1945–46 Idaho Vandals men's basketball team

American college basketball season

1945–46 Idaho Vandals men's basketball

Pacific Coast Conference Northern Division Champions
PCC Championship Series, L, 1–2
Conference	Pacific Coast Conference
Record	23–11 (11–5 PCC)
Head coach	James "Babe" Brown (4th season)
Home arena	Memorial Gymnasium
Seasons← 1944–45 1946–47 →

1945–46 Pacific Coast Conference men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
North
Idaho	11	–	5	.688	23	–	11	.676
Oregon State	10	–	6	.625	13	–	11	.542
Oregon	8	–	8	.500	16	–	17	.485
Washington	6	–	10	.375	14	–	14	.500
Washington State	5	–	11	.313	16	–	13	.552
South
California †	11	–	1	.917	30	–	6	.833
USC	8	–	4	.667	14	–	7	.667
UCLA	5	–	7	.417	8	–	16	.333
Stanford	0	–	12	.000	6	–	18	.250

† Conference championship playoff series winner

The 1945–46 Idaho Vandals men's basketball team represented the University of Idaho during the 1945–46 NCAA college basketball season. Members of the Pacific Coast Conference, the Vandals were led by fourth-year acting head coach James "Babe" Brown and played their home games on campus at Memorial Gymnasium in Moscow, Idaho.

For the first time in 23 years, the Vandals were Northern Division champions of the PCC, 22–9 overall in the regular season and 11–5 in conference play. In the last game of the regular season, the Vandals defeated Palouse neighbor Washington State by two points in Moscow, and Oregon took down runner-up Oregon State by a point in overtime on the road in Corvallis. In the four-game series with each, the Vandals split with both Oregon and Oregon State, took three from Washington, and swept Washington State.

Idaho met Southern Division champion California in the best-of-three championship series in Berkeley, lost game one in a near-riot, won game two, but lost the third.

Postseason results

Date time, TV	Opponent	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Pacific Coast Conference Playoff Series
Fri, March 8 8:00 pm	at California Game One	L 37–52	22–10	Men's Gym (7,500) Berkeley, California
Sat, March 9 8:00 pm	at California Game Two	W 28–23	23–10	Men's Gym (7,500) Berkeley, California
Mon, March 11 8:00 pm	at California Game Three	L 36–55	23–11	Men's Gym (7,500) Berkeley, California
*Non-conference game. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific time.

Fatal accident

Earlier in the season on December 21, player Ronnie White (age 21) and student manager Walter Thomas (age 18) were killed in a midday automobile accident in southern Idaho, near Wendell. Also injured were players Warren Shepherd, George Weitz, and Bob Fuller, the latter two hospitalized. The five were traveling in a panel truck driven by Thomas from Rupert to Boise when it collided head-on with a larger truck loaded with concrete pipe on a snow-covered curve; the other driver was not injured.

The team's outstanding player award was named for White, who previously played for Lewiston High School and North Idaho Teachers College (NITC) in Lewiston.

Aftermath

Alumnus Guy Wicks returned to the university after serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II and resumed his duties as head coach in basketball (and baseball); Brown was the acting athletic director during the war and also the head football coach in 1945 and 1946.

The next title in basketball for Idaho was 35 years away, in 1981 in the Big Sky Conference.

References

"Idaho hoop fans celebrate title". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. March 4, 1946. p. 7.
^ "Oregon 42-41 win over OSC gives Idaho championship". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 3, 1946. p. 22.
Ashlock, Herb (March 4, 1946). "Idaho rates underdog role for series with California". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 12.
Strite, Dick (March 3, 1946). "Beavers tripped in overtime". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). p. 22.
Scott, Jim (March 7, 1946). "Cal-Idaho series opens tonight". Berkeley Daily Gazette. (California). p. 11.
Erickson, Glenn (March 9, 1946). "Wolfe will start tonight". Berkeley Daily Gazette. (California). p. 8.
"California Bears take first playoff from Idaho 52-37". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 9, 1946. p. 8.
"Vandals, Bears in final playoff game". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. March 11, 1946. p. 5.
"PCC title at stake tonight". Berkeley Daily Gazette. (California). March 11, 1946. p. 11.
Spellecy, Denny (March 12, 1946). "Bears take Pacific Coast championship with win over Idaho, 55 to 36". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 9.
Dailey, Jack (March 12, 1946). "California trounces Idaho 55 to 36 in final". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). United Press. p. 8.
Erickson, Glenn (March 12, 1946). "Cal sinks Idaho, 53-36, for PCC title". Berkeley Daily Gazette. (California). p. 12.
^ "Ronald White killed in highway accident near Wendell yesterday". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). December 22, 1945. p. 12.
"2 Idaho cagers die in collision". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). December 22, 1945. p. 1.
"Athletes' death shock in Idaho". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Idaho). Associated Press. December 22, 1945. p. 6.
"Tragedy hits Idaho Vandals". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). United Press. December 22, 1945. p. 6.

External links

Sports Reference – Idaho Vandals: 1945–46 basketball season
Gem of the Mountains: 1946 University of Idaho yearbook – 1945–46 basketball season
Idaho Argonaut – student newspaper – 1946 editions

v t e Idaho Vandals men's basketball
Venues	Armory and Gymnasium (1905–1928) Memorial Gymnasium (1928–1976, 2020–21) Kibbie Dome / Cowan Spectrum (1976–2021) Idaho Central Credit Union Arena (2021–present)
Rivalries	Washington State
Culture & lore	Go, Vandals, Go
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

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