“You’re too small” are three words Kolton Mitchell has heard his entire life. But instead of letting the doubt define him, it ignited a fire that fueled his every move. Now, as the point guard for the Idaho Vandals, those words are no longer a criticism—they’re the driving force behind every dribble, every pass and every play. With “Idaho” written across his chest, Mitchell wears the weight of doubt as a badge of honor, proving that size is measured in heart. “I’ve been dealing with this my whole life,” Mitchell said. “I’ve always been considered the super small guard, short and skinny, and because of it, I’ve developed a gritty mindset, and my competitiveness has always taken me so much further than many people would expect.”
Mitchell decided after a season in Pocatello that he wanted a change and transferred from the Idaho State Bengals to the Idaho Vandals, a place that felt more like home to him.
“When I entered the portal, Pribble reached out to me the first day, and he decided to offer me,” Mitchell said. “Then, after about a week, I decided to commit here. It felt like it was the right place for me. It just felt at home. I loved all the guys that were here and then putting in all the work in the summer and stuff; it felt like it’s paid off this season.”
Mitchell, who grew up an hour and a half away in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, gets to don the Idaho Vandals jersey and represent the university every time he wears black and gold.
“”It means a lot. I love the state of Idaho, and it means so much wearing ‘Idaho’ across my chest,” Mitchell said. “Being just an hour and a half away from home, being able to have people from my hometown and high school come to all my games. Seeing all the people that support me along my whole journey, through high school, and then being able to follow me through my college career, means a lot to me.”
In the words of Head Coach Alex Pribble, Mitchell has been the “spark plug” the Vandals have needed this season. The redshirt freshman guard has been outstanding for the Vandals all season. He has started in all 28 games, averaging 11 points, three rebounds and three assists, and has been key for the Vandals, especially in the back half of the season.
“Kolton Mitchell has been a great addition to this program,” Pribble said. It’s a priority for us at Idaho to keep the best talent from the state of Idaho in a Vandal uniform, and Colton is just that. He’s a kid who plays the game with a chip on his shoulder. He’s got great confidence and we’re excited about what he’s accomplished already. The beautiful thing is, Kolton’s best basketball as a Vandal is still ahead of him.”
Pribble wouldn’t make the same mistake as former Head Coach Zac Claus and ignore Mitchell and his unreal talent.
“He’s a winner, I think that’s the most important thing,” Pribble said. “He was a winner in high school, and he’s one of those guys who finds a way to win. I was very aware of Colton coming out of high school at Seattle University. We didn’t recruit him specifically there, but
I knew about him a lot.”
“As soon as I made the move to Idaho, he was a no-brainer; we saw his name in the transfer portal. The first thing we did was call him up right away and do everything we could to get him here.”
Mitchell has had his ups and downs throughout the season. One of his major ups and turning points was the second half against Northern Colorado in the Vandals’ thrilling win on Jan 23.
The night did not start the way Mitchell or the Vandals would have wanted. Northern Colorado controlled things, and they took a 36-26 lead into the locker room. Mitchell had one point in the first 20 minutes of basketball.
Mitchell stepped out onto ICCU Arena and decided to take over and show everyone what he was made of. In the second half, Mitchell rocked Northern Colorado with 24 points, including six three-pointers, two in the biggest moments of the game, a moment that Mitchell thrives on.
“In a game, it’s all about my aggressiveness and then my confidence out there. I’m not afraid of the big moment. I take any challenge. There’s no one that I’m afraid of when I’m out there,” Mitchell said.
The first moment came with just over two minutes to go and the Vandals trailing 68-66. He dribbled to the left, went between his legs, then stepped back to create separation. Mitchell then laced the three-pointer to give the Vandals a 69-68 lead with just over two minutes to go.
After a Northern Colorado basket with 3.4 seconds left, Mitchell called the game for the Vandals. The seconds ticked down and redshirt sophomore Jack Payne threw the pass to Mitchell. He used his speed to get to the right side of the court. He then hoisted a 30-foot three-pointer over former Idaho Vandal guard Quinn Denker, swishing the shot and giving the Vandals the win as the buzzer sounded.
Mitchell has always been better when the lights are shining the brightest, but his true love of basketball started in his driveway with his dad, growing up wishing for a moment like the one just he had.
“I fell in love with it from the first time I ever really decided to play,” Mitchell said. “I started playing basketball in first grade, and my dad was a big influence on me. He pushed me to always try my best and work my hardest.”
From that point forward, Mitchell was on a path to being the best basketball player he could be. Former Lake City assistant coach Kelly Reed, who had coached Mitchell since the fifth grade, knew right away that he was going to be special.
“He started coming to camp either second or third grade, and you could tell right away he was going to be good,” Reed said. “I started coaching him in fifth grade, we had a little team… I said this about him for as long as I’ve coached him: I don’t know what this factor is, but whatever it is, he’s got it. He’s the best competitor I’ve ever coached. He wants to win, whether you’re playing five on five, one on one, checkers, or chess. It doesn’t matter to Kolton if he’s doing it; he wants to win.”
