By River Mitchell
@rivermitchell27
Since its inception on August 26th, 2021, the Owyhee Storm have become a powerhouse in Idaho high school basketball. Located just west of Boise in the town of Meridian, Owyhee won a state championship in its first season, 2021-22, and their previous 2023-24 season as well.
Now, just three and a half years after the school was created, Owyhee got the invitation to play at Hoophall.
But before Owyhee even stepped on the court for their first game as a school, the positive culture and successful play started with the hiring of the school’s athletic director, Dane Roy.
Back in 2021, now head coach Andy Harrington was working at Middleton High School in Middleton, Idaho. He heard about the new school in Meridian being built, and that Roy was going to be the Athletic Director. Knowing him as a basketball coach at another local high school, Harrington was certain that his experience winning two state titles as a coach would translate to Owyhee’s success. The idea of building the culture in a growing area of the state was extremely intriguing.
“Seeing the opportunity to build your own culture and program in an area where a lot of people are moving into naturally was very enticing,” Harrington said. “ [Roy] understood basketball and what it takes. Working under him was a great opportunity.”
The positive culture has also rubbed off on the players as well, including standout senior Boden Howell.
Howell was originally from Medford, Ore., playing basketball at South Medford High School. After relocating to Idaho prior to the 2023-24 season due to his dad’s job, Howell researched programs and quickly realized this is where he wanted to play.
“I did my research beforehand at what school I wanted to go to out there,” Howell said. “I had a couple friends that I knew back from Oregon that moved to Idaho a little bit earlier that told me nothing but good things about it.”
Howell, who will be at Rice University in the fall, attributes a lot of his success to Owyhee’s program.
“I give all credit to Andy and our coaching staff here,” Howell said. “Back home, I wasn’t really playing the right way. It was pretty bad basketball. I came out here and kind of learned how to play in a system and play the right way. That’s really helped me grow, and I definitely wouldn’t be in the spot I am today without this program.”
Before Howell came to Owyhee, the stage was set for a successful season for the Storm. With Roy at the helm as the AD and Coach Harrington’s new implemented culture, the team saw success early on. A huge part of this was the talent that came to Owyhee, with previous players under Harrington now playing for the University of Idaho and St. Mary’s.
“Really good players decided to go to school there and really good players live in that boundary already,” Harrington said. “We had talent, and then it all just kind of came together. Talented guys happen to be in the right spot at the right time and we’ve been able to build on that.”
Another big reason is the supportive administration that the school has had. With Owyhee’s baseball team winning all three state titles since its inception, the school has 10 state titles after only being open for three and a half years. Owyhee proved why this is the case, battling against Sidwell Friends School in a tight 58-52 loss where Howell had 21 points and played all 32 minutes.
“To be able to be a part of this, it’s great. I know not just for me, but for my teammates as well,” Howell said. “I feel like it’s important for us because we know [if] we’re getting invited to stuff like this, we belong at this level. It’s good to kind of go back with that mentality back home that we belong and we can compete nationally.”
“It’s been the goal [to compete at Hoophall],” Harrington said. “We’ve been circling this one. It’s a big time event. I’ve watched this on TV before. [They] invited us and we were in right away just because we feel like this is one of the best showcases in the country.”