Hope and promise were the main themes last season.
Highlighted by a young, up and coming roster with some experienced leadership on the court, some predicted that Idaho could be a sleeper team.
But the season ended up a nightmare many hoped would end soon.
Practices are officially underway for men’s basketball for the 2019-2020 season and an almost entirely new team is ready to take the court.
Finally back:
With the long offseason now over and the dust settled after a summer that saw plenty of new guys come into the program, no one is more excited to work with this team than head coach Zac Claus.
“Each and every day, the best part of my work day is getting to go on the floor, put my shorts on and enjoy a couple hours with the guys,” Claus said. “They have been terrific in terms of work ethic, in terms of their concentration, building each and every day and it’s been really good so far.”
Senior guard Trevon Allen, one of five players to remain after the 2018 season, is glad to be back on the court.
“With it being my senior season, with it just being basketball season in general, it’s just really exciting,” Allen
Guard Trevon Allen waits for the play to begin on January 10, 2019 against Montana State in Cowan Spectrum. Leslie Kiebert | Argonaut
said. “I know a lot of the guys are excited. We were talking about getting ready, getting to the games, but it’s a slow process to work through practices, but really excited with the team and the coaching staff.”
New guys turning heads:
With 11 newcomers coming to Idaho this offseason, this will be another year of seeing what the new faces will bring to the program.
So far, the team has had a clean transition on and off the floor, Allen said.
“The chemistry off the court is huge…they don’t even feel like new guys anymore,” Allen said. “You can see it on the court. People knowing what people like, where they want the ball, how they want the ball…chemistry is huge for us and it has already increased faster than I had anticipated.”
Both made it clear that everyone, from seniors to freshmen, is excited for the season to start.
High energy levels are expected coming into the first practices of the year, but Claus is setting an expectation that will be enforced all season long.
“We talk about, not only within yourself, bringing it on a daily basis, but also collectively keeping your teammates accountable,” Claus said. “In terms of the energy…it’s a necessary thing on a day to day basis and the guys have been doing a great job of that so far.”
Avoiding another disappointing season:
It’s no secret that the 2018-2019 season did not go as planned for Idaho, where the team won just three games, going 5-27 overall, 2-18 in Big Sky.
With so few things going right for Idaho, Allen has one main piece of advice for the newcomers.
“The biggest thing is to not become used to losing,” Allen said. “I think that’s something that hit us last year. We hit a point where in the team you would see in the game or in the locker room where you would start to get that losing style. That’s something we are wiping away — fresh season, fresh start.”
Regardless of the expectations from having a new look team, one senior on the roster and last year’s record still hanging in the air, there is still hope for 2019-2020.
Taking things day by day will be Claus’ main goal in his first year leading the program.
“It’s their approach every day, knowing that every day, we don’t take it for granted,” Claus said. “Putting the time in, having the concentration level, giving the effort…holding your teammates accountable and if we do that, we are going to make progress each and every day.”
Zack Kellogg can be reached at [email protected]