WAC Notebook: Verlin has tough challenge at Idaho

BY DARRELL MOODY

Appeal Sports Writer

When Utah State assistant basketball coach Don Verlin took over for George Pfeifer at the University of Idaho, he knew he had a big undertaking.

The Vandals made some improvement in Pfeifer's second year, but not enough to save his job. Pfeifer brought in some questionable "character guys" from the junior college ranks.

Two of those players aren't around anymore. Jordan Brooks and Michael Hall, the Nos. 1 and 3 scorers from last year, have been dismissed from the squad.

Verlin assisted Stew Morrill at both Colorado State and Utah State. He admitted it was a difficult decision to make to take the Vandals' job.

"We have a long way to go," Verlin said in a phone interview last week. "The people here have been good to me.

"My family and I really liked Logan, and we're not LDS (Mormon). There aren't that many Division I jobs out there. I had no head coaching experience, and I had a chance to get into the WAC."

Verlin said he talked with Nevada assistant David Carter about moving up the ladder. Both have been lead assistants for many years.

"The jobs we're going to get there are going to be problems with," Verlin said. "Those are the jobs we are going to get (because of no head-coaching experience)."

Verlin also believes that it's easier to stay in Division I then to go to Division II for a head job and then go back up to Division I.

Verlin admits that recruiting to Idaho will be tough, especially with Washington State eight miles up the road and Spokane two hours away.

"We're probably going to have to go off the beaten path to get a guy or two," Verlin said. "We're going to need to be where other people aren't. I think we can do some things in Portland and Seattle."

Verlin plans on rebuilding with freshmen, junior college transfers and hopefully a bounce-back transfer or two.

"We took some JC transfers (at Utah State)," Verlin said. "We went for character guys there (at USU) and that's what I want to do here. There are good JC kids out there, you just have to find them."

EXPANSION IN FUTURE?

The conference desperately needs another member, especially for men's and women's basketball and baseball.

The WAC has just nine basketball programs, which is hard to deal with in terms of scheduling. Baseball has seven teams presently and could use another. Boise State is adding softball, giving the conference an even number of schools now.

A school the WAC should keep its eye on is Utah Valley University, which just passed its first NCAA certification peer review. The second phase of the certification process will take place a year from now when the NCAA Division I membership committee considers whether to recommend Utah Valley in active Division I membership after six years as a provisional school.

Adding UVU would make great sense. The school doesn't have football, but the conference doesn't really need a school that plays football. Presently, the school offers 15 sports, which is the same as what Nevada currently offers.

"We'd love to be part of the WAC," said UVU athletic director Michael Jacobsen. "Our location and the sports (offered) make it perfect. The WAC would be our No. 1 choice. The WAC is a great conference."

Jacobsen said that he has discussed the possibility with WAC commissioner Karl Benson a few times. Jacobsen attended last year's WAC Tournament, but unfortunately wasn't given access where he could talk to coaches and administrators from other schools.

Jacobsen said that the Mountain West isn't interested in expanding, and the Summitt Conference, which includes Southern Utah, isn't interested in adding another Utah school. Jacobsen also said that he was told by the West Coast Conference that UVU didn't fit "their profile." The WCC is made up of eight religious/private schools. The Big West told Jacobsen that its wants to be an all-California conference.

That really only leaves the WAC, and Benson, who was at conference meetings and unavailable for comment, said the conference isn't showing an inclination to expand last summer.

UVU has played Boise State and Utah State in men's basketball over the years, and played Nevada in baseball and women's basketball. In fact UVU beat Nevada in women's basketball in Orem this year.

"Some WAC schools won't play us," Jacobsen said.

The men's basketball team which plays a Division I schedule was 22-7 in 2006-07 before falling to 15-14 last season. Jacobsen points out that two years ago UVU's RPI was 132 which was significantly better than a few WAC schools.

Idaho coach Don Verlin said he would be in favor of adding UVU because of its location.

The only other school in the west that is transitioning is Cal-State Bakersfield, and reports are that the Roadrunners want to go into the Big West, but an offer has yet to be made.

NEVADA THROWER HONORED

Inger Appanaitis was named to the West Region track and field squad after her third-place finish in the javelin at last weekend's region championship.

Appanaitis threw 158-feet 7-inches last weekend, which qualified her for the upcoming NCAA Championships.

Appanaitis, who recorded an Olympic standard mark of 168 feet earlier this year, will compete at the Olympic Trials later this month.

TWO MORE TO CAPE COD

Nevada's Matt Bowman and Shaun Kort will be playing for the Orleans Cardinals in the Cape Cod League this summer, and they will be joined by Sacramento State's Tim Wheeler and San Jose State's Kyle Bellows.