Lidiya Varbanova

All American Basketball Player, Boise State 1990-94

Inducted into the Boise State Hall of Fame in 2004

Lidiya Varbanova, originally from Varna, Bulgaria, was a member of the Boise State women’s basketball team from December of 1990 through the spring of 1994. She earned the respect of the Big Sky coaches quickly and was named conference newcomer of the year in the spring of 1991. A four-year starter at center, the 6-4 Varbanova was selected Boise State’s first Division I All-American honorable mention women’s player in school history- an honor she received twice (as a junior in 1993 and a senior in 1994). She was a four-time All-Big Sky Conference Team Member (1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994) and a three-time Big Sky All-Academic Team member (1992, 1993, and 1994). She was voted the 1994 Big Sky Regular Season MVP by the league coaches. Her career scoring average of 17.2 points per game still stands as the Boise State school record. She, as of the fall of 2004, continues to hold nine other school records and continues to be listed in the top-10 in more than a dozen other categories. She scored 1,834 points and grabbed 770 rebounds while shooting 67 percent from the floor in her career. In the four seasons she started at center, the Broncos were 76-36, won two Big Sky Regular Season Championships (1992 and 1994) and made the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship as an at-large pick in 1994. She played professionally in Europe for seven years following her career at Boise State.