Northwest Notes April 18, 2026

Former Lapwai star Wynott, Idaho's high school career scoring leader, transfers to Idaho

MOSCOW — Kase Wynott, the former Lapwai High basketball star who played the last two seasons at Washington State, has signed with the University of Idaho, Vandals coach Alex Pribble announced.

The 6-foot-6 Wynott originally committed to Utah State in high school, but decommitted following a coaching change, and eventually signed with WSU.

As a freshman with the Cougars in 2024-25, Wynott played in 24 games, averaging 1.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.

Last season, he played in five of the Cougars' first six games before being sidelined for the rest of the season with a hip injury. He averaged 4.0 points per game.

Wynott, the 2024 Gatorade Idaho Player of the Year, is Idaho's all-time leading scorer in high school boys basketball with 2,962 points. As a senior at Lapwai, he averaged 36 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game, leading the Wildcats to the state title, where they avenged a loss to Lakeside the previous year in the championship game.

"Kase is coming home," Pribble said in an Idaho news release. "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. 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 is the third signee announced by Idaho, joining TJ Wal and Nolan Newman-Gomez.

The 6-7 Wal, from Edmonton, Alberta, is regarded as one of the top 2026 graduates in Canada by Global News. He 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.

The 6-8 Newman-Gomez, from Hesperia High in California, led his team to the CIF Southern Section Division 2 Championship. He scored 24 points in the semifinals vs. Mater Dei, while spending most of the game lined up across from Kansas commit Luke Barnett. Newman-Gomez had 42 points and 20 rebounds against Apple Valley in January.

Idaho has numerous roster openings after several members of last year's team that advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1990 entered the transfter portal. 

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).