The third player on our 'Getting No Love' WAC tour

Here's our third segment on the 'Getting No Love' players in the WAC this season.

Mac Hopson is a 6-2, 196 junior this season at Idaho and a transfer from Washington State who played prep ball in Oregon. We expect him to pan out this season as the top Vandal player, the leader scorer and assist man on the team.

Here's some background on Hopson followed by the why of our opinion.

While in Pullman for his only year, Hopson played 16 minutes a game in 21 contests. He averaged 4.2 points and 2.0 assists overall, shooting 39% from the floor and 45% from 3-point range.

Hopson was a starter for seven of WSU's first eight games and put up these numbers during that time: 7.8 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 24.8 minutes a game while shooting 50% from the floor, 64% from the 3-point line and 83% from the foul line. He played the point for Tiny Bennett.

But he played sporadically after those initial eight games. One report indicated it was due to lackluster practice habits, which we have no way of verifying. This time on the proverbial led to his eventual transfer to Idaho, then coached by George Pfeiffer.

Montana, Montana State, Portland, Portland State, and San Diego were the other schools wanting Hopson once he decided to depart from Pullman.

Prior to his time at Washington State, Hopson was at North Idaho College as he wasn't considered a top prospect coming out of high school. He earned first team all-Region 18 honors and first-team honors in the Scenic West Athletic Conference while at NIC, averaging a team-high 13.7 points along with 3.8 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game.

Curiously, Hopson had committed to Idaho after his sole year at North Idaho College but the Pullman/WSU/PAC-10 offer was too strong a lure even though his father starred as a Vandal years before.

The firing of Leonard Perry as Idaho's coach after the 2005-2006 season also contributed to his change of allegiance from Idaho to Washington State. Besides Idaho and WSU, Utah State, Denver and Illinois State also made offers.

Now Hopson is 20 pounds heavier than his earlier playing days which should be beneficial in taking the pounding and pressure he'll face as the go-to guy for the Vandals. He is also theoretically entering what should be his senior season so there's also a solid level of maturity.

This year, Hopson will be teaming up with:

*** 6-4, 190 junior Kashif Watson

*** 6-3, 170 senior Terrence Simmons

*** 6-1, 205 senior Brandon Brown.

Watson is a junior college transfer supposedly more known for his defensive play, Simmons is in the point guard vein but more a reserve and Brown has the rep as a shooter even though his percentages need to be upped dramatically.

Thus Idaho will need points, points and more points in 2008-2009 so the opportunity to put up shots is almost all Hopson's, whether it be in freelance mode or as designed by Coach Don Verlin.

Next year will be different though. Hopson will be joined by:

*** Pacific transfer Steffan Johnson, a 6-1 senior who averaged 14.5 points, 4.9 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 46% from the floor and 41% from three-point land.

*** 5-10, 180 junior Marcus Lawrence will also be eligible in 2009-2010 after sitting out a season due to his transfer from UNLV. He's strictly a point.

So Hopson's numbers will be best -- at least in scoring and passing -- this season. He has the chance to land a spot on the All-WAC Second Team but that may be dependent upon how many wins the Vandals can earn in 2008-2009. But don't let a poor W-L record disparage his accomplishments.