From staff reports

The Idaho Vandals have hired Alex Pribble as men’s basketball coach.

Pribble spent the past four seasons as associate head coach at Seattle University. Prior to that, he served as head coach at Division II Saint Martin’s from 2015-19. He was also an assistant coach at Eastern Washington during the 2014-15 season that saw the Eagles earn an NCAA Tournament bid.

UI athletic director Terry Gawlik announced the hiring on Thursday.

“Alex is a proven program-builder, and as our search progressed, it became clear that he was the right person to lead our program into the future,” Gawlik said. “His energy and commitment to building a championship culture and sustainable success are in perfect alignment with my goals for our men’s basketball program.”

Pribble replaces Zac Claus, who was fired after the Vandals finished last in the Big Sky Conference in three of his four seasons.

At Seattle, Pribble was part of a coaching staff that led the Redbirds to back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since the 1960s and the program’s first Western Athletic Conference regular-season title.

“We are focused on developing a championship culture, with young men who will achieve excellence on the court, in the classroom, and as leaders in the community,” Pribble said. “We hope that the Vandal fans will be excited about the brand of basketball being played in the ICCU. You will see a fast pace, a physical defense and intensity on both ends of the court. We can’t wait to get the journey started.”

An introductory news conference to announce Pribble as head coach will take place 3 p.m. Monday at the ICCU Arena Alumni Club Room. The event will be streamed live on ESPN+.