 forward from Boston College, will have four years of eligibility remaining with the Broncos.

Skyview High graduate Whitney Bower, who now plays for BYU, was named the West Coast Conference Player and Setter of the Year this week in a vote of the league’s coaches.
Skyview High graduate Whitney Bower, who now plays for BYU, was named the West Coast Conference Player and Setter of the Year this week in a vote of the league’s coaches.

Skyview High grad earns top honor in WCC

Whitney Bower led Skyview High to back-to-back state volleyball championships in 2016-17 and has just as swiftly established a name for herself at the collegiate level.

The 5-foot-9 sophomore setter at BYU was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year and Setter of the Year this week in a vote of the league’s coaches.

Bower and the Cougars won the WCC regular-season title for the fifth time in the past six seasons, going 16-1 overall and 15-1 in league play. As conference champs, the 14th-ranked Cougars automatically qualify for the NCAA Tournament in Omaha, Nebraska.

BYU earned a first-round bye and will face the winner of the UCLA-Rider match, which will be at 8:30 p.m. Mountain time on Wednesday. BYU’s opening match is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. next Thursday, April 15, and will air on ESPN3. It is BYU’s ninth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Bower facilitated one of the most efficient offenses in the country this season. BYU ranked No. 5 in the nation in assists per set (13.56), No. 5 in team hitting percentage (.312) and No. 9 in kills per set (14.40). During WCC play, the two-time All-WCC First Team honoree averaged 10.83 assists, 3.43 digs and 0.81 kills per game on .404 attacking. Bower leads the Cougars in total assists (616) and aces (22) and ranks second in total digs (199).

Bower is one of three Idahoans on BYU’s roster. She is joined by older sister Morgan Bower and Burley High’s Makayla Tolman.