MOSCOW, Idaho – Head men's basketball coach, Don Verlin, and his staff have added two more student-athletes for next year, with Eric Mireri and Babacar Thiombane signing with the Vandals.
 
ERIC MIRERI
 
"Eric is a great addition to the Vandals," said Verlin.  "He is a tall guard that is very versatile.  He really pushes the break, is able to find shooters and is a great post passer.  What I like best about him is his communication on the floor.  He makes sure the team is on the same page and defensively he spreads his knowledge to everyone on the floor. He will make our defense better just through his communication and leadership."
 
"First off he just has amazing character," said Marin head coach, Scott Thom.  "He's a really good basketball player and just has those leadership qualities that you want.  He'll take care of business on the court and in the classroom.  He's an amazing young man and was pivotal in turning our program around.  I'm really excited for him, the University of Idaho did a great job recruiting him.  I couldn't be happier."
 
A 6-4 guard, Mireri played the last two seasons at the College of Marin in Kentfield, Calif.  He led the Mariners at 13.1 points and 5.6 assists per game as a sophomore.  Mireri made tremendous strides between his first two seasons, improving his 3-point shooting from 29 percent as a freshman to nearly 39 percent as a sophomore.  His ball control also improved dramatically, as he nearly tripled his assist total while cutting down on his turnovers by more than half a turnover per game.
 
"He was a really good high school player, but when you make that jump there's that period of getting used to things," Thom said.  "He played a ton of minutes as a freshman, took his lumps, stayed solid and trusted the coaches and the process.  He worked his tail off in the summer and became one of our better 3-point shooters this year.  He just has way more confidence and we knew that when it was time for him to lead, there was no doubt that he could do it."
 
The Mariners responded as well, as Marin won 11 more games in 2018-19 than in 2017-18 and Mireri earned Bay Valley Conference First Team honors.  As a freshman, Mireri averaged 14.4 points per game to finish second on the squad.
 
Mireri played his prep ball at Albany High School in his hometown of Albany, Calif.
 
BABACAR THIOMBANE
 
"We are very pleased to add Babacar to the Vandal Basketball Family," said Verlin.  "He adds athleticism, rebounding and defense to our frontline and he will be a big asset to our team.  He is very coachable, plays hard and will do anything we ask of him.  He is a disciplined young man and a team player that I can't wait to start working with this summer. He has played for two coaches in his career that have helped him grow as a player.  John Mosely (E. Los Angeles JC) and Harvey Kitani (Fairfax HS) are both great coaches.  We know that Babacar has been coached and coached well to prepare him for Idaho."
 
"He just plays really hard," said Mosely.  "He knows how to play, in the sense that he's a great team guy.  He has the skillset to handle the ball in full court or the short court and he can knock down open shots.  He really is the modern era four, that post player that everyone is looking for.  He can shoot, handle the ball and has the ability to defend, I think all five positions."
 
Thiombane played for East Los Angeles College last season, where he averaged 9.1 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.  The Huskies excelled with Thiombane, finishing with an overall record of 24-5, including a conference title and a trip to the SoCal playoffs.  He shot a tremendous 55.5 percent from the floor on the year, and was capable of knocking down the open triple when needed, at a 38 percent clip.  At 6'8, 200 with a solid frame, Thiombane brings an added dimension to the Vandals.
 
Prior to East LA, Thiombane spent one season playing for Army at West Point.  There, he appeared in 30 games, making one start, and finished the year averaging 1.2 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.  He shot nearly 60 percent from the floor for the Black Knights.
 
"He has an understanding of what it takes to be consistent," Mosely added.  "He understood the process.  Sometimes kids get impatient, but he understood what it took.  The reason he started for me, I had five power forwards, was because he would do all of the little things.  He would pursue offensive rebounds, block shots, get in the right position to help on defense.  He did the little things on a high level, and he did all the things you ask him to do."
 
Thiombane graduated from Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, where he helped lead the squad to a city championship, before attending the U.S. Military Academy Prep School in 2016-17.
 
"He came to work every day, didn't complain one minute," said Mosely.  "Came from a good program at Fairfax, playing at a high level, a good high school pedigree."

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The men's coaching staff has been hard at work this offseason, reloading for 2019-20.  Earlier this spring the team announced three other signees, in BJ Simmons, Ja'Vary Christmas and Keyshaad Dixon.  The Vandals also added transfer, Jack Wilson, in January.
 
Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Idaho men's basketball by following the team on twitter, @VandalHoops.  Ticket packages are on sale at GoVandals.com/Tickets.

For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com.  Fans can also find Idaho on Twitter and Instagram, @Idaho_Vandals, or on Facebook by searching Idaho Vandals.