Vandal men's hoops team hits the gym
MOSCOW — With the regular season opener just over a month away, the Vandals have laced up their sneakers and hit the court for their first official practices of the year, beginning over the weekend.
“I’m extremely optimistic about this year’s team,” said head coach Don Verlin. “The one thing I like about our basketball team is that they are embracing the hard work. They’ve really invested in that throughout the summer and fall practices, so I’m excited as we move along because I think this basketball team can get a lot better, just because of the work they put in.”
Idaho will be looking to fill a few voids, after losing four starters from last year’s squad. Verlin, now in his eighth season with the Vandals, has high hopes for his roster and sees a number of players that will step in immediately.
“I think that’s the beauty of this basketball team,” Verlin said. “I’m not sure I’ve got one or two guys, I’ve got six or seven guys. I think this is going to be a good basketball team.”
Several returners had major impacts last season and will be called on to carry the load early and help the newcomers adjust.
“We’re returning Arkadiy Mkrtychyan, he had a very good freshman year,” said Verlin. “I think he’s a young man who has put in a lot of work in the offseason and he’s our leading returning scorer and rebounder. He plays with a lot of intensity, a lot of fire. Perrion Callandret and Victor Sanders are both very good wing players that came off the bench for us last year and have also had good summers. I’m looking forward to Perrion and Vic being big contributors to this basketball team.
“Then there’s a number of other guys. Chris Sarbaugh, a former Gonzaga player, Pat Ingram and Nahshon George, and all those guys, I think have shown that they can compete and are willing to put in the hard work to make this team successful.”
The Vandals play two exhibitions, first against Saint Martin’s on Oct. 30 and next against Lewis-Clark State on November 6, before opening the regular season on the road at San Jose State on Nov. 14. Several quality opponents will make their way to Moscow, including local rival Washington State on Dec. 10.
Idaho was picked to finish seventh in the Big Sky media poll and eighth in the Big Sky Coaches’ Poll, after finishing tied for seventh last season.