MOSCOW, Idaho – Entering spring football practice with a work-in-progress approach is nothing new at Idaho. For coach Robb Akey, it’s part of developing a long-suffering program.
MOSCOW, Idaho – Deremy Geiger walked out of the Kibbie Dome on Wednesday night almost certain Idaho was headed to Loyola Marymount for the second round of the CollegeInsider.com tournament. UI coach Don Verlin was pretty sure, too. After the Vandals escaped against UC Santa Barbara, he told reporters he had started scouting LMU before Idaho’s CIT opener, in case his team was paired with the Lions.
Deremy Geiger walked out of the Kibbie Dome on Wednesday night almost certain Idaho was headed to Loyola Marymount for the second round of the CollegeInsider.com tournament. UI coach Don Verlin was pretty sure, too. After the Vandals escaped against UC Santa Barbara, he told reporters he had started scouting LMU before Idaho’s CIT opener, in case his team was paired with the Lions.
MOSCOW, Idaho – Don Verlin wouldn’t say he felt pressure to win Wednesday night. But after the Idaho athletic department wrote a $31,500 check to host a postseason game, the Vandals coach wanted to make the experience worthwhile. So it was no surprise to see Verlin, in the moments following UI’s 86-83 victory over UC Santa Barbara, exhale deeply and offer a brief smile in the media room.
MOSCOW, Idaho – Don Verlin wouldn’t say he felt pressure to win Wednesday night. But after the Idaho athletic department wrote a $31,500 check to host a postseason game, the Vandals' coach wanted to make the experience worthwhile.
MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho men’s basketball team, still smarting from its early WAC tournament exit, gathered in front of a TV on Saturday night to watch New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech in the conference title game. As the Aggies – a team the Vandals beat in February – dispatched Tech to punch a ticket to the NCAA tournament, there was one prevailing thought among UI players.
MOSCOW, Idaho – The Idaho men’s basketball team, still smarting from its early WAC tournament exit, gathered in front of a TV on Saturday night to watch New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech in the conference title game.
MOSCOW, Idaho – It’s not the tournament they were gunning for five days ago, but the Idaho Vandals are back in the postseason for the third time in four seasons. To coach Don Verlin, that’s a significant trend.
MOSCOW, Idaho – Over five days in early February, Idaho did more than send a message to the WAC by beating the conference’s two best teams. It also set in motion a stretch of quality basketball that carried the team through the regular season. The question now is can the Vandals – for the first time since joining the conference in 2005 – make a lasting impression in the WAC tournament?
MOSCOW, Idaho – Over five days in early February, Idaho did more than send a message to the WAC by beating the conference’s two best teams. It also set in motion a stretch of quality basketball that carried the team through the regular season.
MOSCOW, Idaho – Robb Akey spent the last year helping Jason Gesser find his way as a rookie college coach. And before that, he spent four seasons watching Gesser command the huddle at Washington State. Both experiences helped confirm in Akey’s mind that the former Cougars star quarterback is ready to be Idaho’s offensive coordinator.
MOSCOW, Idaho – Robb Akey spent the last year helping Jason Gesser find his way as a rookie college coach. And before that, he spent four seasons watching Gesser command the huddle at Washington State.
MOSCOW, Idaho – University of Idaho coach Don Verlin understands why, for some college basketball teams, Senior Night has a bittersweet feel. But he sees it differently. “We didn’t want it to be a funeral,” Verlin said of the final home game for three Vandal seniors Saturday night.
MOSCOW, Idaho – Jeff Brustad first noticed the super-athletic French Canadian months before at a showcase in Long Island. Djim Bandoumel had played organized basketball for only a small portion of his life, and his inexperience manifested itself in obvious ways. Yet Brustad, the coach at Monroe College in New York, marveled at how Bandoumel gracefully blocked shots and played above the rim. So he asked the 6-foot-7 prospect with Nigerian roots to visit Monroe’s campus in the Bronx.
MOSCOW, Idaho – In the last week the Idaho Vandals have done more than prove they can hang with the WAC’s elite. They’ve shown they can a deliver a knockout blow, too. The Vandals on Thursday night came from eight points down in the final 5 minutes for a 59-58 victory over New Mexico State in a pivotal WAC men’s basketball contest at the Cowan Spectrum.
MOSCOW, Idaho – The pace of the game had stabilized after a manic opening stretch, and Seattle University had squandered its once-cushy lead. In the waning moments, all Idaho needed was a clutch shot. Deremy Geiger delivered.
MOSCOW, Idaho - The pace of the game had stabilized after a manic opening stretch, and Seattle University had squandered its once-cushy lead. In the waning moments, all Idaho needed was a clutch shot. Deremy Geiger delivered.
MOSCOW, Idaho – His high school coach likened him to Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, which makes sense given Ma’ne Manaea’s free-flowing black hair and exuberance roaming the defensive backfield. Yet Idaho football fans might be reminded of another tenacious safety when watching the 5-foot-11 Manaea – one of the jewels of the Vandals’ recruiting class that was announced Wednesday.
MOSCOW, Idaho – His high school coach likened him to Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, which makes sense given Ma’ne Manaea’s free-flowing black hair and exuberance roaming the defensive backfield.
MOSCOW, Idaho – More than anything, Idaho men’s basketball coach Don Verlin looks for one thing from his springy starting forward, Djim Bandoumel – energy, and lots of it. Bandoumel provided more than that Saturday night; for a long stretch in the second half, he carried the Vandals against Utah State.
MOSCOW, Idaho – More than anything, Idaho men’s basketball coach Don Verlin looks for one thing from his springy starting forward, Djim Bandoumel – energy, and lots of it.
PULLMAN – It’s supposed to be the simplest shot in basketball. Yet on Saturday night for the Washington State women, trying to convert an uncontested layup – just like trying to break a 16-year hex against its chief rival – was a tortuous experience. The Cougars had three gimme layins rim out in the first few minutes, and they went on to shoot a frigid 27 percent from the field in a 60-51 loss to Washington in front of 1,310 at Friel Court.
PULLMAN – It’s supposed to be the simplest shot in basketball. Yet on Saturday night for the Washington State women, trying to convert an uncontested layup – just like trying to break a 16-year hex against its chief rival – was a tortuous experience.
The Cougars had three gimme layins rim out in the first few minutes, and they went on to shoot a frigid 27 percent from the field in a 60-51 loss to Washington in front of 1,310 at Friel Court.
MOSCOW, Idaho – Mike Levenseller will reunite with Robb Akey and become Idaho’s offensive coordinator, a source told The Spokesman-Review. Levenseller’s hiring, first reported by FootballScoop.com, has not been made official by the Vandals. They will likely wait until after the online job announcement for the position expires today.
MOSCOW, Idaho – Mike Levenseller, who spent 19 years as an offensive assistant at Washington State, will join Robb Akey’s staff at the University of Idaho, according to FootballScoop.com. Akey has two open spots on his staff after offensive coordinator Steve Axman retired last month and wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator Luther Carr was apparently let go.
