Nevada Wolf Pack
2021-2022 Overall Rank: #39
Conference Rank: #2 Mountain West
Nevada has had to be patient while Coach Steve Alford built up his roster. It took a couple of mediocre seasons, but now Nevada should take a step forward and compete for a Mountain West title and a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Four starters are back and Coach Alford filled the holes with a trio of Division I transfers. The pieces are here for the Wolf Pack to make another NCAA Tournament run like they did in 2018.
2020-21 Record: 16-10, 10-7
2020-21 Postseason: None
Coach: Steve Alford
Coach Record: 34-31 at Nevada, 621-319 overall
Key Departed Players:
Zane Meeks, Forward, 9.0 ppg
Kane Milling, Guard, 4.8 ppg
Robbie Robinson, Forward, 1.0 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Grant Sherfield, Junior, Guard, 18.6 ppg
Desmond Cambridge Jr, Senior, Guard, 16.3 ppg
Tre Coleman, Sophomore, Forward, 5.3 ppg
Warren Washington, Junior, Forward, 10.0 ppg
K.J. Hymes, Junior, Forward, 6.4 ppg
Daniel Foster, Sophomore, Guard, 4.3 ppg
Alem Huseinovic, Sophomore, Guard, 1.9 ppg
DeAndre Henry, Sophomore, Forward, 1.8 ppg
Key New Players:
Will Baker, Junior, Center, Transfer from Texas
Kenan Blackshear, Junior, Guard, Transfer from FAU
AJ Bramah, Senior, Guard/Forward, Transfer from Robert Morris
Nick Davidson, Freshman, Forward
Jalen Weaver, Freshman, Guard
Projection:
Grant Sherfield had an amazing debut season with Nevada after transferring in from Wichita State. The 6-2 junior averaged 18.6 points, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals. Desmond Cambridge was not far behind that impressive scoring total, tallying 16.3 points per game. Sherfield is more aggressive when it comes to attacking the basket, but both are dynamic scoring threats who can hit the long ball consistently and get to the rim. The frontcourt has a trio of proven returning options. Tre Coleman started 22 games as a freshman, averaging 5.5 points per game. The 6-7 forward was not asked to score much last season, but he can hit some shots. Warren Washington proved to be the most effective interior scorer, averaging 10.0 points per game and adding 5.9 rebounds. K.J. Hymes is the best shot blocker on the team. The addition of Will Baker will add more size to the roster. The seven-foot Texas transfer came to Nevada in the middle of last season after seeing limited action with the Longhorns in 2019-2020. The backcourt adds Kenan Blackshear from Florida Atlantic and AJ Bramah from Robert Morris. Bramah put up huge numbers with the Colonials, averaging 21.0 points and 10.3 rebounds last season. This Wolf Pack team should have more depth than they have had so far under Coach Alford and that will make a big difference when Nevada has to go through the grind of the MWC.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NCAA
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 73.7 (107th in nation, 4th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 69.7 (159, 7)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.7 (126, 5)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.9 (44, 3)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.7 (121, 6)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.4 (94, 3)
Free-Throw Percentage: 75.5 (41, 2)
Rebound Margin: 1.2 (146, 7)
Assists Per Game: 14.4 (85, 3)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.7 (138, 6)
