Starters
Robert Harris
The point guard from Kent, Wash., has become a jump-starter for the Vandals at the position, who struggled early in the year with Denzel Douglas and Mike McChristian at the spot. Harris shows a savvy attitude attacking the bucket, as shown by getting two separate old-fashioned 3-point plays and is an able 3-point shooter. Whether Harris becomes a playmaker in terms of creating offense through distribution remains to be seen, but how he takes care of the ball is positive. Harris only turned the ball over once in 19 minutes of action.
Connor Hill
If anybody on this team is learning through fire it is Connor Hill. Hill has been asked to quickly grow up as a player from just a 3-point shooter to an overall guard, and it’s been a difficult transition. While Hill put up points, it was on 6 of 14 shooting having missed his first six 3-point attempts. That’s not good, and it contributed to Idaho’s 15-point halftime deficit. Hill is being defended well by opponents coming off screens and he is rarely wide open. Still, to his credit, he is developing his inside game and trying to get to the line. If Hill is going to be successful though, he’ll need more than two free-throw attempts per game.
Kyle Barone
Kyle Barone isn’t the biggest of big men. He finds success by being a smart rebounder and having great touch under the bucket. So when asked to go against 7-5, 350-pound Sim Bhullar of New Mexico State, we’ll go easy on him. Barone scored 18 points, grabbed 10 boards and was 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. All things considered Barone was one of the biggest factors in Idaho making a late run Saturday night.
Stephen Madison
Stephen Madison didn’t have his best game, but he certainly hit his biggest shot, nailing a 3-pointer from the wing with under a minute left to tie the game. Still, Madison needs to get more than six shot attempts up. He’s had to shoulder the load as one of Idaho’s primary ball handlers, which contributed to four turnovers on the game. Idaho will be much better off with him creating offense for himself.
Mike McChristian
McChristian wasn’t as big of an offensive factor against the Aggies as he usually is, but that doesn’t mean he had a poor game. McChristian’s second-half defense played a large part in Idaho closing the gap late and was efficient when he had an opportunity to get looks at the basket. McChristian should be more involved in the offense than he was if he’s going to be on the floor for 28 minutes, though.
And the bench …
Denzel Douglas
Douglas only played five minutes off the bench. With New Mexico State’s size and the game mainly being played in the paint there wasn’t much of a need for Douglas. It’s been a rough couple of games for Douglas late in games regardless.
Mansa Habeeb
Idaho’s hustle-guy once again did just that, and was defensively a factor in the second half when Idaho made its run.
Marcus Bell
More fouls and turnovers than points and rebounds won’t cut it for Bell, who played eight less-than-spectacular minutes, including the foul with three seconds remaining that gave New Mexico State the win. Bell is a frustrating player because of how much raw talent and athleticism he has. Coach Don Verlin should want him on the floor for more than eight minutes, but Bell isn’t playing mentally sound right now.
Joe Kammerer
Kammerer played 26 minutes and I had to do a double-take at the stat sheet to make sure that was correct. He wasn’t much of a factor, collecting two rebounds, but played admirable defense against New Mexico State’s big men duo of Banda Sy and Sim Bhullar.
Sean Kramer can be reached at [email protected]