Nevada

2008-09 Nevada Basketball Preview: #59

Joel Welser — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 08:11:07 -0700

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Nevada Wolf Pack

Overall Rank: #59

Conference Rank: #1 WAC

2007-08: 21-12, 12-4, 1^st

2007-08 postseason: CBI

Despite the loss of three starters, Nevada is still a favorite to win the Western Athletic Conference. The conference as a whole had a horrible season in 2007-2008 and the conference full of young players does not expect to improve too much. That is good news for the Wolf Pack while they can rebuild and still compete for a conference championship. However, once again, it will probably be just the conference tournament winner who will represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament.

Who’s Out:

Marcelus Kemp led the team averaging a smooth 20.0 points per game. He was a consistent outside shooter and could almost always create his own shot when necessary. His 3.3 assists and 5.4 rebounds per contest also ranked second on the team. That is a huge loss, but the absence of JaVale McGee, who left early for the NBA, is even bigger. McGee was a consistent scorer under the basket and could stretch the defense with his outside shooting. On the other side of the floor he grabbed a ton of rebounds and blocked 2.8 shots per contest. While there are experienced options ready to fill the void left by Kemp, the same cannot be said for McGee. The frontcourt also loses starter Demarshay Johnson and roleplayers David Ellis and Matt LaGrone. That leaves very little experience left in the frontcourt. Guard Curry Lynch has also wrapped up his collegiate career in Reno after playing in just nine contests as a senior.

Who’s In:

Despite all the losses, it is Coach Mark Fox’s superb recruiting class that has Wolf Pack fans excited about the future and the present. Luke Babbitt is the best of the bunch. The 6-9 power forward earned McDonald’s All-American accolades and can literally do it all. He can use his 225 pound frame to battle in the paint, his ball handling skills to get to the basket or his shooting ability to knock down three-pointers. And that is just in the scoring department. Babbitt is also a fine passer and rebounder. The only concern is his defense, but if he sticks to the post that will not be much of an issue. Babbitt lacks the foot speed to take on some small forwards in the WAC, but the Wolf Pack need him to play at the four and five spots for now anyway. Ahyaro Philips and Dario Hunt will provide depth in the paint. The good news for this recruiting class keeps coming. Small forward Joey Shaw might sound familiar. The 6-6 Glendale, Arizona product averaged 4.5 points and 1.9 rebounds two years as a redshirt freshman at Indiana. Shaw is a good athlete and shooter and should fit well in the starting lineup. Shooting guard Mark McLaughlin and point guard London Giles also have enough talent to start. McLaughlin is a future star and can put up points in a hurry. He can score from anywhere on the floor, but he will need to add more strength to his wiry 6-5, 180 pound frame before he will be effective around the basket at this level. In the worst case scenario, he will be a great shooter off the bench. Giles is not as highly touted as Babbitt, Shaw or McLaughlin, but he is a versatile player who will find a role on the team.

Who to Watch:

Even with the talent that McLaughlin and Giles have, they will have to spend some time learning behind Armon Johnson and Brandon Fields. Johnson started all but one game at the point as a freshman. His 3.4 assists and 2.4 turnovers per contest were not bad at all for a freshman and those numbers should improve this year. But the reigning WAC Freshman of the Year can also score and could see more minutes at the shooting guard spot in the coming years. Fields is the team’s leading returning scorer and the lone returning three-point threat on the team. Fields is a good defender and will be the new go-to-scorer with the absence of Kemp. Lyndale Burleson gives Nevada some experienced depth to go along with the newcomers.

Final Projection:

As good as the backcourt will be, the frontcourt has some issues. Babbitt is prepared to have a great year, but who is going to start by his side? Malik Cooke, at 6-6, will not bring any size to the unit and Richie Phillips needs to finally stay healthy if he wants to make an impact. Babbitt and the backcourt can do enough to win the WAC, but if the Wolf Pack want to make some noise in March, another big man needs to be found.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Armon Johnson, Sophomore, Guard, 11.5 points per game

Brandon Fields, Junior, Guard, 12.4 points per game

Joey Shaw, Junior, Forward, DNP last season

Malik Cooke, Sophomore, Forward, 2.4 points per game

Luke Babbitt, Freshman, Forward, DNP last season

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2008-09 Preview & Awards | Coach Interviews | Discuss the Preview

Poll: Who is the Best Team in the BracketBuster Pool?

