IDAHO BASKETBALL: Vandals ink three signees, including former Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year

TJ Wal

After losing several players to the transfer portal, Idaho men's basketball coach Alex Pribble announced his first high school signing for the 2026-27 team, 6-foot-7 TJ Wal of Edmonton, Alberta.

Wal, regarded as one of the top 2026 graduates in Canada by Global News, starred for Archbishop O’Leary Catholic High School, including a 61-point performance vs. St. Francis Xavier.

Wal finished his prep career at Overtime Elite’s Jelly Fam in Atlanta, where he led the team with 18 points a game, shooting 46.2% from the field and 52.6% from the arc. He had a 53-point outing in a September matchup with the OTE’s Diamond Doves.

“We are very excited about the addition of TJ,” Pribble said in a news release by the University of Idaho Sports Information Department. “He is a truly gifted player, with a unique combination of skill and size that will make him very hard to guard. He’s also a tremendous young man who is really focused on his development. He has huge potential, and we can’t wait to get him to Idaho and get to work.”

Vandals who entered the portal who are known to have found new homes include Jackson Rasmussen (Oregon State), Trevon Blassingame (William and Mary) and Ewan Steele (Stonehill).

Nolan Newman-Gomez

Fourth-year head coach Alex Pribble and the Idaho Basketball staff announced the second signee of the 2026 class, locking down guard Nolan Newman-Gomez of Hesperia High School in California. 

A rangy shooter listed at 6-foot-8, Newman-Gomez made headlines for leading Hesperia to the CIF Southern Section Division 2 Championship by leading all scorers with 24 points in the semifinals vs. Mater Dei, while spending most of the game lined up across from Kansas commit Luke Barnett. In the regular season, he put up massive numbers, averaging 22 points and 13.2 rebounds per game in the first ten Mojave River League contests, including 42 and 20, respectively, against Apple Valley in January.

Pribble and the staff feel strongly that they have picked up a huge get for the program and that Newman-Gomez is ready to compete at the next level.

"Nolan is a true diamond in the rough, in the best way," Pribble said in a news release by the University of Idaho Sports Information Department. "He didn't play AAU, so his exposure was limited, but he absolutely dominated at the high school level. He has a great skill set and is extremely versatile at 6-foot-8. He is also the valedictorian of his high school class and has an incredible work ethic. We can't wait to get Nolan up here and get to work."

Kase Wynott

Following the program's Big Sky Championship run and the signings of TJ Wal and Nolan Newman-Gomez, Alex Pribble and Idaho Men's Basketball continue to build toward the future with the addition of Gem State native Kase Wynott, who has officially signed with the Vandals and will join the program for the 2026–27 season, continuing Idaho's emphasis on recruiting top in-state talent.

Wynott, a Lapwai, Idaho native, grew up just 40 miles from Moscow and has already built an impressive resume in the state. He was named the 2024 Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year and holds the Idaho high school all-time scoring record with nearly 3,000 career points. Wynott also set the state's single-game scoring record with 68 points and was one of the nation's leading high school scorers, averaging 36 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game. Wynott began his collegiate career just across the state border at Washington State, where he appeared in 29 games and competed against some of the West Coast's top competition.

The coaching staff is excited to add the 6-foot-6 guard to the roster as Wynott prepares to represent the Vandals in black and gold.

"Kase is coming home; he was a recruit we really prioritized when our staff first got here, so it's exciting to officially get him in the Vandal uniform," Pribble said in a news release in regard to his latest signee. "We want the best players from Idaho to be in this program, and Kase is the all-time leading scorer from the state, so we're very excited. He can really score the ball, he's got a diverse skill set, and he's a competitor. He'll make an immediate impact next year." 

Wynott adds another key piece to Idaho's 2026 recruiting class and continues the program's effort to keep top in-state talent home as the Vandals look to pursue another Big Sky Championship in 2027.