THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Loaded with locals, Vandal men look to get tough in Year 3

Year 1 — build the culture. 

Year 2 — score the ball. 

Year 3 — get tougher. 

Earlier this week, Alex Pribble outlined the progress his program is making as he enters his third year as Idaho men’s basketball coach, which begins Monday at Washington State (6:30 p.m., ESPN+). 

Last year, the Vandals “left a lot to be desired on the defensive end,” he said. 

This year? 

“I think we have a competitive group this year,” Pribble said. “Last year we had some toughness, and could score the ball in bunches, but this year I think the guys that can look to each other to be a little more competitive, a little more tougher.” 

IDAHO FINISHED 11-21 in Year 1 under Pribble. Last season, the Vandals were 14-19, and won a game at the Big Sky tournament for the first time since 2017. 

This year, Idaho was picked to finish fourth in the league by the coaches and media, the first time the Vandals were picked to finish in the top half of the league since 2017-18. 

Still ... 

“We’ve been clear with our guys, this is still an underdog mentality; we’re still a team that has a big chip on its shoulder,” Pribble said. “We haven’t accomplished nearly what we’re hoping to, in terms of what we’re trying to get this program to be. Getting to the semifinals was a step in the right direction last year, winning 14 games was a step in the right direction, but it’s obviously not the end result.” 

FANS OFTEN want their regional teams to have a local flavor, and it that sense, these Idaho Vandals should be easy for them to rally around. 

Idaho returns nine players — noteworthy in the transfer portal era — including three starters, two of them Idaho kids. 

One, obviously, is redshirt sophomore Kolton Mitchell, the former Lake City High star, who “in my opinion, was the best freshman in the league last year,” Pribble said. “He’s dynamic, he can score the ball at a high clip, and he’s worked really hard in the offseason to improve his defense, his toughness, his physicality, fighting through ball screens, being aggressive, and I think you’re going to see a more experienced point guard for us this year.”

Another is redshirt junior Jack Payne, who played at Boise High and then at Owyhee High in Meridian, then spent his first two collegiate seasons at Colorado State before transfering to Idaho last year. 

Payne is a preseason all-Big Sky selection this year. 

“Jack’s progress last year was a metaphor for our team as a whole,” Pribble said. “He had some ups and downs in the preseason; hadn’t played a lot (at CSU) before he got here. When it came to the conference tournament he was fantastic. He earned those preseason accolades with the way he finished the year last year.” 

And the third returning starter is junior guard Kristian Gonzalez, Idaho’s leading scorer. 

ALL TOLD, Pribble said the Vandals will have four starters from the state of Idaho, and five guys with Idaho ties on the team — the first time that’s happened since 1971.  

Another Idaho product is 6-11, 255-pound Southeastern Louisiana transfer Brody Rowbury, one of the (literally) big reasons his Meridian High team beat Lake City in the 2021 state title game. 

“He’s a rock,” Pribble said. 

Rowbury is joined by freshman Jackson Rasmussen, who played three seasons at Owyhee High before playing at a prep school (Utah Prep) last year. 

And Titus Yearout, a redshirt junior from Lapwai High, also returns. 

Idaho lost one starter, Tyler Mrus to BYU. But Pribble said to watch for a couple other newcomers, including senior guard Biko Johnson, a transfer from Fort Lewis College who “has a competitive spirit, plays with a little edge. He takes some of the creation off of Kolton’s shoulders.” 

Also new to the Vandals is 6-9 junior forward Seth Joba, a transfer from Vermont. 

For “underdog” Idaho to take that next step and become Big Sky contenders ... 

“Our growth needs to happen on the defensive end,” Pribble said. “I think we’re bigger this year, more physical. Can we find a way to grind it out and win ugly when the shots aren’t falling.” 

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 1205, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.