When the Idaho men’s basketball team pulled an upset for the ages, over then No. 17 Utah State, Vandal shooting guard Deremy Geiger received the best birthday present a 21-year-old could ask for.
Not only did the Vandals ruin Utah State’s perfect WAC run, Geiger earned a year of bragging rights over his former Aggie teammates.
At Canyon Springs High School in Las Vegas, Geiger impressed college recruiters with his drive and motivation, shooting ability and pure passion for the game. One of those recruiters was former Utah State assistant and current Idaho coach Don Verlin.
“I always liked Deremy’s competitive nature…,” Verlin said. “He was a good shooter in high school, could score a lot of points. I thought in time he would grow into the position, which he has, and probably the best thing about Deremy is that he’s a good guy.”
Geiger’s passion and love for the game stems from his father Robert, who was enlisted in the U.S. Navy and played basketball for a travelling Navy squad.
It’s no surprise then that Geiger began playing the sport at age 4.
The senior, who leads the Vandals in points-per-game and minutes-per-game, committed to Utah State out of Canyon Springs. During the 2008-2009 season Geiger appeared in 18 games and was a part of an Aggie team that qualified for the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
Geiger said he cherishes the time he spent in Logan, Utah.
“I still have a good relationship with everybody at Utah State,” Geiger said. “It was a great year I think my game improved a lot. Off the court I improved as a person and learned from mistakes.”
Lately those “good relationships” have included trash-talking in anticipation of Friday’s match-up between the teams in Logan’s Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
“It’s all good and fun trash-talking when we play them,” Geiger said.
Following the transfer, Geiger spent a year at Grayson County College in Denison, Texas, where he was named the 2010 North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
Verlin was hired in Moscow during spring 2008 and was quick to jump on the junior college transfer. Geiger and Verlin renewed their relationship and it wasn’t long before the 5-foot-11-inch guard was playing WAC basketball again.
Vandal guard Landon Tatum transferred from South Plains College, another Texas JC, during the 2009-2010 season and after redshirting, Tatum and Geiger became one of the WAC’s most lethal guard tandems.
Tatum and Geiger have developed a unique bond and the two are also roommates.
“He kind of knows what it takes to get where you really want to be and I think it really helps our team out, especially with new guys coming in from junior college,” Tatum said of Geiger.
As Idaho’s most versatile player, Geiger’s services aren’t limited to scoring points. Last season Geiger posted just 12 points during the Aggie upset, but grabbed nine rebounds. During games this season Geiger has led the team in almost every major statistic.
Verlin said he has seen drastic improvement in Geiger’s game this season.
“He wants to be a good player,” Verlin said. “Basketball means a lot to him and he’s worked extremely hard especially last year of getting his body stronger but probably more important than anything is getting his shots up.”
Verlin said Geiger has the potential to play professional ball overseas following the conclusion of his senior season but the two are prioritizing Friday’s match-up first and foremost.
Theo Lawson can be reached at [email protected]