Idaho will have to lean on defense to succeed during Big Sky Conference play

MOSCOW, Idaho – Vandals men’s basketball fans who haven’t seen their team win more than 10 games for any of the past five seasons may be surprised when Big Sky Conference play begins this week.

Under first-year coach Alex Pribble, Idaho has fashioned a reputation as an energetic defensive team that works together, won’t surrender to ball screens, motion or half-court sets, and contests every shot. That’s a big reason the Vandals have won half of their 12 nonconference games.

“We feel our identity needs to be formed on the defensive end,” Pribble said.

Idaho’s defense has been averaging 10.7 turnovers, 7.1 steals and 3.9 blocks per game.

The Vandals will likely be led by their backcourt.

“A big thing, even before X’s and O’s, is trying to make sure of our culture first,” said D’Angelo Minnis, a senior guard who is averaging 1.4 steals per game this year following four years at Western Washington.

“I have never been on a team like this. Everybody has common goals,” added guard Quinn Denker, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound junior who transferred from Cal State San Marcos and is the Vandals’ leading scorer at 12.2 points per game.

“They have a lot of miles on their tires,” Pribble said of the guards. “It is just that it is at the D-II level. They are tremendous leaders.”

Thirteen of Idaho’s 15 players are new. Only redshirt junior Terren Frank (6-8, 230), who missed most of last season with a foot injury, and redshirt freshman Titus Yearout (6-2, 180) return from last season’s team that finished 10-22, 4-14 in the Big Sky.

Pribble said Frank, who played a season each at TCU and Vanderbilt before coming to Idaho, is someone who can guard all over the floor.

It didn’t take the group long to come together. They were well on the way to forging a team identity in summer workouts, according to Denker and Minnis.

Pribble spends much of practice teaching defense at a finely detailed level.

“If your hands are down, you are not a good ball-screen-coverage team,” he said.

A consistent part of Idaho’s offense is converting opponents’ mistakes into transition baskets.

The Vandals are also listening to what Pribble is telling them, Denker said.

“Every single time, I feel like we are the most prepared team,” he said.

“I love playing for coach Pribble and this staff,” Minnis added.

The highlight of Idaho’s season has been a three-game winning streak against Cal Poly, Pacific and Utah Tech.

The Vandals, however, begin Big Sky play Thursday against visiting Sacramento State after losing to Stanford 82-64 and Cal Riverside 82-67.

Those losses may highlight Idaho’s biggest issues this year. In the open court, the Vandals run well. In the half court and in the lane, however, while they move the ball and seek good shots, they don’t convert at a high level.

Playing shut-down interior defense in half court can be a challenge. This became apparent early, when Idaho lost to Washington State 84-59.

“At WSU, our lack of physicality was exposed,” Pribble said. “(But) we feel comfortable playing against Big Sky opponents.”

Julius Mims (6-9, 190), Idaho’s top scorer inside at 9.4 points, leads the team with 7.3 rebounds per game. He played two seasons at North Idaho College before becoming a Vandal.

Mims posted a season-high 23 points against UC Riverside, adding 11 rebounds and three blocked shots.

While the defensive effort looks as if it will take care of itself, nothing would help the Vandals more on offense than for perimeter shots to fall regularly.

Idaho is averaging 74 points per game, including 8.6 3-pointers per game. Their field-goal percentage is 45.4.

The Vandals like to play outside, moving the ball into the post and back out.

One of Pribble’s favorite phrases at practice is, “Paint to great shots.”

Pribble expects few nights off in the conference and points to Eastern Washington, Montana, Montana State and Portland State as Big Sky favorites.

With so many new players, Pribble said he is more focused on Idaho establishing a culture than he is with the ongoing win-loss record.

If he is successful, though, this will be a team that is playing better in February than it did in December.