Every loose ball. Every rebound. Every time they hit the court, the Idaho Vandals women’s basketball team wants to win.
Now days away from tipping off the 2025-26 season, the Vandals have the roster, the playing style and the championship mentality to back up their ambitions. Picked third in the Big Sky preseason poll, Idaho returns seven players from an 18-win team and adds eight talented newcomers who bring depth, athleticism and a hunger to compete.
“My philosophy of coaching is, we’re trying to compete for a championship every year, so I approach every game like I want to beat everybody that we play against,” head coach Arthur Moreira said. “We go into every game thinking there’s not a single game in our schedule that we can’t win.”
The biggest change for Idaho this season isn’t just who’s on the roster, it’s how they want play.
“Our playing style is a lot different than last year,” Moreira said. “I wanted to play fast, but once I got the team here, I realized it might not be the best fit because we had some players that were better in a half-court setting. We couldn’t push as fast as I wanted to, but this year we can. We’re so athletic, we’re flying the ball up the court. It’s been really fun.”
The Vandals open their season Monday, Nov. 3, at 11 a.m. against Washington State at Beasley Coliseum in the Battle of the Palouse. While the Cougars have lost significant talent since last season, Moreira isn’t overlooking his cross-border rival.
“They’re a really good program. It’s not going to be easy,” Moreira said. “But we feel like we’re on the same level. We see it as two evenly matched teams, and it could go either way. We don’t see it as a Big Sky team against the former Pac-12 WCC team. We’ve just got to be ready to compete.”
All-conference guard Hope Hassmann leads a talented group of returners. The transfer from Cal State Fullerton electrified fans last season with her toughness, elite finishing and passing ability, averaging 12.3 points and 3.5 assists per game. Named to the preseason all-conference team, Hassmann has spent the offseason preparing her body for Idaho’s new up-tempo style.
“She’s become a much better shooter. She relied a lot on getting to the rim and floaters and in the mid-range, but her threes improved a lot,” Moreira said. “Her pull-ups are really deadly right now, and she’s just playing at a different pace. When she came back for the summer, she was ready for it. She became a better athlete. I think she’s going to take it to another level, and she’s going to have a breakout year for us.”
Despite the accolades, Hassmann is simply excited to put her Idaho uniform on and get the season started.
“I’m just excited for games to start. I feel like we’ve been practicing for so long,” Hassmann said. “I’m excited to show the fans and the community what we’re going to bring to the table this year. Overall, just super excited to get to league play after preseason games and compete in league and work for that high seed that we want and win out those games in Boise.”
Hassmann credits the team’s culture and competitive traits for their progress this offseason.
“I feel like Idaho basketball is so special and very different than a lot of programs,” Hassmann said. “Arthur and his staff value the competitiveness of practice, games, whatever we’re doing,” Hassmann said. “We’re bringing it all in and being together as a team, it’s going to help us get to where we want to be.”
Along with Hassmann, the Vandals return senior forward Sarah Brans, guards Ella Uriarte, Anja Bukvic, Ana Passos da Silva and Ana Pinheiro. Moreira says all have made significant strides in the offseason, but Pinheiro has particularly set herself apart.
Her offense, finishing around the rim and her strength have improved mightily according to Moreira predicting a breakout season for Pinheiro.
“I have a big problem on my hands here: we have a lot of pieces. I truly think we have 14 players that can start on a lot of teams in the conference,” Moreira said. “You can’t play that many, so competition in practice is going to be interesting. We’ll see how some people respond to their roles. I’m really excited.”
With key contributors like graduate guard Olivia Nelson and forward Jennifer Aadland departing, the Vandals needed fresh talent. They found it across the world.
The headliner among five transfers is senior guard Kyra Gardner, who crossed the border from Washington State. Gardner thrives in what Moreira calls a “playground” basketball style and brings versatility when given freedom to operate.
From the University of San Francisco come forwards Debora Dos Santos and Lorena Barbosa, both of whom played for Moreira at USF and bring familiarity with his system.
Redshirt senior guard Niveya Henley arrives from Furman University, while senior guard Mary McMorris joins from Valdosta State. Together, the transfers bring depth, competitive hunger and chemistry with Moreira’s coaching staff.
The three-player freshman class showcases Idaho’s global recruiting reach. Guards Sofia Ekh from Västerås, Sweden, and Katlin Kangur (KK) from Tallinn, Estonia, add international talent to the backcourt. The lone Idaho native on the roster is Reese de Groot from Lewiston, who will redshirt this season due to an ACL injury but has impressed Moreira with her progression.
The team has been together since July, allowing them to build the chemistry necessary to make some noise in the Big Sky conference.
“We got here in July, so that was really cool to get all the new faces in,” Hassmann said. “We obviously didn’t have some because we do have a lot of internationals, but the people who were here, we got to develop that chemistry early. And then once the other girls got here, I feel like we really led them into what the team’s all about and how we’re very competitive every practice.”
That competitiveness defines Idaho basketball under Moreira, and the players have embraced that part of the culture and are ready for the challenge.
After last season ended short of their ultimate goal, the Vandals believe this year is different and will take it one game at a time to bring a championship to Moscow.
“Last year we had some success, but we didn’t end it how we wanted to,” Hassmann said. “Going into this year, I think for fans and everyone watching us, this is going to be a huge year. Continuing to get support from the fans will be amazing because we think we’re really a part of something special. And this year, I really do believe we could reach our goals, but we still have a lot of hard work to get there. But I believe that we are able to reach them.”
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected].