Former men’s basketball standout Roberto Bergersen, a 2007 inductee into the Boise State Athletic Hall of Fame, has joined the Broncos’ staff as an assistant coach, head coach Leon Rice announced Monday.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to bring Roberto back to Boise State,” Rice said. “He is someone that accomplished a lot throughout his playing career, both collegiately and professionally, but we’re bringing him back to the Blue and Orange because of who he has become as a coach. His history of developing talent and his ability to recruit is what makes this such an exciting hire for our program. It just so happens that he’s also one of the greatest players in our program’s history.”
“This opportunity is incredibly overwhelming,” Bergersen said. “Being able to come back to a place that changed my life is really special. I became a man here in Boise, so coming back is just full-circle for me in every way. This program has made huge leaps and bounds since I’ve been here and I’m happy to be part of it. This is a dream come true.”
Bergersen returns to his alma mater, where he played from 1996-99. During his Bronco career, Bergersen was named the 1999 Big West Conference Player of the Year after averaging 20 points per game and leading Boise State to the 1998-99 Big West regular-season championship his senior season. He was named first-team All-Big West in both 1998 and 1999, and was a national finalist for the 1999 Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award.
The Atlanta Hawks selected Bergersen with the 52nd pick in the 1999 NBA Draft. He spent much of his 11-year career in the Continental Basketball Association/NBA D-League, where he played for the Idaho Stampede. In 2008 he helped the Stampede win the NBA D-League Championship. His No. 11 jersey was retired by the organization and still hangs in the rafters of Idaho Central Arena in Boise. The Washington native also spent time playing in France, Italy, Belgium, Spain and Turkey.
Bergersen is the co-founder of Hoop Dreams Idaho High School Basketball Club, an AAU program based in Boise. He was with the club from 2007-21, helping develop nearly 100 boys and girls that went on to become collegiate players, including 26 at the NCAA Division I level.
In 2017-18, Bergersen took a position as the head men’s prep school basketball coach at Kanakuk Link Year Prep in Branson, Mo. There, he led his team to a CPG National Championship and produced 12 scholarship athletes.
Most recently, Bergersen served as an assistant coach at Eastern Washington for the 2021-22 season, joining his son, Rylan, who was playing his senior season for the Eagles. Bergersen helped the Eagles to an 18-16 record, and EWU earned an invitation to The Basketball Classic postseason tournament.
Bergersen and his wife, Rhonda, have three sons – Rylan, Ryzin, who currently plays basketball at NNU, and Rayzhon.
