For some athletes, all it takes is one game to show their worth and impress coaches, fans and opponents out on the court. After a devastating 94-69 loss at home against Sam Houston on Nov. 28, the Vandals men’s basketball team had the privilege to fight at home once more on Wednesday, Dec. 3, this time against North Dakota.
Throughout the game, on both sides of the ball, the Vandals dominated. Meanwhile, senior guard Isaiah Brickner played the game of his life. Brickner, who was a transfer from Marist, was expected to be a bench player for the game, but ended up exploding with a career and team high 26 points, 23 of those points coming from the second half alone.
Brickner also cashed in on four out of his five three-pointers, recorded three rebounds and scored 70% of his field goals as well. Thanks in part to Brickner’s insane night, the Vandals were able to please their home crowd and defeat the Fighting Hawks 90-58.
It wasn’t until the second half that Brickner turned on the afterburners and dominated the court, scoring an extra 23 points by the end of the game.
“I feel like I was just trying to take the right shots, and they were just going in, so I kept shooting them,” Brickner said in a post-game interview. “I think the ball just came to me, and it was just going in. I guess it was one of my nights.”
Brickner’s second half performance helped Idaho pull away, ultimately turning what should’ve been a close, competitive matchup, into a North Dakota beating by the Vandals. After graduating high school in San Diego, Brickner decided to take his talents to Marist where he would spend two years with the Red Foxes.
At Marist, he played a total of 60 games, 34 of which he started. Over his two-year career with the Red Foxes, he scored a total 382 points, 226 total rebounds, 151 total assists and 47 steals, averaging 6.25 points per game over the two years. It wasn’t until April 2024 when Brickner transferred to Idaho, and is now currently making an impact for the Vandals’ offense and defense on the court.
“When you have your career high in only 17 and a half minutes, that’s pretty good,” head coach Alex Pribble said, when commenting on Brickner’s performance.
“He didn’t settle for tough [shots]. But for the most part, what got him going was taking great shots”.
After spending most of last summer injured, Brickner’s comeback has been quite a compelling story.
“He’s playing the best basketball of his career right now. It just took him a little time, because he was hurt the whole time. I’m just really, really proud of him and excited about the rest of the year,” Pribble said.
As for himself, coaches and the fans, Brickner expects to ride the hot hand and continue to dominate the court. For an already loaded Idaho squad, opponents have to keep in mind that Brickner, when given the chance, has shown he can take over a game and control it the rest of the way.