For the Idaho Vandals women’s basketball team, this wasn’t a magical or one-hit-wonder season. This is the beginning of the new standard of Idaho basketball.
After a 29-6 (17-1) season where they won the regular season and Big Sky championships, cut the nets twice and appeared in March Madness, they also set program records in wins (29), longest winning streak (18) and most home wins in ICCU Arena history (14).
This team, with seven international players from five different countries, returned one starter from last season, came together and proved that the Idaho standard is being set.
“Such a special group, I feel like we do a really good job of recruiting,” head coach Arthur Moreira said. And even when I was here as an assistant, I felt like we had really high character people. With Carrie [Eighmey] my first year here, a lot of great people. And this year, for some reason, the group just really connected, you know, they really bonded.”
Moreira who was unanimously named Big Sky coach of the year entered his second season as head coach ready to compete and show everyone who Idaho was going to be.
The season didn’t begin when they walked onto the court at Beasley Coliseum, it began on a team retreat in July when they mapped out the season.
As the new team gathered, they began discussing their goals and writing them down. The obvious ones were to win the Big Sky championship and get to March Madness. They then took pieces of paper and wrote down smaller goals and their paths to reach them.
“It wasn’t just the big goals; we broke down what it means to get there,” junior guard Hope Hassmann said. “We broke down into different sheets of paper of how hard we’re going to play. We’re going to be great teammates, we’re going to be vocal, we’re going to do these things off the court to make sure on the court we’re great.”
The group would develop into a team as the year went on.
The team consisted of seven returners, five transfers and three freshmen.
The returners were led by Hassmann, who had a great sophomore season last year and emerged as a leader for the Vandals on and off the court. Hassmann led the team this year with 496 points, averaging 14.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and four assists per game.
She was especially huge down the stretch and into the Big Sky Tournament, where she won Tournament MVP and was voted to the All-Big Sky team.
Idaho also had a trio of sophomore guards in Ella Uriarte, Ana Pinheiro and Ana Beatriz Passos da Silva who all took steps forward and were key contributors.
Pinheiro and Uriarte broke into the starting lineup and started all 35 games. Both were solid offensively but shined on the defensive end, with Pinheiro earning a spot on the All-Big Sky Defensive team. Passos capped off the season with 12 huge points in the Big Sky championship versus Montana State and was a huge contributor off the bench for Idaho all season.
Idaho was also active and effective in the transfer portal, landing several key pieces.
Moreira and his staff went across the border and got senior guard Kyra Gardner, who had a breakout season on both ends. Gardner scored 455 points, averaging 13 points, 6.8 rebounds and two assists per game, while adding 88 steals and 34 blocks. She formed a lethal backcourt with Hassmann, the duo reaching a combined 951 points.
The Vandals then added premier frontcourt players in University of San Francisco transfers Lorena Barbosa and Debora dos Santos. The two combined for 602 points and 347 rebounds, helping Idaho rank fourth in the country in rebounding at 47.1 per game. Dos Santos earned Big Sky Best Reserve honors for her efforts.
From the time Moreira was hired as head coach, the team hasn’t settled for average. They compete every year not just for improvement but for championships, and that journey began the first game of the season.
“The standard is to compete for a championship every year,” Moreira said. “We got to taste what it’s like in the NCAA tournament. We want to do it again.”
The season began Nov. 3 when the Vandals took down border rivals Washington State behind a breakout performance from Gardner, who posted a career-high 27 points and the game-winning block to secure Idaho’s first win over the Cougs since the 2003-04 season.
The Vandals finished the non-conference slate 12-5 before heading into conference play. After wins over Eastern Washington and Montana, they ran into Montana State and suffered a 99-66 loss that changed the course of the season.
“It was a horrible game for us, but at the same time, I feel like it was the best thing that could have happened,” Hassmann said. “It was a total 180 switch. We went from having that poor mindset and switched it to, all right, now we have to lock in. We have to do better so we can accomplish these goals.”
Moreira echoed that sentiment.
“That loss kind of made them lock in even more,” Moreira said. “Losing that bad, it kind of shocked us in a way where, okay, we need to work. We can’t take a day off.”
From then on, everything changed from the practice court to game night.
When they stepped on the practice court, drill after drill, that competitive switch had flipped. The Idaho standard that everyone saw game after game morphed into a belief and an expectation.
The Vandals then won 18 straight, including a 73-70 revenge win over Montana State. On Feb. 28, they had a chance to seal the regular season title against Northern Colorado. After a 55-41 victory, the buzzer sounded and their first goal was complete.
“Winning that regular season title was so accomplishing,” Hassmann said. “Anyone can win the Big Sky Tournament. You could have a couple good games and you win. But winning regular season shows consistency and the best team overall. I’m happy we got to prove that.”
Idaho then stepped into Boise and achieved their second goal, beating Montana State 60-57 to book their trip to March Madness.
As the clock hit zeros they were sprayed with confetti and cut down the nets for a second time this season, but this one added a trip to the NCAA tournament.
Nine days later they were stepping onto the floor in Norman, Oklahoma, facing no. 4 seed Oklahoma in the first round a dream come true for many players including Hassmann.
“It was super exciting. For all of us, this is exactly what we dreamed of and exactly why we came to Idaho,” Hassmann said.
The Vandals will look different next season, losing seven seniors. But the group coming back, led by Hassmann, is on a mission to return to the biggest stage of college basketball.
“Next year I’m going to be a senior, which is crazy to even think,” Hassmann said. “But yeah, just really take on that leadership role even more. Set the standard to let everyone know we want to win regular season. We want to win in Boise. Our goal is March Madness. You can’t just say that without doing the things. That starts in summer, working hard every day, putting the work in the weight room, on the court, off the court. Just all the little things. Being that voice and being that leader.”
The Idaho Vandals now face their biggest challenge yet: maintaining the standard.
“It’s going to be competitive, We care about each other as people, as players, so I feel like continue that respect, but also share the love of basketball with them.,” Hassmann said. “We’ve all always loved basketball. Getting our work in on the court and during practice is something really important, so we continue the legacy of winning.”
Through the ups and downs, they had confetti fall twice, cut two nets and put together a program-historic season. For some programs that is enough. For the Vandals under Moreira, this is the baseline. The standard is set on and off the court, and the Idaho Vandals are here to compete every year, not just for wins but for championships. They have the right core to do it.