Friday, October 19, 2012

The 2012-13 Idaho Vandals

Here's Coach Don Verlin's 2012-13 roster:

(alphabetical)

Robert Harris, Jr. G 5-10 180 Jr. Kent, Wash. (Eastern Arizona)

Mansa Habeeb G 6-3 215 Sr. Buffalo, N.Y. (Southeastern CC)

* Mac Stannard G 6-2 170 Jr. Moscow, Idaho (Walla Walla CC)

Connor Hill G 6-2 190 So. Post Falls, Idaho (Post Falls HS)

Denzel Douglas G 5-10 180 Jr. Los Angeles, Calif. (Casper College)

* Westin Hill G 5-11 180 So. Bakersfield, Calif. (Liberty HS)

Mike McChristian 6-2 200 Sr. Vacaville, Calif. (Yuba College)

* Max Salesky G 6-2 170 Fr. Priest River, Idaho (Priest River Lamanna HS)

Matt Borton G 6-5 195 So. Yakima, Wash. (West Valley HS)

Antwan Scott G 6-1 170 Jr. Wylie, Texas (Ranger College)

Marcus Bell F 6-8 220 Jr. Modesto, Calif. (Marshalltown CC)

Allen Jiles IV G 6-2 200 Jr. Los Angeles, Calif. (Cal State Northridge)

Kyle Barone C 6-10 220 Sr. Garden Grove, Calif. (Pacifica HS)

Stephen Madison F 6-5 205 Jr. Portland, Ore. (Jefferson HS)

Ty Egbert F 6-8 195 Fr. Coulee Dam, Wash. (Lake Roosevelt HS)

Joe Kammerer C 6-9 225 Jr. Eugene, Ore. (North Eugene HS)

Wendell Faines F 6-8 250 Sr. Lincoln, Neb. (Saddleback JC)

* indicates walk-on

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Wrote this back on May 13:

Roster inhabitants for the Idaho Vandals always seems a super secretive subject, which probably goes with the territory when you're based in Moscow. So without the use of moles, double agents and the like, here we go.

In the middle, it's 6-foot-10 senior Kyle Barone (hopefully). Let's just hope 20-25 additional pounds have settled in on his frame come next November because then he'll be close to an unstoppable force in the paint. 6-foot-9 junior Joe Kammerer is back to fill in as is Wendell Faines, a 6-foot-9 senior who can also be positioned at the four.

Add athletic 6-foot-8 JC transfer Marcus Bell to the mix in the middle and also to battle Faines for playing time as a corner. 6-foot-8 frosh Ty Egbert is a likely redshirt candidate so he can add the necessary weight and muscle for college competition. Someone has to step up and be this coming season's Djim Bandoumel for Verlin and Bell is at the top of the line upfront.

6-foot-5 junior Stephen Madison is secure at the three and one of the two possibilities (alongside Barone) as the leading scorer for the Vandals. Who backs him up remains to be seen.

Replacing the backcourt production AND efficiency of Deremy Geiger and Landon Tatum will be a tough task but there are plenty of candidates.

6-foot-3 senior Mansa Habeeb returns as a jack-of-all-trades but distance shooting isn't in his arsenal. However, 6-foot-2 sophomore Connor Hill is a beyond-the-arc specialist as only 21 of his 153 shots last season were two-point attempts. Mike McChristian, a 6-foot-2 senior, has the capacity to emerge at the point.

Coming to town are Antwann Scott, Denzel Douglas and Robert Harris, all JC transfers. Scott is a 6-1 junior with shooting and scoring talent, the 5-foot-10 Douglas is more a true point and the 5-foot-11 Harris led his squad with 4+ assists per game but his shooting accuracy needs upgrading.

The situation with 6-foot-5 sophomore Matt Borton is cloudy as he suffered another knee injury.

In summary, expect Barone and Madison to lead the charge but the key will be getting consistent performances from two to three backcourters, whoever that may eventually be.

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The Vandal starting five:

* Kyle Barone
* Marcus Bell
* Stephen Madison
* Connor Hill
* Denzel Douglas

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