MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL 2023-24: Vandals start over with 12 new players, new head coach

From local reports and news services

First-year head coach Alex Pribble leads a new era of Idaho Vandal men's basketball after spending the past four years at Seattle U as the associate head coach. He helped lead the Redhawks to back-to-back 20-win seasons and the program's first WAC regular season title during his tenure.

Pribble replaces Zac Claus, who went 28-88 in four seasons before being fired with one game left in Idaho’s season last year. 

Only three players return from last year’s 10-22 squad. 

Redshirt junior forward Terren Frank will look to bounce back after being limited to six games in 2022-23 as he was sidelined due to injury. The second-year Vandal averaged 10 points, six rebounds and 1.7 assists in limited action. Redshirt sophomore Jack Hatten returns for his third season at Idaho after appearing in seven games while redshirt freshman Titus Yearout rounds out the three returnees from a season ago.

Pribble and his staff brought on board 12 newcomers, including nine transfers and three freshmen. 

The Vandals welcome impact transfers Julius Mims (North Idaho College), Trevon Blassingame (Fairleigh Dickinson), Tyler Mrus (Alaska Fairbanks), Quinn Denker (Cal-State San Marcos), EJ Neal (CC San Francisco), D'Angelo Minnis (Western Washington), Tyler Linhardt (Washington), Cooper Church (Arizona Western) and Kyson Rose (Walla Walla CC) to the fold. 

Incoming freshmen are Kristian Gonzalez, Takai Hardy and Miles Klapper.

Significant additions in the front court feature Rose and Mims. The two junior college transfers posted successful sophomore seasons and will fill in the forward position with their proven scoring and rebounding ability. Rose is fresh off of receiving NWAC Player of the Year honors at Walla Walla Community College after averaging 22.6 points and 10.5 rebounds a game. The Kennewick, Wash. native led the league with 678 total points and 258 field goals while shooting 62 percent from the field. Mims started in 44 of 45 games at NIC, posting 16.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks over his sophomore campaign in 2022-23. 

In the backcourt, Minnis will be the lone senior on the roster after spending four seasons at NCAA Division II Western Washington in Bellingham. Minnis totaled 83 starts and 1,081 points in three seasons while recording his best season in 2022-23 with a team-high 14.3 points and career highs in shooting with a 49.3 percent clip from the field and 44.4 percent mark from 3. 

Denker makes his debut at Idaho after spending a season each at Cal State San Marcos and West Valley College. The San Jose native made the most of his time at San Marcos, averaging 14.5 points per game and posting efficient shooting numbers that included 43.9 percent from the field, 40 percent from three and 92.2 percent from the foul line. 

Key wing transfers are Blassingame, Mrus and Neal. Blassingame played in 24 games at Fairleigh Dickinson, an NCAA Tournament team that knocked off No. 1 seed Purdue in the first round. Mrus is a proven three-level scorer by way of Alaska Fairbanks. The Seattle native started in all 24 games for the Nanooks while averaging the second most points on the team at 11.9. After spending two seasons at City College of San Francisco, Neal looks to bring his two-way approach to the court in Moscow. The Bay area product averaged over 11 points per game in 2022-23 and became the program's charge record holder after taking over 100 charges in his two seasons.

The freshman class is led by Kristian Gonzalez, a guard from Mater Dei Catholic High. Joining Gonzalez is 6-7 forward Takai Hardy and lefty specialist Miles Klapper.

Idaho opens its season Monday at Washington State.