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:47:46 -0700

State of '08: The Two-Program States

Shawn Siegel — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 09:33:15 -0700

What is the top D1 basketball program in each state.. and which program is the worst? While there's not much competition in Hawaii.. there are great debates to be had in loaded regions like California, North Carolina, and Texas. The State of '08 is a state by state ranking based mostly on recent success (the last five years) mixed in with subjective factors such as conference prestige, historical success, and overall program direction.

Up first today: The seven 2-program states.. followed by individual state articles. Note that 8 states have either one or no teams (Alaska). For more info, check out the State of '08 introduction.

TWO PROGRAM STATES

DELAWARE - The "First State" starts off our cross-country journey..

Delaware - The First State was one of the hardest to rank. While Delaware was a top mid-major program at the turn of the century.. the Hens hit some lean years culminating in an embarrassing 2007 (5 wins). But UDel edges out their counterpart in large part due to being in a far superior conference (CAA vs MEAC).

Delaware State - From 2005 to 2007, the Hornets were easily the better team.. making the Tourney in 2005 and winning 20 games in 2006. This was an amazing run considering how awful the team was earlier in the decade.

MONTANA - Did you even know Montana had two teams?

Montana - Despite having virtually the same success last year (232 RPI vs 236th), the Grizzlies get the nod here based on long-term success and overall statute. Montana made the big dance in 2005 & 2006.

Montana State - The last season that Montana State was significantly better than their rivals was in 2002.. yet Montana managed to sneak into the NCAA Tournament that year and steal State's thunder.

NEBRASKA - Score one for the "mid-majors"..

Creighton - A no-brainer here.. Creighton has been one of the top 40 programs or so over the last decade. Even last year, when it seemed like Dana Altman's crew were struggling, they still beat the Huskers by 12 and finished substantially higher in the computer rankings.

Nebraska - Nebraska is never awful.. but its also been awhile since they've been good. It always seems like they hover between 90-110 in the RPI.. completely mediocre for a BCS program. I don't see any major success on the horizon for the next few years either.

NEVADA - A virtual tie. (This was easily the hardest choice to make)

UNLV - Lon Kruger has done a great job getting this program back on track. Coming off back to back tournament trips, a third is definitely within reach as top players like Wink Adams return. UNLV also has the added benefit of being in a more challenging league (the MWC) and being located in Las Vegas, a nationally recognized (if not respected) city.

Nevada - Coming off four straight NCAA Tournament trips, Nevada had a disappointing season despite winning 20 games. But a recruiting class ranked Top 25 nationally has fans hoping for a return trip in 2009. While Nevada has had better success in the past five years, UNLV's past and projected future is brighter.

NEW HAMPSHIRE - Perhaps the worst basketball state in the union?

New Hampshire - UNH is simply a bad program, as the Wildcats have peaked with an RPI of 250 in the last decade. But UNH has at least been competitive in America East games recently.. winning 20 games in the past three seasons.

Dartmouth - One of the worst programs in the country, Dartmouth hasn't been above 250th in the RPI since 1999. The low was 2004 with an abysmal RPI of 324th (3rd worst in the country). In the last three years, the Big Green have won 11 Ivy League games.. which is so bad that it makes UNH look decent.

NEW MEXICO - Competition between these two programs is high now that NMSU is out of the doldrums.

New Mexico - While the numbers of these program are relatively similar since 2006, UNM gets the edge for long-term stability, for being in a higher-ranked conference ..and playing in a cool arena (The Pit).

New Mexico State - As recently as 2005, NMSU was one of the worst programs in the country. But moving to the WAC (and hiring Reggie Theus) helped lead to a shocking rebound that culminated in a 2007 conference title.