A few years later, after getting on Reed’s AAU team, Mitchell walked into Lake City High School’s gym for a tryout, and team manager Sam Buffington was blown away by the freshman.
“I was a junior, and it was my first time being a manager. I already knew the other juniors and two seniors we had, but when I saw Kolton for the first time, I didn’t know who he was,” Buffington said.
“I was like, who is this young-looking kid? This is a varsity tryout [practice], I asked around, questioning people, who’s that? They said that it was Kolton [Mitchell]. He’s a freshman; he’ll be our point guard and will be great.”
From the time Mitchell walked into the Lake City gym, great was an understatement of what he was for the Timberwolves. He arrived at Lake City, and the Timberwolves, coming off a 3-17 season the year before, needed a spark, and Mitchell and his teammates provided one.
They finished his freshman year 16-10 and got to the state tournament before losing to Borah and Rigby High School to end their season.
The formula was there, and behind the recent addition of Moscow High School transfer Blake Buchanan, Mitchell and former Idaho Vandal linebacker Zach Johnson, the Timberwolves defied the odds and made it to the 5A State Championship game against Meridian.
The Timberwolves fell to the Warriors 68-54 and were still on a mission to get the school’s first state championship.
They looked destined for it the year after as the Vandals, with the three stars and other juniors Nathan Hocking and Deacon Kiesbuy, were set for a championship run. The Timberwolves ran through the regular season, heading off with a 22-1 record and the number one seed in the 5A.
The Timberwolves, however, ran into Centennial, who ended their chance at a championship, and suffered a loss to Madison two days later, leaving Boise empty-handed.
They left the Ford Idaho Center without a trophy. Still, they left the floor with a fire of passion and a hunger to rebound from this and turn the tears and disappointment into a championship.
Mitchell and the four other seniors were not going to be denied, and they had a historic season. Lake City wanted to challenge itself, and it began the 2021-2022 season with three tournaments, including one with the defending 5A champions, the Owyhee Storm.
Mitchell had the best game of his career, scoring 39 points and breaking the Lake City single-game scoring record in the 80-60 win over the storm, which improved Lake City’s record to 3-0.
Three games later, Lake City participated in the Curtis Winter Classic and took on the two-time state champs and tournament hosts, Curtis. Mitchell had another outstanding game, scoring 26 points and leading the Timberwolves to a 77-65 victory.
From there, the Timberwolves cruised through the rest of the season, beating everyone by an average of 30 points, the mercy rule in Idaho.
Now, as they stepped into the Idaho Center, it was time to claim their prize. After four seasons of hard losses and long hours of work, Lake City defeated Meridian 75-61 to claim their first state championship in school history, a moment that Mitchell will never forget.
“We had a very tight group. We were all best friends on the team,” Mitchell said. “We decided to buy in with our loss our junior year at state, which brought a lot of motivation. Knowing that for the city of Coeur d’Alene, for this high school, we need to get the job done.”
“With three minutes left [in the game], they took their starters out of the game, and we knew, had it sealed,” Mitchell said. “It was a surreal moment, knowing that all the hard work that we put in, all the tears from the years before that. We came up short to finally get it done for our senior year, and our last time ever wearing a Lake City Jersey, and for the town of Coeur d’Alene.”
Mitchell finished his Lake City career as the all-time leading scorer in school history with 1,614 points. He also finished with a 40-2 home record, not losing at home in his last three years. He was also a three-time all-state recipient at Lake City, named 5A All-State twice and Inland Empire League MVP in 2023.
His four years at Lake City will not be forgotten by anyone involved, including Reed, who retired from Lake City after that season, along with head coach Jim Winger.
“Kolton changed the whole basketball culture. He showed up, and instantaneously we made the state tournament the next year,” Reed said. “His attitude and his competitiveness became infectious. If you take Colton off of our team, none of what we accomplish happens. The mark he left will never be forgotten.”
The championship and the accolades, however, were not enough, as Mitchell only got one Division One offer from Idaho State and was told by several coaches, including former Eastern Washington and current Washington State head coach David Riley, that he was too small to play at the Division One level. This was the same tune he’d been told growing up.
“It was tough on me not getting a lot of offers,” Mitchell said. “I got a lot of calls, and I was talking to many schools, but no one really took the shot to offer me, and it was hard on me. That made me play with the chip on my shoulder because I thought I was better than other coaches thought of me.”
Now, every time Kolton Mitchell steps onto the court at ICCU Arena, he’s not just putting on a jersey. He’s carrying the weight of every doubter; every naysayer who told him he wasn’t enough. He’s playing for that kid from Lake City who once dreamed of playing at this level, of being the one with the ball in his hands when the game is on the line.
With every play, every step, Mitchell channels that hunger, that unwavering belief in himself, proving to the world that the greatest fuel comes from the fire others tried to extinguish, and he’s just getting started.