After an up and down season for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams, the offseason began in mid-March. The men finished the season with a record of 14-19 and the women finished with at 18-12.
The basketball transfer portal opened on March 24, starting the exodus that begins every off-season for collegiate sports. It will close on April 22, giving players a 29-day window to find a new college team to compete for.
Over 1000 college basketball players have entered the portal, including 5 from UI. Tyler Mrus, Juice Mims, Jojo Anderson and Takai Hardey have all entered their names into the transfer portal to find new homes for the next season.
The good news for Idaho basketball is that the portal works both ways, and each team has already signed new players.
Brody Rowbury is a center from Meridian, Idaho. He played for three years at Southeastern Louisiana, averaging between 8.5-9.2 ppg before moving back to the gem state for his final season.
Debora dos Santos was signed on April 8. Dos Santos played for University of San Francisco for three seasons, in which she became the First Team All-West Coast Conference performer for the 2023-24 season. During that season, dos Santos would average a double-double with 15.3 points and 10.6 rebounds. dos Santos joins the Vandals with one year of eligibility left.
Lorena Barbosa was and will continue to be teammates with dos Santos, both having played at San Francisco. Barbosa is 6’5”, making her one of the tallest players on the women’s side of the Big Sky, giving the Vandals and height advantage they haven’t had in a long while. This, combined with the dynamic she will have with dos Santos, is seen as a huge boost for the Vandals, who are already coming off of a strong season.
Guard Nivea Henley signed on April 8. Henley is a PNW native from Seattle who spent the first four seasons of her career with Furman University. Henley performed very well at her previous school, being named to the Southern Conference All-Freshman team in 2021-22, selected to the All-SoCon Third Team in 2023-24. She averaged 11.4 points ppg and 1.7 assists during her 2023-24 outing.
Visit here for more news about the new Vandals and all future Vandal Athletics signees.
Jack DeWitt can be reached at [email protected].