WEST VIRGINIA - WVU is easily the peak of the Mountain State..

West Virginia - Bob Huggins or not, WVU is a far superior program to Marshall making this a no-brainer. WVU has been Top 60 in the RPI each of the last four seasons..

Marshall - On the flip-side, Marshall hasn't approached the Top 100.. and its results haven't improved since moving from the MAC to the CUSA.

Draft Poll: Who Will be the First Mid-Major Prospect Selected?

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:58:28 -0700

Siegel's Take: 2008 Power Forward Analysis

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:25:57 -0700

This is the fourth of five Siegel's Take articles analyzing the 2008 NBA Draft prospects. Today's focus is the risky group of power forwards.

As I say every year in every article, its important to note that I'm not as kind as most Draft analysts out there. The reality of the NBA Draft is that only a few guys will be stars, a handful more will be starters, a dozen guys will be career reserves, and the rest will all fizzle into nothingness within a couple of seasons.

On with the fun. Players are ranked by their NBA potential:

1) Michael Beasley - Kansas State - While Derrick Rose is the media darling, I'm fully on board Beasley's bandwagon. At some level, numbers simply don't lie.. and 26 ppg and 12 rpg in just 31 mpg is all you need to know. While Rose is a lock to be a solid NBA point guard, Beasley is a basketball freak who has a chance to be an elite All-NBA type player. The perception that he lacks focus and desire rightly deserves attention, but here the potential reward greatly surpasses the risk.

2) JaVale McGee - Nevada - McGee is the type of risk/reward prospect that can make a GM look like a genius or a fool. In fact, on this list I wavered forever trying to slot him into the ranking. Basically, he's the anti-Ryan Anderson, a physical freak with tremendous upside that doesn't really know how to play basketball. Also, despite being an unknown to most observers, he's only 12 months younger than a veteran like Roy Hibbert. Some see McGee as a late-bloomer ready to explode, others see him as a bust along the lines of Patrick O'Bryant.

3) Alexis Ajinca - HTV - This 20 year old has the height of a center (7'1"), but the body and makeup of a power forward. Scouting Europeans isn't my thing, but from listening to and reading others opinions in recent weeks, I get the sense there's some good momentum building here.

4) JJ Hickson - NC State - After starting his freshman season with a couple big time games, Hickson finished with solid averages of 15 and 9 per game. When you consider Arthur below, who averaged only 12 and 9 in his sophomore season and is 13 months older, you have to wonder why Arthur is the more highly rated talent. The main reason is that Hickson is one of the rawer talents out there, with a small skill set that mostly involves dunking and small post shots. Still, I prefer Hickson because he's thicker, stronger and more explosive in the paint.

5) Darrell Arthur - Kansas - I'm not a big Arthur fan, and he falls into this slot mostly by default. Arthur would show scattered 20 minute stretches of dominance, but follow it up with a two week disappearing act. To me, this inconsistency wasn't due to a lack of effort or passion, but simply gaping holes in his skill set. Despite a decent post game, Arthur is a surprisingly weak finisher and he doesn't project to be a plus jump-shooter. He only got to the FT line once or twice a game last year, unacceptable for a 6'9" kid. There's potential here, but he'll most likely go higher in the Draft than he should.

6) Serge Ibaka - PF - Lhospitalet - Not going to say much here, because like most other prospects, Ibaka looks great on YouTube highlights. Still, I suggest digging up some clips on this guy because his length and athleticism are pretty darn impressive. Basically a big X factor.

7) Ryan Anderson - California - Some of the other writers on CHN are much higher on Anderson than I am. Though the numbers he put up in two season are unparalleled (outside of Beasley), he doesn't pass the "eye test". My real worry here is on defense, where he's not athletic enough to guard wings and not strong or long enough to guard bigs in the post. Also, though he's a great collegiate outside shooter, I'm not certain this will equate to the NBA three-point line. Still, Anderson definitely has value as a pro reserve.

