|
#14 Nevada Wolf
Pack
Western Athletic
Conference
2004-05: 25-7,
16-2, 1st
2004-05 postseason:
NCAA
By
Joel Welser
Heading into the
2004-2005 campaign, there were tons of questions surrounding the
Nevada basketball program. Trent
Johnson had just split for Stanford, leaving Coach Mark Fox to
take over the squad and an injury to Marcelus Kemp left the
backcourt with huge depth problems. Coach Fox proved that he
can handle running the team and the injury to Kemp found a gem
in now sophomore Ramon Sessions. And now Kemp is back and ready
to pick up where he left off.
Who’s Out:
Forwards Kevinn Pinkney and Jermaine Washington will be missed.
Pinkney was a great complimentary player to all-everything Nick
Fazekas, averaging 12.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per contest.
Washington started 20 contests, averaging 6.7 points and 5.2
boards.
Who’s In: The
big, underrated storyline is the return of Marcelus Kemp. The
shooting guard only averaged 4.6 points and 1.4 rebounds as a
freshman, but the perimeter really needs a reliable scorer and
shooter. Point guard Lyndale Burleson redshirted last year and
will add some persistent defense at the point. Incoming
forwards Denis Ikovlev and Demarshay Johnson will add more depth
to the frontcourt. Ikovlev, a 6-7, 215 pound Postville, Iowa
native averaged 17.0 points and 6.7 rebounds last year at
Ellsworth (IA) Community College. The Ukraine native has a
decent outside shot and can battle in the paint. Johsnon earned
first team all-state honors last year while playing at Diablo
Valley College in Pleasant Hill, California. Johnson will
immediately make a contribution on the boards and in the shot
blocking department.
Who to Watch:
It will be up to some other players in order to see if the Pack
will be a good or a great team. However, one thing is for sure,
Nick Fazekas will be great. The 6-11, 230 pound forward
averaged a stellar 20.7 points and 9.4 rebounds as a sophomore
last year. What’s next? How about averaging 20 and 10?
Projected
Conference Rank: Kyle Shiloh started all 32 games last year
and could be relegated to the bench if Marcelus Kemp is back to
full strength and Coach Fox doesn’t want to run a three guard
lineup. The point guard spot is solid with Ramon Sessions. He
turned the ball over a little too much, but that is to be
expected from a freshman. As a sophomore, he’ll be better. The
big question is Chad Bell at the center spot. Bell only
averaged 3.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game last year and will
have to prove that he can handle an increase in minutes.
Projected
Post-season Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting
Five:
Ramon Sessions,
Sophomore, Guard, 9.0 points per game
Marcelus Kemp,
Sophomore, Guard, DNP last season
Mo Charlo, Senior,
Forward, 9.4 points per game
Nick Fazekas, Junior,
Forward, 20.7 points per game
Chad Bell, Senior,
Center, 3.0 points per game
|
