1961–62 Idaho Vandals men's basketball team

{{short description|American college basketball season}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox NCAA team season

|CoachRank=

|APRank=

|mode=Basketball

|year=1961–62

|team=Idaho Vandals

|image= Idaho Vandals logo.svg

|image_size=80

|conference=Independent

|division=

|short_conf=

|record={{winning percentage|13|13|record=y}}

|conf_record=

|head_coach=Joe Cipriano

|hc_year = 2nd

|asst_coach1=Wayne Anderson

|asst_coach2=

|mvp= Chuck White

|stadium=Memorial Gymnasium

|champion=

|bowl=

|bowl_result=

}}

The 1961–62 Idaho Vandals men's basketball team represented the University of Idaho during the 1961–62 NCAA University Division basketball season. The independent Vandals were led by second-year head coach Joe Cipriano and played their home games on campus at the Memorial Gymnasium in Moscow, Idaho.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-MpeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mzIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1956%2C4635474|work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |last=Chapin |first=Dwight |title=Cipriano striving to polish Vandals |date=November 30, 1961 |page=8}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0LBeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=py8MAAAAIBAJ&pg=4977%2C107745|work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |title=Idaho to meet Pirates tonight |date=December 1, 1961 |page=12}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nVspAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_ecDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6728%2C117483 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |title=Gonzaga plays Nevada here as cage season begins |date=December 1, 1961 |page=16}}

In the four years between the demise of the Pacific Coast Conference (1959) and the founding of the Big Sky Conference (1963), Idaho was an independent; this season the Vandals had a {{nowrap|{{winning percentage|13|13|record=y}}}} record.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fsZeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LDIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4705%2C1388248 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |title=Washington nips Vandals 55-54 |date=March 10, 1962 |page=2}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eapWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FegDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6394%2C3180851 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=(Spokane, Washington) |last=Missildine |first=Harry |title=Husky rally ruins Idaho home finale |date=March 10, 1962 |page=10}}

During this season, Vandal great Gus Johnson was a sophomore at Boise Junior College and averaged thirty points and twenty rebounds a game for the Broncos; he transferred to Idaho in 1962 and played the following season.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=U7BeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jy8MAAAAIBAJ&pg=6101%2C2344522|newspaper=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho)|title=Vandal prospects for season reviewed by Cipriano |date=November 15, 1962 |page=12}}

For the intrastate series with Idaho State, this year marked the introduction of the "King Spud Trophy," an oversized metallic potato with a face and a crown.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TVVYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=i_cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6319%2C689216 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |title='King Spud' crown at stake tonight |date=March 2, 1962 |page=14}}{{cite web |url=http://issuu.com/uidahodigital/docs/gem1963/254 |publisher=Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook |title=Basketball |year=1963 |page=250}}{{cite web |url=https://issuu.com/uidahodigital/docs/gem1964/268|publisher=Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook |title=Basketball |year=1964 |page=264}} The first season was an exact split, with the home team winning by two points.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TlVYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=i_cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6802%2C929082|work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |title=Idaho, WSU dealt defeats |date=March 3, 1962 |page=11}} Years later in 1979, the Vandals regained it with a home win after enduring seven consecutive losses to ISU; Bengal head coach Lynn Archibald thought it should go to the losing team: "It's the ugliest thing I've ever seen. The only good thing that happened last week was losing it."{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rvpLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FPkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6393%2C3666510 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=(Washington) |last=Van Sickel |first=Charlie |title=Dutch Rub: Today's smorgasbord |date=February 28, 1979 |page=18}}