8) Richard Hendrix - PF - Alabama - Back in the day, Hendrix was once thought to be a straight H.S. to NBA prospect. But three years later and Hendrix is trying to prove his worth at the Pre-Draft camp. He's somewhat underrated in my opinion, barely any worse than potential lottery picks like Arthur and Hickson. A lack of "wow" athleticism really holds him back, especially when you consider he has virtually no perimeter game. But Hendrix has always been a consistently solid performer who grabs boards, understands the game, and tends to be a team player.

9) Jason Thompson - Rider - Some sites, mainly NBADraft.net, have Thompson as a first round pick, though I'm not buying that. Its usually easier to gauge the skill of mid-major guards as opposed to mid-major bigs, because someone like Thompson had no physical equal in the MAAC. At 6'11", 250 lbs or so, he dominated on the offensive end, though defensively he wasn't nearly as dominant. The real issue for Thompson though is that his size is no longer a plus against NBA centers, so power forward is his more likely position. But against pro fours, Thompson will have a serious disadvantage on the defensive end. Its hard to imagine him being anything but a bit player in the big leagues.

10) DJ White - Indiana- After a weak junior season, I though White had no chance at a pro career. But he made huge strides last year, especially on the offensive end where he became the Hoosiers go-to player (and a consistent 20 & 10 threat) once Eric Gordon slumped. Even though it seems like White's been around forever, he's only 13 months older than Darrell Arthur, so you have to really consider him to be a junior. Similar to Hendrix above, White just doesn't have that extra boost of athleticism. Still, though it seems like he doesn't have much of an upside, I thought the same thing last year and he proved me wrong.

Summary: While Beasley has All-NBA potential, the rest of this list doesn't excite me. In fact, its conceivable that no one else even pans out as a full-time starter. McGee and Ajinka come in 2 and 3 because of upside.. but both have serious flop potential. Anderson and Hendrix are less risky.. but if you're afraid of taking a chance you shouldn't be an NBA GM. At the end of the list, Thompson and White will just be hoping to avoid the D-League.

Last Year's Siegel's Take - PF Ranking
1) Brandan Wright
2) Al Horford
3) Yi Jianlian
4) Joakim Noah
5) Josh McRoberts
6) Glen Davis
7) Nick Fazekas
8) Jason Smith
9) Herbert Hill
10) Jermareo Davidson

JaVale McGee: NBA Draft Profile

Jeff Fox — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:37:55 -0700

JaVale McGee

College: Nevada

Class: Sophomore

Position: PF/C

Height: 7’0”

Weight: 237lbs

Accolades: Second Team All-WAC (08), WAC All-Defensive Team (08).

Scouting Report: A long, athletic 7-footer.

Strengths: Extremely long wingspan – reportedly measuring at 7’6”. Very athletic for his size. Can run the floor. Attacks the rim and dunks often. Good hands. Makes quick moves once he gets the ball. Terrific shot-blocker. Has a good hook shot in the post. Has range on his jumper – can hit the college three-pointer. Able to put the ball on the floor and get by defenders.

Weaknesses: Very inexperienced – only played significant minutes his sophomore year. Didn’t play in a BCS conference, so didn’t go up against top talent every game. Poor free throw shooter. Needs to get physically stronger for the NBA. Will have to learn to post up stronger for the NBA. NBA players will be able to overpower him and back him down when he is on defense. Extremely turnover prone – had four times as many turnovers than assists this past season.

Projected 2008 Draft Range: Late lottery to mid first round pick.

Consensus: JaVale McGee is the ultimate “high-risk, high-reward” pick. His length and athleticism are very enticing, but with his game and body still a work in progress there is no guarantee he’ll ever turn out to be a solid NBA pro.

