A preview of Idaho men's basketball 2007-2008

Coach George Pfeiffer has been feeling heat for some time and he's only been in the position for little over a year. Just one season into a very difficult if not impossible undertaking, Pfeiffer had to re-populate his roster again this off-season.

It's telling that his squad has undergone more turnover than the position of Donald Trump's barber. But when your team is out-scored by an average of 13 points a game and out-rebounded by eight a contest, either improvement or new personel, or both, are prerequisites.

Simply put, Pfeifer didn't have the horses last season. So he corraled a new batch, ones more talented on paper, and the task for him is to form a more cohesive and productive team.

By our count, five players with eligibility remaining departed -- freshman point O.J. Avworo (to Navy), freshman forward David Jackson (an Arizona JC), shooting guard Miles Webb and top prospects Andre McFarland (Colorado State) and Harvey Perry (College of Southern Idaho), the latter a transfer from Washington.

Plus, 2006-2007 senior backcourter Keoni Watson, Idaho's top scorer, completed his eligibility.

So Pfeiffer has these players among those with significant playing time or contributions in the returnees column:

Trevor Morris shooting guard 6-4 175 junior. He was the best long range shooter the Vandals had last season even though his 31% on three-point attempts is unacceptedly too low. Morris launched 149 long range shots while averaging 6.5 ppg. His playing time will be reduced this season because of the influx of backcourt talent.

Clyde Johnson forward 6-7 205 senior. He averaged 4.8 ppg. and 4.2 rpg. and will perform again as a backup to the starters upfront. Here's Pfeifer on Johnson: "Pound for pound, Clyde is one of our best athletes. On top of that he is very long. We are counting on him to do a lot of things which do not show up in our stat book. One attribute we are counting on is Clyde’s ability to defend. With his quickness, size, and highlight jumping ability we expect him to have the capability to defend everyone from point guards to power forwards."

Michael Crowell forward 6-7 210 senior. Crowell was slowed by injury last season. Look for him to back up the starters in the corners. Pfeiffer's comment: "He is one of the most pure inside-outside players we have in our program."

Darin Nagle forward 6-10 221 senior. Nagle prefers to play outside facing the basket but by necessity he will be the starter at center. He scored 9.3 ppg., shooting 37% last year with a very telling total of just 59 foul shot attempts. He grabbed 5.6 rpg. and blocked 42 shots in 2006-2007.

Here's the new crop of hopefuls:

Luis Augusto forward 6-8 235 junior (OK JC) Idaho desperately needed some beef and Augusto fits that bill as Pfeifer describes: “Luis is exactly what we need. He is big and strong and is extremely hard working. Agosto averaged 10.5 ppg., 8.0 rpg. and 2 bpg last season.

Mike Hall guard 6-1 180 junior (TX JC) Hall hit 163 3-point field goals in 52 games over two years at the junior college level. He shot a combined 48-percent from beyond the arc in two seasons and, as a freshmen at Cincinnati State Tech, hit 82-of-133 (.609) 3-pointers to lead the National Junior College Athletic Association. Per Pfeifer: "He is not a one-dimensional player. To his shooting capability he adds the ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the basket. He is also very quick and moves well away from the ball."

Jordan Brooks wing 6-3 195 junior (TXJC) Brooks originally committed to Texas A&M out of high school, but ended up going the jc route which didn't turn out bad for him all. His Midland College team won a championship during the 2006-07 season and so did his Arkansas-Fort Smith squad during the 2005-06 season. He led Midland College in rebounding at 8.7 rpg. and in assists with 3.6 apg. He was second on the team in scoring at 14.2 ppg.

Terrance Simmons point guard 6-3 170 junior (OK JC) Simmons spent he past two seasons at Connors State College. While there, he averaged 10 ppg. and five apg. last season while shooting 42% from the floor, 32% from the 3-point line, and 73% from the foul line. Here's Pfeiffer on Simmons: “He has tremendous vision and decision-making ability and also possesses exceptional command of the ball. He is long and uses that to his advantage when getting the ball in the lane. He also has a good outside stroke.”

Phillip 'Tree' Thomas forward 6-8 250 freshman (CA HS). He averaged 16.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game and shot nearly 70% from the floor as a senior. Pfeifer's description: "His size and girth are not easy to find on someone who is currently in high school. Tree has really come on. He played in a very competitive conference. His hands are very good and very big. We also like the fact he has a motor that runs at a high level.”

Brandon Brown guard 6-1 205 junior (CA JC) Brown originally signed with Utah State but eventually wound his way north. He averaged 18.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game at West Hills last season and shot 50% from the floor and 38% from the 3-point line. He was a first team all-California Junior College Team selection and was honored as first team all-conference last season. Here's Pfeifer weighing in: “What he does is score in a variety of ways and he is a guard at 200-plus pounds with a high level of quickness and explosion. What makes him so hard to defend is his ability to bounce the ball past people, pull up with the jumper, and also knock down the open 3-pointer.”

Sterling Jackson guard 6-1 185 freshman (OK HS). Jackson just signed with the Vandals. He is a combo guard from Del City High School in Oklahoma City, OK who averaged 16.6 points and seven assists per game as a senior. In Pfeifer's own words: “Sterling is a very competitive, hard-nosed basketball player who brings a lot of intangibles. He is left-handed, strong, quick and athletic. He is very assertive and his strength should allow him to come in and play valuable time for us right away."

Taking on a near impossibility, here's our best shot at Idaho's starting five in 2007-2008:

center - Darin Nagle
power forward - Luis Agosto
wing - Jordan Brooks
shooting guard - Brandon Brown or Mike Hall
point - Terrance Simmons

Will this influx of players make a sizeable difference? Let's put it this way: Idaho will be better and more talented but it still looks like a bottom level finish for the Vandals.