THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Never too early to get folks excited about Vandal hoops

It’s still summer, but that didn’t prevent Idaho from trotting out its men’s and women’s basketball coaches earlier this week, to follow Vandal football coach Thomas Ford Jr. after his weekly news conference with area media. 

Heck, why not?

Both programs are coming off appearances in the NCAA tournament.  

And both coaches are returning — men’s coach Alex Pribble for his fourth season, women’s coach Arthur Moreira for his third. 

ONE YEAR ago at this time, Pribble had nine returning players, and they produced Idaho’s first NCAA men’s tourney team since 1990. 

That team was the darling of fans, especially ones who enjoyed a local angle in their area college basketball team. 

It had four guys with Idaho ties — Kolton Mitchell (Lake City High, transfer from Idaho State), Jack Payne (Boise, Owyhee High, transfer from Colorado State), Jackson Rasmussen (Owyhee High) and Brody Rowbury (Meridian High), who transferred to Idaho for his senior year. 

A fifth, Titus Yearout (Lapwai), redshirted. 

After last season, Mitchell transferred to Ohio, Payne to Long Beach State, Rasmussen to Oregon State, Yearout to Lewis-Clark State. Rowbury graduated. 

Pribble noted that members of the 1980-81 Vandal men’s basketball team, in town last weekend to be inducted into the Idaho Athletics Hall of Fame, spoke to members of the current team. 

That 1981 Vandal team reached the NCAAs, and the irony is, those who could return were back the following season, when Idaho advanced to the Sweet 16. 

It’s a different landscape in college athletics these days. Good for athletes; not so much for fans. 

But Pribble gets it. 

In the case of Rasmussen, who left after his freshman season in Moscow, "we sold him on a vision of what he could be in this program, and he was every bit of that person,” Pribble said. “He earned a big paycheck and a big opportunity at his next stop, and I am not upset about that at all. There’s going to be situations where guys move to the next level, and earn life-changing money, and that’s going to be great for them.” 

The Vandals have a few returnees this year, including Kristian Gonzalez, who was Idaho’s leading scorer two years ago, was injured in last year’s season opener, and missed the rest of the season. 

Seth Joba and Miles Klapper also saw time last year. 

This year’s team still has a local flavor in former Lapwai High star Kase Wynott, Idaho’s all-time leading scorer, who played the past two seasons at Washington State. 

He’s one of 12 new faces on the Vandal roster this year. 

"He’s got something to prove,” Pribble said of Wynott. “He’s been an everyday guy for us; everyday he shows up with a chip on his shoulder, competes at an extremely high level. I think schematically, the past two years Kase has been more of a catch-and-shoot guy, and for us I think he’s going to be able to do a lot more. I think he can go off the bounce a little bit, I think he’s an extremely good offensive rebounder, he can play in the post with his size and versatility. It’s nice to have an Idaho kid that people are familiar with, that’s going to have a major impact on our program. So, excited for Kase. What he needs is an opportunity, he needs to get some confidence, he needs to get some more miles on his wheels, and he’s going to get that because he’s going to earn it. He’s worked extremely hard and he’s getting better every day.” 

Another with local ties is guard Zuby Toms, who played last year at MODE Prep in Spokane Valley, coached by former Coeur d’Alene High head man Jon Adams, and planned to return there before reclassifying and joining the Vandals a year early. 

“Our goal was to build a team that still had a level of experience and maturity, that still had a high ceiling,” said Pribble, whose team again opens its season with an exhibition against Boise State at Idaho Central Arena in Boise, scheduled for Oct. 10. “We have better positional size than we had last year; that should help us defensively and on the glass.” 

WITH MORE of an international look to the roster, Moreira guided the Idaho women to the program’s first NCAA appearance since 2016. 

“This is the first year I've had a lot of returners,” Moreira said. “Nice to have five returners, and three starters.” 

The Vandals lost who Moreira called “the two best post players in the Big Sky,” but brought in transfer post Keanna Salave’a from Sacramento State. 

Among the newcomers is freshman Addison Wells-Morrison, daughter of former Gonzaga star Adam Morrison. 

Idaho will again play at Washington State this season — a school the Vandal women (and men) defeated last year.  

The Vandals also picked up a game with Gonzaga, a benefit to last year’s successful season. They’ll play an exhibition at Utah this season, part of a home-and-home expected to bring the Utes to Moscow next year, Moreira said. 

Part of Idaho women’s success meant Moreira having to replace three of his assistant coaches. 

“If anything, it’s going to be harder (than last year),” Moreira said. “People expect us to be good.” 

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1205, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.