Idaho women hope incoming transfers are the missing pieces to win Big Sky

MOSCOW, Idaho – A year ago, the Idaho team Arthur Moreira hoped he would have did not quite fit his picture for the team he did have. Nonetheless, the Vandals adjusted on the fly. With 13 new players, they figured out their strengths and posted an 18-12 record before losing to Montana in the Big Sky Conference tournament, 65-54.

This year, Moreira sees the picture coming into sharp focus.

“We have more size than last year. Last year, we wanted to play fast. But I didn’t know until we started practicing that we couldn’t. This year. I think we can,” he said.

The Vandals have been picked third in both the Big Sky coaches and media polls. Idaho has seven returning players. Six of them played an average of 12 or more minutes a game. The experience is giving Idaho an early advantage.

“We are progressing faster than last year,” Moreira said.

Traditional Big Sky powers like Montana, Montana State and Idaho State have not gone anywhere. But Moreira expects Idaho to match up better than last season. Newcomers are expected to lead the way. Debora dos Santos, a 6-foot senior transfer forward from the University of San Francisco, comes to Moscow after averaging 15.3 points and 10.6 rebounds per game last season.

“She is a monster,” Moreira said. At 6-5, Lorena Barbosa, another redshirt senior from San Francisco, gives the Vandals a presence in the paint that can line up with anyone in the league.

Niveya Henley, a 6-foot senior guard from Seattle, played four years at Furman but is returning for a final season with the Vandals to play near her home after rehabilitating a knee injury. She averaged 10.8 ppg and 4.1 rpg last season and made the All-Southern Conference third team.

Kyra Gardner, a 5-11 senior guard, comes to Idaho from Washington State, where she played three years with the Cougars.

The top returner from last season, junior Hope Hassmann, was an all-conference honorable mention player a year ago at guard, averaging 12.3 ppg and 2.6 rpg. She buried 42 3-pointers, dealt 105 assists, made 29 steals, had five blocks and led the Big Sky in free-throw percentage at 92.3%. Based on her play in the offseason and early this year, Moreira believes she can even improve on those marks.

Senior forward Sarah Brans, 6-1, was another reliable player, averaging 4.1 ppg and 3.2 rpg.