2008 Top Stories of the Year

Here is your chance to tell us what you think is the top story of 2008 for Idaho basketball. Below are five story lines from the past year which span men's and women's basketball from high school to the pros. Read them over, do some digging of your own and then vote on what you think was the top 2008 Idaho Basketball Story of the Year! (vote at the bottom of this page)

In no specific order

Boise State men and women

Both the Boise State men's and women's teams showed that they belong amongst the elite as both made a deep run into the post season.

For the second straight season, the women finished with a share of the WAC regular season conference title. They qualified for the Women's NIT and won their first round game against Idaho State. Their final record was an impressive 24-8.

The men also finished with a share of the WAC regular season title and would then go on to win the WAC tournament in dramatic fashion with a 107-102 triple overtime victory over New Mexico State. They qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1994.

Vallivue and Coeur d' Alene dominate state championships

In a rare occurance, Vallivue and Coeur d' Alene represented the contestants in both the boys and girls Idaho state championships.

The Coeur d' Alene Lady Vikings would win the first bout, bringing home the 5A state championship hardware in February. But in March, the boys answered when the Falcons took the crown on the guys side.

Idaho Stampede capture first championship

After 10 years of competition in the minor leagues, the Idaho Stampede got their first championship trophy when they knocked off the Austin Toros in the NBA D-league finals.

In Bryan Gates second year as the head coach and what would be longtime Stampeder Randy Livingston's final year as a player, Idaho took two out of three games to win the crown. Gates is back again this year and so is Livingston, this time roaming the sidelines as the assistant coach.

University of Idaho cleans house and brings in new coaches

2008 marked the start of a new era for the Vandals as both the men's and women's teams hired new head coaches to lead their programs.

The men brought in Don Verlin, a long time assistant coach most recently at Utah State. The women's program welcomed in John Newlee, who spent the previous six years as the head coach at Idaho State University.

The effects of the move have already been felt on the men's side. Following a year where the team won a total of 8 games, the men have already won 6 games in 2008.

Idaho high school Players of the Year

The selection of the top players of the year in Idaho were divided, though both selections were worthy of their respective awards. The two biggest selections come from the media/coaches (collected by the Idaho Statesman, all classifications get a player of the year) and from the ESPN RISE magazine which select the Gatorade Player of the Year from each state (which selects only one boy and girl each year).

On the girls side, the selections were Kama Griffitts from Coeur d' Alene and Katie Baker from Lake City. Griffitts is a junior and was selected by the coaches for her play during the state tournament. Baker, also a junior, was selected the Gatorade Player of the Year for the second time.

For the guys, Will Bogan and Mitch Bruneel represent the state's best for 2008. Bogan was selected by the coaches after helping lead the Falcons to a state title. Bruneel was selected after leading the 5A Southern Idaho Conference in scoring (23.1 ppg) and finishing third in rebounding (9.0 rpg).

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