The Vandals have a brand-new look to start the 2023-24 season, 12 new players and a new coaching staff.
Head coach Alex Pribble is leading the untested squad. Pribble previously worked at Seattle University, where he was the associate head coach for four years. Before that, he spent four years as head coach at Saint Martin’s, a private division-2 school in Lacey, Wash.
He is excited for the future of the program.
“For us, this year is about seeing how good we can be, reaching our potential as a group,” he said.
Five coaches will help Pribble manage the team;
- Associate head coach Brandon Laird
- Assistant coach David Dunham
- Assistant coach Adam Ellis
- Assistant coach Matt Jones
- Graduate assistant Nathan Krill
Three players from the 2022-23 season chose to remain at Idaho, redshirt freshman Titus Yearout, redshirt sophomore Jack Hatten and redshirt junior Terren Frank. Three freshmen are starting their college careers this season, Miles Klapper, Takai Hardy and Kristian Gonzales.
To make a 15-player roster, nine athletes transferred from other schools. Prominent among them are Julius Mims from North Idaho College, Quinn Denker from California State University San Marcos and D’Angelo Minnis from Western Washington University.
Minnis is the Vandals only senior. He is a 5-foot-10 guard who spent four years at WWU. Minnis scored 1,081 points in three years and started in all 28 games last season, while shooting 49% from the field.
Coach Pribble isn’t worried about the young core. He thinks players like Minnis and Terren Frank will bring valuable experience to the group.
“I feel very good about having players in our locker room that are coachable, that work hard and support each other,” said Pribble.
The Vandals will face the Washington State Cougars today in Pullman to start the season. They have 31 games scheduled, 16 of which will be played at home. The team’s first home game will be against California Stata University, Northridge on Nov. 9.
The previous season’s team placed last in the Big Sky Conference, going 4-14 in conference play and 10-22 overall. Star player Isaac Jones transferred to WSU, while four players graduated. Head coach Zach Claus was replaced after four years leading the Vandals. His record as head of the team was 28-88.
For a full roster and schedule, visit https://govandals.com/sports/mens-basketball/.
Willie Gibbs can be reached at [email protected]