The addition of four junior college transfers and two freshmen, should solve Idaho men’s basketball’s depth concerns, but fine-tuning a Verlin system early in the season could be an issue.
The Vandals played two of four, 10-
minute inter-squad scrimmages in front of 300 fans Saturday evening in Memorial Gym. Every Vandal saw minutes, but Verlin said with new faces on the squad, progress is sometimes impeded.
“There’s a lot of working out left to do on this team. I thought our effort was pretty good tonight,” Verlin said. “I thought our attention to detail wasn’t very good, thought we made a lot of executional
errors.”
Verlin said even with the errors, he was pleased with the team so far in the short preseason workouts. He said depth, especially under the hoop, is something he looks forward to.
“I like the inside guys, Dazmond Starke and Wendell Faines — they both are big strong physical guys who have to help us this year,” Verlin said. “They have to be able to rebound the basketball at a high level. They have to score the ball.”
The pair did just that at their junior colleges, averaging more than 13 points and eight rebounds per game. Starke and Faines will fill out the four and five spots with third-year players Kyle Barone and Joe Kammerer and returner Djim Bandoumel. The five boast an average height of 6 feet, 8 inches and weight of 240 pounds, something Verlin thinks could make them the most physical team in the WAC.
“We should be a ton more physical,” Verlin said. “We should be a lot bigger and a lot more physical than we’ve been any year since I’ve been here, even when Marvin (Jefferson) was here. This team has the opportunity to own the paint.”
Barone agreed, even though his role will change from years past.
“We got some big guys coming in too, Wendell, Daz(mond) — those guys are pretty good too. So I mean, I think this year we’re going to be pretty physical down low,” Barone said.
Late in the scrimmage, Barone hit nothing but net from about 18 feet — a shot that is not typical from a 6-foot-10-inch center.
“I’ve always had it I think, but you know, I just feel more confident in my game. No hesitation anymore,” Barone said. “I think that I can knock those down consistently. I think coach has trust in me to shoot those kinda shots and just be a leader for this team.”
Fellow leader Deremy Geiger also improved his shot in the offseason, shooting 83 percent from behind the arc and nearly 77 percent overall Saturday night.
“Last year I shot a low field goal percentage and I’ve been really working hard in the offseason and any free time to improve that and work out my shot,” Geiger said.
Verlin echoed Geiger and is confident his starter has a high percentage shot in his repertoire.
“He’s worked really hard on his shot this summer — shot up a million shots. He’s feeling a lot more comfortable,” Verlin said. “He’s gotta shoot the ball for us. He’s going to be our No. 1 perimeter threat.”
With the departure of three-ball specialist Jeff Ledbetter, the Idaho staff knows the three pointer is vital to the screen and shoot offense run by the Vandals. Among Geiger, returning sophomore Stephen Madison and true freshman Connor Hill, the Vandals should have multiple perimeter shooters.
“The reason I came here is because the offense is for shooters like Jeff Ledbetter that could come off screens. And that’s my game,” said Hill, Post Falls native.
While Hill admitted he is still learning the system and forgot a few plays during the scrimmage, he shot 80 percent from
downtown.
“He’s played pretty well to this point,” Verlin said. “We’ll just have to see what happens. He didn’t have a great first scrimmage, but tonight I thought he played very well. Connor can really shoot the ball.”
Verlin said there will be some redshirts this year, but he won’t make the decision until he is forced to — when Idaho takes the court against Long Beach State in its first non-exhibition contest Nov. 12 in Long Beach, Calif.
“Somebody will redshirt, hopefully we wont have any injuries,” Verlin said. “We’ve got two exhibition games that we can play everybody … See how they do when the lights are on them, when we play against someone else.”
Barone owned the paint, tallying nine rebounds and leading all scorers on the night with 25 points. Barone was selected as a Pre-season All-WAC First-team member by collegesportsmadness.com and a 2010-11 Honorable Mention All-WAC pick.
“He (Barone) has to be our guy. I’ve told people that all along. He’s got to be our go-to guy,” Verlin said. “The sky is the limit as far as his talent … he’s got to deliver.”
Along with additions surrounding Barone, Geiger and fellow guard and returning starter Landon Tatum will have help up front with the additions of junior college transfers Mike McChristian and Mansa Habeeb, and true freshman Xavier Brazile.
Verlin said there is stiff competition at every spot, and Geiger said the competition makes everyone better.
“It’s all good spirits and good competition in practice and every time we’re on the court we’re always competing with each other,” Geiger said. “And it’s showin’ on the court. Every guy is stepping up at their position and really playing good.”
Idaho plays its first exhibition game at 7:05 p.m. Oct. 28 in Memorial Gym against Evergreen State and Verlin said, except for small details and execution, the team has not faced major adversity so far.
“When you lose a game, have a few bad outtings … that’s when your chemistry has to be the strength of the team,” Verlin said.
Geiger said hard work and concentration will be key to the beginning of the season.
“The whole week of practice you have to work and treat every practice like it’s a game itself,” Geiger said. “Just work hard and come game-time that’s the fun part. You go out and have fun.”