Stats: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=32080

CHN's Six-Star Ranking System

= Superstar/All-NBA Potential

= Potential NBA All-Star

= Consistent NBA Starter

= 6th Man/Fringe Starter

= Career Reserve

= Fringe NBA Player/12th Man

0 stars = Life in the Minor Leagues

More 2008 NBA Draft Profiles

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2008 CollegeHoops.net High-Major All-Freshman

CHN — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 12:12:45 -0700

CollegeHoops.net High-Major Freshman of the Year: P’Allen Stinnett (Creighton)

CollegeHoops.net High-Major All-Freshman Team

G: Armon Johnson (Nevada)

G: P'Allen Stinnett (Creighton)

G: Charles Jenkins (Hofstra)

F: Austin Daye (Gonzaga)

F: Herb Pope (New Mexico St)

CollegeHoops.net Second Team High-Major All-Freshman

G: R.L. Horton (Southern Miss)

F: Chris Wright (Dayton)

F: Tirrell Baines (Marshall)

F: Billy White (San Diego State)

F: Lavoy Allen (Temple)

CollegeHoops.net Honorable Mention High-Major All-Freshman: Kevin Anderson (Richmond), Alphonso Dawson (Delaware), Papa Dia (SMU), Dairese Gary (New Mexico), Steven Gray (Gonzaga), Sam Maniscalco (Bradley), Chad Tomko (UNCW)

The CollegeHoops.net All-American teams are voted on by staff writers. Up next are our Mid-Major All-Freshman teams.

CHN 2007-08 Postseason Awards

All-Americans, All-Rookie, Top Coaches & more!

Three Stars of the Day: Bullock, Kemp, Mundweiler

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 06:38:12 -0800

Three Stars of The Day

We handpick the best performances of the day, whether it be stat lines that make you drool, or clutch performances. Either way, its our way of showing the love:

J'Nathan Bullock - Cleveland State

The Vikings junior, who has hovered around 12 ppg most of his career, exploded for 39 points on 13-14 shooting against UWGB

Marcelus Kemp - Nevada

Set a season-high of 35 points as the Wolf Pack picked up an important win over WAC-leading Utah State

Joey Mundweiler - Wagner

Besides hitting the game-tying three to send the game to OT, also paced his team with 19 points and played well in the extra session

Other Top Performers

Jeremy Caldwell - Jackson State - The junior had his best-ever statistical game with 22 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 blocks in a win

Reggie Williams - VMI - Another big output for the contender for the scoring title, 38 against Charleston Southern

Previous Stars of the Day

February 10th - Tyler Hansbrough, UNC

February 9th - Hasheem Thabeet, UCONN

February 7th - Ronald Ramon, Pittsburgh

February 6th - Michael Beasley, Kansas State

February 4th - Todd Golden, Saint Mary's

February 3rd - Tyler Hansbrough, UNC

January 30th - Chase Budinger, Arizona

January 29th - Beasley/Walker, Kansas State

January 28th - Chris Godzinski, Wofford

January 27th - DeMarcus Nelson, Duke

January 26th - Hackett/Lewis/Mayo, USC

January 24th - Jerryd Bayless, Arizona

January 22nd - Patrick Patterson, Kentucky

January 21st - DJ Augustin, Texas

January 20th - Dezmon Harris, Weber State

January 19th - James Gist, Maryland

January 18th - Abbott/Harden, Arizona State

January 17th - Dionte Christmas, Temple

January 14th - Roy Hibbert, Georgetown

January 11th - Lester Hudson, Tennessee-Martin

January 9th - DJ White, Indiana

January 8th - Lester Hudson, Tennessee-Martin

January 7th - Wayne Ellington, UNC

January 6th - Shan Foster, Vanderbilt

January 5th - Damon Huffman, Brown

January 4th - Luke Harangody, Notre Dame

January 3rd - Damon Huffman, Brown

January 2nd - Martin Zeno, Texas Tech

November/December Star of the Day Archive

Daily Dribble: Friday Report Card

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:56:35 -0800

The Report Card

A new series, the Daily Report Card tells you all you need to know about the day in college hoops. From good to bad and bad to worse, I'll be laying down the law.

