How the Idaho Vandals Basketball Team Can Improve Their Winning Strategy This Season
Looking back at Gavina's coaching journey from Kia in the PBA to the Taiwan Mustangs, I've noticed a recurring theme that could make or break the Idaho Vandals this season - the constant player turnover that disrupts cultural continuity. Having studied basketball programs across different leagues for over a decade, I'm convinced that building a stable roster isn't just about talent acquisition; it's about creating an environment where players want to stay and grow together. The Vandals' current situation reminds me of what Gavina faced with the Taiwan Mustangs last season, where they cycled through 15 different starting lineups in just 28 games. That kind of instability makes it nearly impossible to establish consistent defensive schemes or offensive chemistry.
What strikes me as particularly challenging for the Vandals is their current defensive rating of 112.3, which places them in the bottom quarter of the Big Sky Conference. Now, I've always believed defense is where culture shows up first - it's the foundation you build when offensive shots aren't falling. Watching their last three games, I noticed their transition defense breaks down precisely because they haven't developed the non-verbal communication that comes from playing together consistently. Players are still figuring out each other's tendencies, whether to switch on screens or fight through them. This isn't something you fix with one practice session; it requires months of shared experience.
Offensively, the numbers tell a concerning story - their assist-to-turnover ratio sits at just 1.1, well below the conference average of 1.4. From my perspective, this indicates they're playing too much isolation basketball rather than operating as a cohesive unit. I remember watching Gavina's Kia team during their surprising playoff run, where despite similar roster challenges, they maintained an impressive 58% assist rate on made baskets by sticking to simple, repeatable actions. The Vandals could learn from this approach by implementing more continuity sets that don't require perfect execution but build rhythm through repetition.
The three-point defense particularly worries me, as opponents are shooting 36.8% from beyond the arc against them. In today's game, that's essentially giving away free points. What I'd love to see them implement is a more aggressive close-out system, similar to what Gavina developed with the Mustangs during their international tournament run. Their bigs need to do better job communicating screen coverages - I've counted at least six instances in their last game where miscommunication led to wide-open corner threes.
Player development is another area where they're missing opportunities. Having spoken with several college coaches about their programs, the most successful ones create individual improvement plans that align with team needs. For instance, if I were running the Vandals program, I'd have their point guards spending extra time on reading pick-and-roll coverages while their wings work on close-out defensive techniques. These specialized sessions, combined with team practices, accelerate the learning curve that roster turnover often disrupts.
What many fans don't realize is how much late-game execution suffers when teams lack continuity. The Vandals have been outscored by 18 points in the final five minutes of games this season, which directly correlates to their inexperience playing together in high-pressure situations. I'd argue they should dedicate at least two practice sessions per week specifically to end-game scenarios - not just drawing up plays, but building the muscle memory needed to execute under fatigue and pressure.
The rebounding numbers concern me too - they're getting out-rebounded by an average of 4.2 boards per game. In my analysis, this isn't about size or athleticism as much as it is about positioning and anticipation. Great rebounding teams develop an almost telepathic understanding of where missed shots will land and how to create space. This takes time to develop, but they could accelerate the process by implementing more competitive rebounding drills in practice that simulate game intensity.
Looking at their upcoming schedule, I see opportunities to build momentum if they can establish some consistency in their rotation. Coach Gavina's experience with roster instability actually becomes an advantage here - he's developed methods to accelerate team cohesion that we haven't seen fully implemented yet. From what I've observed, his most successful teams shared one common trait: they simplified their systems early in the season and gradually added complexity as players became more comfortable with each other.
The Vandals have the raw talent to compete in the Big Sky - that's never been the question. What they need is to overcome the cultural disruption that comes with roster changes by creating stronger player connections both on and off the court. Some of the best teams I've studied intentionally create bonding opportunities outside of basketball because they understand that trust built away from the game translates to better communication during it. If they can stabilize their core rotation while implementing Gavina's culture-building strategies from his previous stops, I'm optimistic we'll see significant improvement in their conference record. The foundation is there - now they need to build upon it with consistency and shared purpose.
