Courtesy: Idaho Athletic Media Relations

The 2008-09 season is one of change and new beginnings for the University of Idaho basketball program as Don Verlin, a long-time assistant at Utah State, has joined the Idaho family as head coach of the Vandals.

 

“I’m extremely honored to be chosen the head basketball coach at the University of Idaho,” Verlin said at his introductory news conference in March. “I am tremendously excited and am looking forward to building a winning basketball program here.”

 

Verlin looks to bring a new philosophy to Idaho basketball, one which he hopes will show not only in the players on the court, but also in the fans in the stands.

 

“I have asked the team to enjoy the season, embrace being a Vandal, and forget about the recent past,” Verlin said. “College basketball should be fun and we are asking our team to enjoy the season. We hope our passion and determination on the court will help the fans follow our lead and really stand behind us as we build Idaho into a winning program.”

 

Although the results may not come right away, Verlin is building a foundation from which to take Idaho to the next level.

 

“I have asked our players to play hard, be disciplined and be competitive. Those are three areas we will really focus on during this first season. Our philosophy for this season is to win our next game. We want to be a little better every day and go out on game night with the intention of winning our next game,” Verlin said.

 

Verlin was known for his offensive expertise while at Utah State but has worked hard to instill strong defensive fundamentals in his new roster.

 

“I want our team to play a hard and physical style of man-to-man defense. We spent a lot of time in the preseason on our defense schemes. On offense we will play a pro-style set offense that is based on execution. We are hoping our defense will ignite our offense and we will be able to get up and down the floor,” Verlin said.

 

Aside from the change at the top, the Idaho roster also will welcome 11 new players alongside the five who return from last season. Verlin and his staff will work continually to develop their system around the players as they learn more about each other as the season progresses.

 

“I have always felt a key to being a good coach is not having something set in stone every year,” Verlin said. “You have to fit what you do around the personnel you have and I look forward to figuring out as much as I can about these players individually, as well as the team as a whole. So far we have seen players who are a more athletic than I am used to, which lends itself to putting more pressure on defensively and speeding up the game. “

 

The guard positions are where Verlin feels the team is strongest as the season begins.

 

“Right now I would say our perimeter guys are stronger and will lead us in our defensive intensity and in our offensive production,” Verlin said.

 

Although the team is without a returning starter at guard, the position does boast experience in veterans Trevor Morris and Terrence Simmons. Also joining the position is Washington State transfer Mac Hopson, who Verlin believes will take over the point guard duties. Morris, Simmons, and junior college transfer Kashif Watson are all combo guards who should see time at both spots. Walk-on Drew Eisinger rounds out the position.

 

The small forward position returns Brandon Brown, who Verlin feels is a very good athlete who can be an important lock-down defender on the perimeter. Watson will see time at small forward as his primary position and walk-ons Ryan Votaw and Travis Blackstock also are available.

 

The players around the basket will provide a different look than Idaho fans have seen lately. At power forward are newcomers Brandon Wiley and Luciano de Souza, both of whom can shoot outside as well as play around the rim.

 

“We are hoping to be able to spread the defense and move some of our forwards away from the basket. We are athletic and will look to utilize beating teams off the bounce rather than throwing it inside and beating people up that way,” Verlin said.

 

When the situation does call for getting the ball inside, returning center Luis Augusto and junior college transfer Marvin Jefferson offer Idaho two distinct options. At 6-foot-8, 245-pounds, Augusto offers a physical force under the basket while the 6-foot-10, 235-pound Jefferson provides length and finesse around the rim.

 

“Our post guys are coming around and definitely will improve as they gain more experience,” Verlin said.

 

Although the Idaho roster boasts players with star-caliber talent, Verlin feels the Vandals will find more success by approaching the season with a team mentality.

 

“This is a team thing and we need to be balanced,” Verlin said. “The good teams in the Western Athletic Conference are balanced and have three, four, or five guys in double figures for points and the same amount battling for the team lead in rebounds. We need to do it as a team. I really have been preaching that to our players. I don’t feel we have one outstanding player who will overshadow the need for us to play team basketball.”

