‘We won’t be overlooked’

Emily Faurholt scored 29 points in her first Division I basketball game and never quit scoring. Idaho won that game and rarely quit winning.

By the time the league season rolled around, Faurholt was among the best scorers in the nation and the Vandals were 8-1.

Faurholt ended up No. 1 in the nation at 25.4 points a game and Idaho was No. 2 in the Big West Conference, finishing 22-7 with just one senior starter and one junior.

But when it came time for postseason bids, the Vandals were outside looking in, told their schedule was lacking.

No need to ask what their goal is.

“We set high goals last year and we accomplished them,” 6-foot senior wing Heather Thoelke said. “We set high goals this year. We hope we can do better. We’re looking to go to the playoffs.”

The Big West is expected to be better and coach Mike Divilbiss has pumped up the schedule for his fourth season.

“I hope there is a little hunger,” Divilbiss said. “But I also hope they enjoy the journey.”

To reach the postseason the coach delivered the same mantra as did before the breakthough season.

“We will focus on the same things we focus on every year, play hard, play smart and play together,” Divilbiss said. “Winning is a by-product of a teaching culture, teaching kids to be part of something that is bigger than themselves. Teach kids how to play hard, smart and fundamentally sound.

“Don’t think about the end results, focus on execution and those things will take care of themselves.”

With Faurholt, Thoelke and freshman of the year Leilani Mitchell, all high school teammates at Kennewick, the Big West coach of the year has a good base.

“The kids know last year was last year,” he said. “This year is different, it’s a different journey. Our schedule is more difficult. Our strength is experience, belief in the system and in each other.”

Despite being out-sized inside, the 5-11 Faurholt led the team in rebounding at 6.7 and stepped outside to hit 40 percent of her 3-pointers.

Thoelke added 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds and Mitchell was amazing at the point with 164 assists and 90 steals with only 68 turnovers. She also scored 15.6 a game and despite being 5-5 had 4.5 rebounds a game.

The fourth returning starter is sophomore Karly Felton, who earned that spot when projected starter Ticey Westbrooks, another freshman, went down with a knee injury. Emily Halliday, another freshman also appeared in every game.

“I’m a little concerned about our depth still,” Divilbiss said. “I’d like to see us have more quickness on the perimeter.”

The Vandals have six new freshmen and at least two, 6-1 Jessica Summers and 6-0 Lauren Frazee, need to help ease the burden on Faurholt inside.

“Emily is probably not going to be the No. 1 scorer in the nation and that is probably a plus for us,” Divilbiss said. “She’ll be the first to tell you the team will probably be better if she doesn’t score as much.

“Last year it was necessary for us. Emily scoring and being 8-1 in preseason, we needed that shot in the arm. It was real cool and it got everybody excited but it’s time for other accomplishments.”

“The only expectation I have on myself is going out every night and letting the game come to me,” Faurholt said. “I don’t put any pressure on myself to score.

“We won’t be overlooked. We have some real talented people. We’ve got a lot of good things going for us right now. People are going to play their best against us and that’s what we want, we want to be measured against the best.”