Clearly at the University of Idaho's ICCU Arena, Don Monson can sit wherever he wants.
Idaho's most successful basketball coach led the Vandals to a Top 10 ranking and the third round of the NCAA Tournament in the early 1980s, is retired in Spokane, but makes a trip back to Moscow to see a game or two every year.
On Saturday, his son, Dan - an old Moscow High Bear and former Vandals football player himself - will be coaching Eastern Washington against Idaho, begging the question: Will dad be behind the Eagles' bench?
"Don Monson is the first name that is always brought up," says current UI coach Alex Pribble. "What a great person. To have his son here in the building, even if he is coaching against us, it is great to have the name Monson back in the building."
What Idaho is really angling after, however, is to recreate some of the success they enjoyed four decades ago - topped by a stellar 1981-82 season that saw them finish sixth in the nation with a 27-3 record.
"It is about getting Idaho back as a powerhouse in the region," Pribble said. "We are taking steps in that direction, but it is a step-by-step process."
The Vandals (7-10 overall, 2-2 Big Sky) play host to the Eagles (6-11, 2-2) on Saturday as part of a men's and women's doubleheader. The women tip off at 1 p.m., followed by the men at 4.
Idaho is coming off a road split, having defeated Sacramento State 80-67 before falling to a Portland State team 75-63 that exploited Idaho's lack of size.
EWU mirrored the Vandals last week, taking down the Hornets 65-54, but falling to the Vikings 64-59.
"They are built more like us," Pribble says of Eastern, a team that plays outside in and shoots well from the perimeter. "It is a really interesting matchup."
Pribble points to three EWU players the Vandals must counter: 6-3 guard Nic McClain, averaging 14.6 points per game, 6-5 Mason Williams, averaging 12.8 points, and Andrew Cook, averaging 15.7 points.
Idaho could be without its two best interior players. Julius Mim, averaging 9.2 points and 6.1 rebounds, with 13 blocks, is recovering from a neck injury sustained in practice and has been forced to manage chronically sore knees all season. And Kyson Rose, averaging 6.8 points and 2.6 rebounds, is working his way back from a concussion suffered Dec 15 against UC San Diego.
"Idaho fans understand what Julius means to us as a rim protector and with his defense," says Pribble.
Mims and Rose will be game-time decisions against EWU, Pribble said.
Jack Payne, 6-6 sophomore, has had the hot hand for the Vandals of late. He scored 18 points against Montana in a tight 73-71 loss, 23 against Sacramento State and 15 against Portland State. For the season, he's averaging just under 10 points.
"Jack is a great player," Pribble said. "He will do whatever the team needs."
EWU, winners of back-to-back Big Sky regular-season championships, will be a good barometer for where the Vandals stand, Pribble said.
"This could obviously be a one possession type of game," he said.
The Vandals (11-4, 3-1) come into Saturday's game with three straight wins, beating Montana, Sac State and Portland State. EWU (6-10, 2-2), the defending league champ, has won two straight.
"(We) are really showing a lot of grit," UI first-year coach Arthur Moreira said. "I am really proud of our effort."
The Vandals are led by Jennifer Aadland, a grad transfer from Division II Augustana who is averaging 9.7 points and a Big Sky-leading 10.7 rebounds per game.
"She is a great athlete and relentless," Moreira said. "She comes in with the mindset 'I am going to grab every rebound,' and I thought rebounding was going to be our biggest weakness."
The doubleheader will also feature the UI's salute to Idaho's tribal nations. The drum circle and pow wow dancers are annual highlights of halftime entertainment.