This season, Idaho coach Don Verlin will face the difficult task of replacing Stephen Madison.
Madison led the team in nearly every major statistical category — points, steals, blocks and rebounds, among others. He was the do-everything player for the Vandals, and replacing him will take a group effort.At times last season, the 6-foot-6, 205-pound forward willed Idaho to victory, but sometimes his efforts fell short as well. In a game against Utah Valley, Madison scored a career-high, 42 points in an 89-88 loss.
The object in basketball is to have more points than the other team when the final buzzer sounds — just in case you didn’t know. Madison averaged 20.1 points per game last year and senior shooting guard Connor Hill will be looked upon to replace his production.
Hill, known for his three-point shooting ability, averaged 14.2 points per game last season. He will need to take a step forward in order for Idaho to win games this season.
It won’t be all Hill, though. Guys like sophomore guard Sekou Wiggs and senior point guard Mike Scott will also need to increase their scoring output — both averaged fewer than 10 points last year.
Scoring is the main issue, but don’t overlook rebounding. Most of Idaho’s troubles last year came from the lack of a low post presence. Madison did his part, but playing multiple roles made it so he wasn’t always underneath the glass to get boards.
Sophomore center Ty Egbert showed glimpses of his potential last year, but also had mental lapses. Look for him to take a big step forward this season and be the low post presence Idaho lacked last year.
While on the shorter side for a post player, the 6-foot-6 Bira Seck was impressive last year in his first season playing Division-I basketball. He showed in the Silver and Gold Scrimmage he has the ability to score and had the look of an improved player.
Newcomers Nate Sherwood, Arkadiy Mkrtychyan and Nahshon George are all 6-foot-7 or taller. George led the team in rebounding during the scrimmage, which is a promising development moving forward.
The Vandals play in two exhibition games before they start the regular season play. It will be interesting to see Verlin’s game plan for them. Does he sit players like Hill — who he already knows well — and play some of the newer guys? We shall see.
The team has a lot of unknowns, but the Vandals also have a lot of potential this season.
Korbin McDonald can be reached at vandalnation@uidaho.edu