Nevada Wolf Pack
2020-2021 Overall Rank: #96
Conference Rank: #4 Mountain West
Nevada did better than most expected during Coach Steve Alford’s debut season leading the program. The Wolf Pack finished tied for second in the Mountain West Conference and picked up some decent wins along the way. Four starters are gone, but that has given Coach Alford the chance to build his team nearly from scratch. That will make this a very young and inexperienced team, but a team that has potential to surprise a few people along the way.
2019-20 Record: 19-12, 12-6
Coach: Steve Alford
Coach Record: 19-12 at Nevada, 606-310 overall
Key Departed Players:
Jalen Harris, Guard, 21.6 ppg
Jazz Johnson, Guard, 15.9 ppg
Lindsey Drew, Guard, 11.4 ppg
Johncarlos Reyes, Forward, 4.6 ppg
Nisre’ Zouzoua, Guard, 9.8 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Robby Robinson, Junior, Forward, 2.7 ppg
Zane Meeks, Sophomore, Forward, 6.4 ppg
Hwame “K.J.” Hymes, Sophomore, Forward, 4.1 ppg
Kane Milling, Sophomore, Guard, 2.3 ppg
Gabe Bansuelo, Sophomore, Guard, 0.0 ppg
Key New Players:
Je’Lani Clark, Freshman, Guard
Desmond Cambridge Jr, Junior, Guard, Transfer from Brown
Tre’ Coleman, Freshman, Forward
Khristion Courseault, Sophomore, Guard, JC Transfer
Daniel Foster, Freshman, Guard
DeAndre Henry, Freshman, Forward
Alem Huseinovic, Freshman, Guard
Grant Sherfield, Sophomore, Guard, Transfer from Wichita State, not eligible
Warren Washington, Sophomore, Forward, Transfer from Oregon State, not eligible
Projection:
Robby Robinson, Zane Meeks and K.J. Hymes will form a solid frontcourt. Robinson did not do much scoring, but he tallied 5.1 rebounds in just 19.1 minutes per game. He proved that he can do some scoring at the junior college ranks back in 2018-2019, so do not be surprised if he gets more looks at the basket this season. Zane Meeks, a 6-9 sophomore, averaged 6.4 points per game in 2019-2020. He can stretch the defense with his outside shooting ability and connected on 40 long balls last year. Hymes showed some promise as a freshman, tallying 4.1 points and 3.1 rebounds. Desmond Cambridge will give Nevada a proven scorer. He tallied 17.3 points per game as a freshman at Brown and 15.7 points during his sophomore season. Junior college transfer Khristion Courseault has been a solid scorer and passer when healthy. The recruiting class may not get a ton of attention, but there is talent here that can make an immediate impact. Tre Coleman is the highest regarded of the bunch and the versatile wing from Indiana has the talent to crack the starting five on a team that needs their newcomers to do a lot of work on the perimeter.
Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI/CIT
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 77.1 (32nd in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 72.3 (257, 8)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.7 (125, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.4 (49, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 10.0 (10, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 38.3 (11, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 75.3 (40, 3)
Rebound Margin: 2.7 (98, 5)
Assists Per Game: 14.9 (38, 4)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.0 (78, 2)
