As the ball was tipped and the game began, it landed in the hands of junior guard Hope Hassmann. Donning her no. 4 jersey with “Idaho” across the chest and a smile on her face, Hassmann’s greatest joy is when the ball is in her hands, playing the game she loves.
“I feel like it’s just Idaho basketball in general, and what we stand for, what our culture is about,” Hassmann said. “I feel like coming to Idaho, the portal, really made me fall in love with basketball even more than before. It’s so fun to be around your best friends but also playing a game you love.”
Ever since she got to campus, Hassmann has been an important player for the Idaho Vandals women’s basketball team and has played her best basketball over the past five games.
Over the last month, Hassmann has been on fire and has averaged 16 points, four rebounds and four assists per game in that span.
She has eclipsed 20 points twice during that span, including this past Saturday versus Northern Arizona. She also had a career high in assists when she dished out 12 against Portland State.
No one has been playing better than Hassmann for the Vandals over the past month. Her college journey, however, didn’t start on the Palouse.
Hassmann, a native of Maple Valley, Washington, decided to attend California State Fullerton and was an instant impact. She started in all 31 games as a freshman, averaging 9.7 points, 2.8 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game. After her freshman year, she decided to make a risky decision and enter the portal, a decision that has proven transformative.
Her sophomore campaign, she played all 30 games for the Vandals scoring, 368 points, dishing out 102 assists and was an incredible 60-65 from the free throw line for a 92% free throw percentage.
Hassmann’s 12.3 points and 3.5 assists per game were enough to put her as an All-Big Sky honorable mention and on the preseason All-Conference team. Through her two schools, she has not missed a game in college, playing in all 83, scoring 973 points, adding 235 rebounds and 283 assists.
Hassmann is an electric scorer, an elite passer and a fierce competitor. Her ability to score at all three levels, fearless nature to go downhill, opens opportunities up for her and her teammates and has made her a key part of the Vandals’ (17-5, 8-1) season so far.
However, Hassmann’s best quality might not be scoring baskets or assisting, but her leadership and what she brings as a teammate, something she has stepped up in since the departures of seniors Olivia Nelson and Jennifer Aadland.
“Hope has taken on more of a leadership role this year compared to last year. She let Olivia and Jen do that last year, it’s been fun to see,” head coach Arthur Moreira said.
She leads in a lot of ways, but her actions were what stuck out to Moreira during spring and summer workouts before the season began.
“When I told them, after our spring workouts are done, we want to play fast. We’re going to try to win a championship, she really took that to heart, and she prepared her body to play that way,” Moreira said.
As the Vandals approach the final few games of the season and head into the postseason next month, Hassmann will be a key piece in them reaching their goals and bringing a championship to Moscow.