MOSCOW, Idaho - Idaho Basketball has assembled a roster for the 2026-27 season, bringing in pieces from all levels of prep and college hoops to build on the success of a 2026 Big Sky Championship and trip to the NCAA Tournament. 

"There have been a lot of discussions about a program's ability to retain players, but I'm a big believer in the importance of a program's ability to retain coaches as well," Vandal head coach Alex Pribble stated. "We were able to bring back all of our coaches from our championship run last year, and that is going to be very important for us to continue building on the momentum within our program."

Pribble has built a staff that has been highly consistent over the last four years, as he, Associate Head Coach Brandon Laird, and assistants Adam Ellis and Matt Jones have all stayed in Moscow. The next most-tenured on the staff, Luke Chavez, has been hired as an assistant coach for player development after a two-year stint as a graduate assistant. 

"Luke has been a major part of this program over the past two seasons, and he has absolutely earned this promotion," Pribble said of his former player. "His passion and love for the game led to a terrific career as a player, and now that passion has carried over into his coaching career as well. He has established great relationships with our guys, and he has taken ownership of our player development system. His positive energy is infectious, and he makes those around him better every day."

Chavez and Pribble have an impressive history; the former played for the latter while at Saint Martin's, Pribble's previous head-coaching stop. Over two years in Lacey, Chavez was one of the top players in the GNAC, earning NABC First Team West Region, NCAA West Region All-Tournament Team, and GNAC Unanimous First Team All-Conference following his senior season in 2019. He helped lead the Saints to a school record 26 wins, the program's first Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season championship, and a berth to the Sweet 16 at the NCAA Tournament. He was signed on to Idaho's staff prior to the 2024-25 season as a graduate assistant, taking on a player development role the following year, keeping the Vandals in top form as they went on to win the 2026 Big Sky Championship and clinch a March Madness berth for the first time since 1990.

Chavez's hiring leaves a total of two spots open at the GA position, and Pribble has added Will Chipman and Anton Webb to the Vandals' staff for the next two seasons.

"Our graduate assistants are extremely important parts of our staff," Pribble stated when asked about the position. "We look for guys that not only have a passion for coaching, but have a skill set that will add value to what we are already doing. Will brings terrific experience from Washington State, and he impacts our program with his work ethic and film expertise. Anton just wrapped up his playing career, so he not only contributes to our daily operations, but he also brings great ability on the floor during our player development sessions."

Webb comes to Idaho after a successful collegiate career spent primarily at Taylor University in Indiana. In three seasons with the Trojans, he played in a total of 88 games with 61 starts. In that time, he crossed the 1,000-point threshold in just three seasons, shooting 54% or better in two of those, and averaged a double-double in points and rebounds as a junior and senior. He capped off his career with a First-Team All-Crossroads League honor, and his 855 career rebounds currently rank fifth all-time in school history. 

Chipman enters his post-graduate career at UI with experience from a multitude of stops. He most recently was a student manager for four years with the Men's Basketball program at Washington State, while also working as a coach and trainer with Adams Sports Academy in Pullman. In the last year, he also held internships with the game operations staff at VSL Talent and popular recruiting database Verbal Commits.

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