After a long offseason, the Idaho men’s basketball team finally gets to play somebody in a jersey than their own. They open play Tuesday against Walla Walla in Memorial Gym for the first and only exhibition game of
the season.
Philip Vukelich | Argoanut
Stephen Madison, forward, shoots a free throw at practice on Wednesday. Madison is one of the few returning players to the men’s basketball team this year. Ten new players were added to the roster this year and the young team will be competing for the first time in an exhibition game against Walla Walla Tuesday in Memorial Gym.
The Vandals only return four players from their 2012-13 team, adding 10 new faces to the squad, so this game is important when it comes to establishing group chemistry before the regular season.
“They’re huge,” Idaho coach Don Verlin said. “You get a chance to put on the uniform, go through your game routine, and get a chance to play somebody different. Everybody responds differently in front of the crowd, or when its game time. So I hope as I settle in on a rotation, we can get some continuity and get things rolling.”
The Vandals will be taking on Walla Walla, who is a part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and has already started their season with an 0-4 record.
While the competition might not be the greatest, it gives Verlin an opportunity to make some tough decisions. One decision being on which freshman he will redshirt and which ones are going to be slated for playing time this season.
“I haven’t decided on any redshirts yet, it’s still too early,” Verlin said. “I can play them in the exhibition game. Everybody will be available for that, so I will make some decisions after those games.”
Some of the notable freshman that have stood out to Verlin over the offseason have been Sekou Wiggs, a freshman guard out of O’Dea High School (Seattle), Perrion Callandret, a freshman guard out of Bothel High School (Bothell, Wash.), and Ty Egbert, a redshirt freshman forward out of North Eugene High School (Eugene, Ore.). Egbert has been in the program but redshirted last year.
Another problem that awaits coach Verlin is who will be handling the point guard duties for the team — a problem that wasn’t so apparent last year, due to the lack of depth the Vandals had at the position.
“There’s a bunch of guards up there, it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out,” Verlin said.
Two of the guys who are sure to be vying for the point guard duties are two transfers. Glenn Dean, a senior who transferred from Utah, and Mike Scott, a junior from Antelope Valley Community College are in the mix at point guard.
With 10 new players added to the roster, coach Verlin sees this game as an opportunity to fine-tune some things and get these new players ready for their daunting schedule ahead of them.
“I think we’re a little bit behind at this time. I like our intensity, I like our spirit, but we are behind a little bit,” Verlin said. “So this week is big, because now they start coming, and coming fast.”
The Vandals will play Walla Walla on Tuesday, and start their season on Saturday when Western Illinois comes to Memorial Gym.
Korbin McDonald can be reached at [email protected]