With eyes to the past and legendary coach Don Monson, Idaho ready to take on his son Dan and Eastern Washington

MOSCOW, Idaho – Clearly, Don Monson can sit wherever he wants at the University of Idaho’s ICCU Arena.

Idaho’s most successful basketball coach led the Vandals to a top-10 ranking and the third round of the NCAA Tournament in the early 1980s. He’s retired in Spokane, but makes a trip to Moscow to see a game or two every year.

On Saturday, his son Dan – an old Moscow High and former Vandals football player – will coach Eastern Washington against Idaho.

Whether dad sits behind EWU’s bench remains to be seen.

“Don Monson is the first name that is always brought up,” current UI coach Alex Pribble said. “What a great person. To have his son here in the building, even if he is coaching against us, it is great to have the name Monson back in the building.”

What Idaho is really angling after is to recreate some of the success it enjoyed four decades ago – topped by a 1981-82 season that saw them finish sixth in the nation with a 27-3 record.

“It is about getting Idaho back as a powerhouse in the region,” Pribble said. “We are taking steps in that direction, but it is a step-by-step process.”

The Vandals (7-10, 2-2 Big Sky) play host to the Eagles (6-11, 2-2) on Saturday as part of a men’s and women’s doubleheader. The women tip off at 1 p.m., followed by the men at 4.

Idaho is coming off a road split, having defeated Sacramento State 80-67 before falling to Portland State 75-63 when Idaho’s lack of size was a big factor.

EWU mirrored the Vandals last week, taking down the Hornets 65-54 but falling to the Vikings 64-59.

“They are built more like us,” Pribble said of Eastern, a team that plays outside-in and shoots well from the perimeter. “It is a really interesting matchup.”

Pribble points to three EWU players the Vandals must counter: 6-foot-3 guard Nic McClain, averaging 14.6 points per game; 6-5 Mason Williams, averaging 12.8 points; and Andrew Cook, averaging 15.7 points.

Idaho could be without its two best interior players. Julius Mim, averaging 9.2 points and 6.1 rebounds, with 13 blocks, is recovering from a neck injury sustained in practice and has been forced to manage chronically sore knees all season. Kyson Rose, averaging 6.8 points and 2.6 rebounds, is working his way back from a concussion suffered Dec. 15 against UC San Diego.

“Idaho fans understand what Julius means to us as a rim protector and with his defense,” Pribble said.

Mims and Rose will be game-time decisions against EWU, Pribble said.

Jack Payne, a 6-6 sophomore, has had the hot hand for the Vandals. He scored 18 points against Montana in a 73-71 loss, 23 against Sacramento State and 15 against Portland State. He’s averaging just less than 10 points.

“Jack is a great player,” Pribble said. “He will do whatever the team needs.”

EWU, which has won back-to-back Big Sky regular-season championships, will be a good barometer for where the Vandals stand, Pribble said.

“This could obviously be a one-possession type of game,” he said.

Women

The Vandals (11-4, 3-1) come into the game with three straight wins, beating Montana, Sacramento State and Portland State. EWU (6-10, 2-2), the defending conference champion, has won two straight.

“(We) are really showing a lot of grit,” UI first-year coach Arthur Moreira said. “I am really proud of our effort.”

The Vandals are led by Jennifer Aadland, a grad transfer from Division II Augustana (South Dakota) who is averaging 9.7 points and a Big Sky-leading 10.7 rebounds per game.

“She is a great athlete and relentless,” Moreira said. “She comes in with the mindset, ‘I am going to grab every rebound,’ and I thought rebounding was going to be our biggest weakness.”

The doubleheader will also feature the UI’s salute to Idaho’s tribal nations. The drum circle and powwow dancers are annual highlights of halftime entertainment.