 

Although the Vandals enter the season with 16 players on its roster, Verlin feels depth is a concern as only 11 players are eligible this season with nine being scholarship players.

 

The 2009-10 roster will boast four transfers from four-year colleges. Steffan Johnson was a first team all-Big West Conference selection at Pacific, Marcus Lawrence played two seasons at UNLV, Luiz Toledo was the 2007-08 Atlantic University Sport (Canada) Rookie of the Year, and Mark Mahaffy is a walk-on who played last season at Schreiner University. Kyle Barone, a 6-foot-10 freshman, must fulfill a residency requirement before joining the Vandals next fall.

 

“We went the way of taking some transfers and the ones we have will be great players in this program, but we have sacrificed some depth for this season. That can be a good thing, however, as our current players will see a lot of minutes and we will get some players seasoned in our program. Barring any injuries, we will be able to get our players some great experience faster than we otherwise would have been able to,” Verlin said.

 

Verlin describes the schedule to be “unbelievably tough” in his first season. It features 30 regular-season games, which ties for the most in school history. It is the largest amount of regular-season games in a season which does not feature participation in a tournament. Also on tap are matchups with NCAA powers Michigan State and Gonzaga on the road and Washington State at the Cowan Spectrum. All three teams advanced at least to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and are in the preseason national rankings this season.

 

“Beginning the season at Michigan State and at Gonzaga, two teams ranked highly in the preseason polls, would be tough for any team. We know that is a big challenge,” Verlin said.

 

The remainder of the preseason includes games in which Verlin feels his team can be competitive and find some success. Idaho ends the preseason with games at home vs. Washington State and on the road at Idaho State, two matchups Verlin feels are important rivalry games.

 

“We are hoping our non-conference schedule will help prepare us for the WAC season by helping us get a little better each game and teaching us to play with passion. We hope to use the two rivalry games at the end to springboard us into a very difficult WAC schedule,” Verlin said.

 

The WAC looks again to be one of the premier conferences in the nation and Idaho was done no favors with four of its first five conference games on the road.

 

“The WAC is brutally tough and we have a tough start,” Verlin said. “We start with four of our first five games on the road beginning with Nevada and Utah State, which are two teams that don’t lend a lot of wins on their home court. We also head to New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech shortly after which is a difficult and long road trip.”

 

Ready to help Verlin in his task is a group of assistant coaches with 34 years of combined coaching experience at the Division I level.

 

“I am very fortunate to have a very good staff that is well versed in a lot of areas,” Verlin said.

 

Mike Score enters his second year at Idaho and brings experience from Washington, Eastern Washington, and a Sweet 16 trip while at Utah.

 

“I was very fortunate to keep coach Score here with his experience at Idaho and in college basketball in general. His experience recruiting international players will do nothing but help the University of Idaho,” Verlin said.

 

Ray Lopes began at the Division I level in 1989 with stints at UC Santa Barbara, Washington State, Oklahoma, and Fresno State before moving on to three years at the NBA level.

 

“Coach Lopes is a great member of this staff because his experience at the Division I level is not something a first-year head coach gets to take advantage of. His experience at all levels of Division I and with the NBA Developmental League is something that will help us tremendously. He also is a great recruiter with fantastic contacts all across the nation,” Verlin said.

 

Also remaining at Idaho is second-year coach Mike Freeman. Freeman spent five seasons at Iowa before coming to Idaho last year.

 

“The best way to describe coach Freeman is to say he gets it done. He is fantastic with handling all of the behind-the-scenes aspects of running a successful program and he will become a great recruiter in the future,” Verlin said.

 

Rounding out the coaching staff is Director of Men’s Basketball Operations Chris Helbling. Helbling graduated from Moscow High School, played and coached at Walla Walla Community College, and also spent last season on staff at Gonzaga.

 

“Chris’ knowledge of the area, and Moscow in particular, has been very helpful. He is able to implement a lot of outreach in the community and his passion for and knowledge of basketball are things we are fortunate to have on our staff,” Verlin said.