Northwest Notes April 6, 2024
North Idaho sports banquet set for tonight at Cd’A Resort
COEUR d’ALENE — Current and former student-athletes from North Idaho high schools and colleges will be honored tonight at the annual Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame banquet, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at The Coeur d’Alene Resort.
In addition, four people will be honored as part of this year’s class of the North Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame.
They are: Randy Mueller, who has worked for seven professional football teams; Olympian Jackie Ross-Mattox, who still holds University of Idaho track and field records; former Deary High athlete, football coach and school administrator Darrah Eggers; and retired high school and college basketball official Bill Bopp are the honorees this year.
Also, during the evening the 4th annual Hagadone High Character Award winners will be announced. A female and male athlete from each school is honored. The award is named after Duane Hagadone, who founded the North Idaho Hall of Fame. In defining the award, it recognizes a student-athlete who excelled in the classroom and as a teammate; has outstanding work ethic and integrity, displays sportsmanship and true character in all walks of life, and is just an all-around good individual. Civic and community involvement is a plus.
Former University of Idaho offensive lineman Mark Schlereth, now an NFL analyst for FOX Sports, is the featured speaker.
The event is close to a sellout, though a few tickets could be available at www.nihof.org.
Also, IdahoSports.com will be live-streaming the event.
Vandals announce signing of former Lake City star Mitchell
MOSCOW — Idaho men's basketball head coach Alex Pribble officially announced that former Lake City High standout Kolton Mitchell has signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at Idaho next season.
Mitchell, a 6-foot-1 point guard, confirmed to The Press on Tuesday that he was transferring to Idaho after one season at Idaho State, where his season was cut short by an injury to his left ring finger which required surgery.
Mitchell averaged 7.3 points, 2.1 assists, and shot 48 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3 over 10 games for the Bengals.
"We're very excited about the addition of Kolton," Pribble said in a UI news release. "He's a true winner, a true competitor. He brings an elite skill set and a toughness that is going to make our program better from the minute he steps on campus."
At Lake City, Mitchell was a three-time all-state recipient, including being named 5A First Team All-State twice and Inland Empire League MVP in 2023. Mitchell led the Timberwolves to a 26-0 record, a top-25 national ranking and a state championship title in 2023.
"Having a local star like Kolton wearing the Idaho uniform is important," Pribble added. "He's truly invested in bringing Idaho back to the top of the Big Sky Conference."
Mitchell finished as the all-time leading scorer at Lake City with 1,614 points. Mitchell went on to average 18 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.8 steals per game during his prep career. He scored a school-record 39 points against defending 5A state champions Owyhee during his senior year.
Mitchell chose Idaho over offers from Chattanooga, Eastern Washington, Furman and UC Davis.