It’s safe to say that few players had an impact on the Boise State men’s basketball program like Chris Childs.
Even now, the 6-foot-3 point guard from Bakersfield, Calif., recruited for BSU by then coach Bobby Dye out of Foothill High School, remains arguably the best player ever to pull on a Broncos’ jersey. He was elected to BSU’s Hall of Fame, and is ranked 24th on the list of the Big Sky Conference’s “50 Greatest Male Athletes.’’
“He was one of those guys,” said Dye recently from his home in Carlsbad, Calif. “He had a great degree of confidence within himself. He was a good worker, a hard worker. He was a confident guy.”
Childs played with bravado, a swagger which eventually took him to the NBA where he played for more than eight seasons for several teams, including New York. Childs was a key cog helping drive a Knicks’ run to the NBA Finals against San Antonio in 1999.
Childs also helped the Toronto Raptors’ playoff run in 2002, a year that saw the former Broncos’ star lead the NBA in assists to turnover ratio. For his NBA career, Childs averaged 6.9 points and 4.9 assists.
“When you end up having a lengthy (NBA) career, you can’t do that on just ability,” Dye said.
And Boise State fans enjoyed the opportunity to witness Childs’ development, beginning with his freshman season in 1985-86, one that culminated in his being named the Big Sky Conference’s Freshman of the Year.
The three-time All-Big Sky performer and 1989 conference MVP, became the only Bronco to start every game of his career - 118.
Though an effective penetrator with good range, Childs was not a prolific scorer. He averaged 13.6 points for his career.
It was Childs’ all-around game which drove Boise State to a combined 69-21 record between his sophomore and senior seasons.
Childs holds the BSU career record for steals (215) and is third in assists, including 122 during his senior season.
“He was the best (high school) guard in Bakersfield and we knew he had a chance to be a very good player,” Dye remembered. “It was very obvious when you watched him play, he thought he belonged.”
Although Boise State endured its eight losing season in 10 season Childs’ freshman season, the Broncos made giant leaps afterward. During this run, the Broncos qualified for two NIT appearances, beating Utah 62-61 in 1987.
The 1988 team won the Big Sky Tournament at Montana State and, as a 14th seed, came within a whisker of upsetting Michigan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Boise State, down 19, rallied to pull within 61-58 on a Brian King 3-pointer with 18 seconds remaining. Michigan's Terry Mills then missed the first of a one-and-one free throw opportunity but held on when King's off-balance 3-point attempt clanked off the rim.
Childs, who had clinched the BSC Tournament with a driving baseline basket, had 11 points in the NCAA loss. His defensive effort, however, helped spark the comeback. “If I was to pick one game to remember, it would be the conference tournament championship,” Dye said.
Yet, despite the successes, it was Childs’ personal problems which caused NBA teams to initially pass on the draft. In a New York Times feature article, Childs’ describes battling alcohol addiction, something that began in high school.
Childs spent five seasons toiling in the Continental Basketball Association before finally making his mark in the NBA.
"I looked in the mirror one day and saw my father in me," Childs told the Times. "He was an alcoholic, and he had made much of the life of my family miserable because of it. And I looked at myself and said, 'My God, I'm on the same road he was.' And I really didn't want to be.”
It was former NBA player and then coach of the Philadelphia 76ers John Lucas, also a recovering addict, who played an important part of Childs’ recovery.
"He made me understand that I can love Chris Childs, and that it's O.K. to accept help from other people," Childs said. "And he made it clear that you can tell another man that you love him - that is, that you care deeply about him and wish him, and will help him, to pull himself up."
There is no doubt that BSU fans still love Chris Childs, who made an emotional entrance in the school’s Hall of Fame.
“Again, he was a confident guy,” Dye said. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, it was his great strength.”
