CALDWELL, Idaho - The two-time defending NAIA national champion College of Idaho men's basketball team has been picked to finish first in the Cascade Collegiate Conference preseason coaches' poll.
The Yotes enter the 2025–26 season seeking to extend one of the most dominant runs in program history. A CCC regular-season crown this winter would mark the sixth straight for head coach Colby Blaine and the defending national champions.
College of Idaho captured national titles in 2023 and 2025 and has advanced to the NAIA final site every season under Blaine's leadership. While the Yotes graduated seven seniors from last year's squad, they return an experienced group led by Samaje Morgan, Alex Germer, Ethan Tinney, Isaac Mercer, and CJ Mann.
Morgan, a two-time NAIA All-American, 2025 Bevo Francis Award finalist, and Chuck Taylor National Tournament MVP, anchors a roster that combines championship experience with rising young talent. Junior Dougie Peoples, who scored 21 points in the national championship win over Oklahoma Wesleyan, is expected to play a key role again this season. Sophomore point guard Utrillo Morris returns after averaging nearly 13 minutes a game and scoring 125 points as a freshman, while redshirt freshman Chance Winter will see his first collegiate action.
Blaine and his staff signed one of the largest and most accomplished recruiting classes in program history, featuring multiple state champions, players of the year, and a Gatorade Player of the Year. The incoming group brings depth, athleticism, and balance to a roster aiming to stay atop the CCC and continue its national prominence.
With veteran leadership, proven success, and an infusion of new talent, College of Idaho once again enters the season as the team to beat in the Cascade Conference.
