After splitting the first two games of the year, the Cougs (1-1) are looking to build some momentum as they take on their cross-town rivals in the Idaho Vandals (0-1)
WSU, a team with six newcomers, is looking for chemistry and a new identity and the Vandals are looking to do the same. Idaho adds nine new players this season while returning just four. It is under second-year head coach Arthur Moreira, the first Brazilian head coach in NCAA Division I history.
Moreira was an assistant coach and the recruitment coordinator for San Francisco from 2016 to 2023. He gave a major boost to the school’s international recruiting pool and recruited five WCC All-Conference members during his time there. Moreira was also part of the coaching staff for the Brazilian youth national teams.
Leading the newcomers is guard Kelbie Washington, a redshirt sophomore transferring from Oklahoma. In her freshman year, she made 16 starts and appeared in every game for the Sooners. She also earned Big 12 All-Freshman honors last season.
Another key player for the Vandals is sophomore Hope Hassmann who transferred from Cal State Fullerton and was a Big West All-Freshman Team selection. She appeared and started in all 31 games as a true freshman for the Titans. In the first game of this season against BYU, she led the Vandals attack by scoring a career-high 23 points, going 5-for-10 from the three-point line.
Fellow graduate transfer Rosie Schweizer, an Australian native, also had a solid debut for the Vandals, scoring 10 points and grabbing six rebounds. The 6-foot, 1-inch forward is transferring after playing four years at Pacific where she faced Moreira on multiple occasions in the WCC. Moreira had high praise for his new front court addition.
“I competed against her for 3 years in the WCC and have always been impressed by her combination of size, skill and basketball IQ,” Moreira said. “Her ability to post up and finish around the rim and also stretch out the floor to shoot the 3 makes her very versatile and hard to guard. She is one of the best passing forwards I have come across and that will also help facilitate our offense.”
Despite being a team full of new faces, Idaho’s roster is full of experience and international talent, a construction similar to the Cougs. The roster includes nine upperclassmen, three of which are graduate transfers. The team also sports five international players, several with national experience.
In the Vandals’ season opener at BYU, they put up an impressive fight against a team that made the WBIT last year. Despite going down by 16 at halftime, they fought back behind Hassman’s performance and tied the game at 57 in the middle of the fourth quarter. BYU, however, managed to hold on for a 67-62 victory.
Idaho shot 34.5% in their first game and will look to show the same tenacity against another NCAA tournament hopeful in WSU. Wazzu, coming off a blowout loss to Stanford, will look to set the tone before they head into a near week-long break. A battle between teams with newly formed rosters that are separated by under ten miles should present an interesting matchup.
The Cougs take on the Vandals at noon Sunday in Beasley Coliseum.