A - Nevada / Mark Fox

About 10 days ago, ESPN put up an article highlighting Nevada's "growing pains." But since then, the Pack have reeled in three straight wins to pull within a half-game of the WAC lead. Outside of the elder Marcelus Kemp, Nevada's other three main contributors are very green. JaVale McGee and Brandon Fields were end of the bench rookies last year, while Armon Johnson is a freshman. This trio, along with a pair of big-time recruits heading to Reno next year (Luke Babbitt & Mark McLaughlin).. gives the program hope for big things down the line. Many thought Fox couldn't sustain the good vibes started by Trent Johnson, nor did they think he could compete this year without Fazekas or Sessions, but the program still keeps moving in the right direction.

B - Ray Hall

Who is Ray Hall? Nobody really knows.. but the Providence big man who had scored 8 points all season, came through with 10 points and 7 boards against Notre Dame. Granted, Providence lost the game.. and Hall's abysmal free throw shooting (2 of 10, missing his last 8) was a big reason why.. but still, it's always nice to more than double your season's production in one night.

C - Arizona State

Once the darling of the west.. ASU has lost 4 straight games to fall back into the middle of the Pac-10. Last night's 33 point shellacking by UCLA was the first real bad effort in the streak, but the trend might continue with road games against USC and Arizona coming up. What once looked like a Tournament-bound team now has some serious work left to do.. as their remaining schedule is brutal.

D - Eric Gordon

I give Gordon a joking D because I predicted Indiana would win. Some Wiscy fan blog must have noticed the prediction because I got a few emails rubbing it in. Gordon had no business playing in the game.. as his injury was worse then I realized. If I knew his left arm would turn into a club, then I'd have went with the Badgers.. When the standings come out though, a win is a win, and Wisconsin is now locked into a first place tie.

F - Princeton / Penn

Princeton's precipitous decline in recent seasons is well documented, but not many have noted Penn's struggles this season. They're 5-12 right now, with an average 12-point margin of defeat.. and have an RPI of 302.. barely better than Princeton's 317 ranking. The good news is that Penn is a very young team, and they don't start their Ivy League schedule until tonight (against Harvard.) The bad news is that the Quakers haven't been a team ranked above 275th.. so there's little reason to think they can do that much damage in the Ivy.

Previous Best / Worst

January 31st - Kansas State / St. John's

January 29th - Winthrop / Dyson & Wiggins

January 28th - Rutgers / Doris Burke

January 25th - Ron Hunter / Princeton Offense

January 23rd - Kentucky / Archbishop Burke

January 22nd - DJ Augustin / Scott Sutton

January 21st - New York Giants / Marquette

January 20th - Maryland / ESPN.com editors

January 18th - Cleveland State / Marquette

January 17th - Drake / HP Laptops

January 14th - Roy Hibbert / Michigan State

January 10th - Tony Bennett / Saint Louis

January 9th - DJ White / CSTV

January 8th - Robert Morris / Schedule Makers

January 7th - Wayne Ellington / Illinois

January 6th - Herb Sendek / Kentucky

Top 10 Players in the WAC

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 14:22:09 -0800

It seems like its taken forever, but I finally conclude my series of conference player rankings. Like the other lists, this one was finalized shortly before the season started.. so there's a few unlisted guys that have gotten off to great stats. Nevada's Brandon Fields is averaging 12 and 4 assists after 3 games. San Jose State center CJ Webster has been strong in the paint, averaging 13 and 10 boards for the 2-1 Spartans. Meanwhile, heralded WAC freshmen DJ Wright & Herb Pope haven't played so far for various reasons. 1. Jaycee Carroll, G, Utah State 2. Marcelus Kemp, G, Nevada 3. Justin Hawkins, G, New Mexico State 4. Reggie Larry, F, Boise State 5. Kevin Bell, G, Fresno State 6. Fred Peete, G, New Mexico State 7. Matt Nelson, C, Boise State 8. DJ Wright, G, Louisiana Tech 9. Gary Wilkinson, F, Utah State 10. Hatila Passos, C, New Mexico State Next In Line Matt Gibson, G, Hawaii Jamon Hill, G, San Jose State JaVale McGee, F, Nevada Bobby Nash, G, Hawaii Rekalin Sims, C, Fresno State * NMSU freshman Herb Pope was originally on the "Next in Line" list, but has been removed until he becomes officially eligible to play.