MOSCOW, Idaho - On Monday, Vandal Men's Basketball Associate Head Coach Brandon Laird was named to the eighth annual 100 Most Impactful Mid-Major Assistants by Silver Waves media. 

In his fourth year as Idaho's Associate HC, Laird was recognized on the list a year ago and was invited to the Silver Waves Next Up Rising Stars Power Lunch in 2025, an opportunity to network with the other assistant coaches making waves in mid-major hoops.

Credited as one of the more prestigious media empires in college basketball, Silver Waves Media has been recognizing the best and brightest in college basketball since its establishment in 2020. Over 40 previous selections to lists such as the 100 Most Impactful Mid-Major Assistants have gone on to become college head coaches.

Coming off a Big Sky Tournament title, Laird has received credit time and time again for ensuring the team had a game plan for each opponent's strengths and weaknesses. The 2025-26 season included marquee non-conference wins at Washington State and South Dakota State, Idaho's first 20-win season in nearly a decade, and four wins in five days at the Big Sky Tournament in Boise to punch UI's first ticket to March Madness since 1990.

Now a three-time honoree from one of the best in the business at recognizing talent in the coaching ranks, Laird has been a key piece of Alex Pribble's staff over the past four years, helping to orchestrate the highest rise in NCAA NET ranking in the nation since 2022.

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