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LOCATION: Reno, NV
CONFERENCE: Big West (Eastern Division)
LAST SEASON: 8-18 (.444)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 4-12 (t-5th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 4/1
NICKNAME: Wolf Pack
COLORS: Silver & Blue
HOMECOURT: Lawlor Events Center (11,200)
COACH: Trent Johnson (Boise State '83)
record at school First year
career record First year
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ASSISTANTS: Andy McClouskey (Oregon State '82)
Chris Tifft (Nevada '96)
Kris Hackbusch (Nevada '98)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 18-16-21-16-8
RPI (last 5 years) 87-143-74-132-268
1998-99 FINISH: Did not qualify for postseason.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Trent Johnson comes into his first head-coaching job knowing the challenge set before him. Nevada won eight games last season, losing its last five. An average of only 4,379 fans attended Nevada home games. Only four players return from the disaster that was last season. And, worst of all, the Wolf Pack is only spending one more season in the slipping Big West before moving up a level to play in the Western Athletic Conference. No wonder, then, that Johnson isn't too worried about wins and losses right away. Instead, he talks about developing a more competitive attitude, adjusting all the new talent to Division I basketball and buying into the Wolf Pack's new offensive and defensive schemes. Maybe that's because Johnson knows he's in for a long season. This program hit rock bottom last year. Then the Wolf Pack began to dig. "The past has been tough for the kids, but I think we have a chance to be solid," Johnson said. "Any time you have only four returning players and six newcomers and a new philosophy and a new coach, it is going to take a while. But I think we have a chance if we grow as a team."
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT D- BENCH/DEPTH F
FRONTCOURT D- INTANGIBLES C-
The gruff Pat Foster never was terribly popular in Reno, where he developed a reputation for not being able to win the big game. Last year, he couldn't win the little game either, so he resigned before the ax fell. Into the rubble steps coach Trent Johnson, who will be forced to patch together a roster with a handful of poor returning players and another handful of hastily-thrown together newcomers. It won't be easy. And it won't be pretty. The rest of the Big West Conference is going to have fun paying the Wolf Pack back for leaving the league. Nevada lost its three top scorers from last year's disaster and never did play defense. Now Johnson must put together a foundation against a tough non-conference schedule and a collection of Big West teams that will be motivated and confident every time the Pack takes the floor. Johnson has said several times that he doesn't have any win-loss expectations. That's probably a good idea. |
Johnson said that the one pleasant surprise he saw during the summer was the positive attitude of the returning players. The veterans, he said, are excited and enthusiastic about the future. "But we haven't played a game yet," he said. "Everyone is enthusiastic before the season." Nevada has one starter returning from the misery of last season: 6-3 senior guard Tommy Zapata (7.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg). Zapata played point guard last season but will move to the shooting guard spot this year. His abilities are all oriented toward being one of the team's designated scorers: he hit 37 percent of his three-pointers last season. Another stat that would suggest he's better off as a shooter: Zapata averaged nearly three turnovers per game. The other four starters must be found from among a collection of returning role players and varied newcomers. One player to watch is 6-5 senior swingman Calvin Criddle (7.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg). Criddle is a scorer at heart and would have averaged about 17 points per game if his scoring punch was averaged out to about 40 minutes. Although he can shoot from three-point range, Criddle's primary skills come a bit closer to the basket. He should get better now that a broken wrist suffered last season has healed. Another swingman with veteran experience is 6-8 junior Joao Santos (3.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg). Santos is limited offensively, but he can shoot well from the perimeter when given a chance. "But he's got to sustain his confidence in games," Johnson said. "That hasn't always happened." The fourth returning player? Little used 6-9 sophomore center Marlon Miller (1.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg). He'll be counted upon to fill an expanded role this year. "He's been working hard," Johnson said. "We're going to have to count on him to grab rebounds and post up and play defense inside. I'm very curious to see how he does under the lights." The best bet at point guard might be 5-10 junior Adrian McCullough, who played at the College of Southern Idaho last year. He's quick. He's talented. He's also inexperienced. "We need him to really come along a lot faster than kids usually do," Johnson said. Backing up Zapata and McCullough or supplanting them if necessary is 6-foot junior Danny Guerinoni. Guerinoni, a transfer from West Valley (Calif.) Junior College, is a capable scorer and ball handler who can shoot. He'll get a lot of playing time. Another player who will get a strong look is 6-2 freshman Terrance Green, a shooting guard who turned down Washington State and Pittsburgh to play right away at Nevada. Johnson's voice picks up another octave when he speaks of Green, whom he describes as "very talented." Johnson has a project at small forward in 6-6 freshman James Bayless, who played at El Dorado High School in Las Vegas last year. Bayless has a lot of potential, but he's raw. At this point, Johnson won't have much choice but to play him, however. The power forward will likely be 6-6 junior Richard Stirgus, an import from McCook (Neb.) Community College. "He has shown a lot of leadership already," Johnson said. "He's a very good athlete and he's used to winning: I think he went 52-8 in junior college. He's got a lot of quickness, and we need him to step up and play right away." The center? There isn't one, but 6-8 freshman Matt Ochs will be asked to play it. Ochs is a homegrown talent from Reed High School in Sparks, Nev. "He's going to be thrown into the fire sooner than expected and he's going to be undersized too," Johnson said. "We'll see how he responds to that." Donnell Meekins and Mike Brown fill out the roster. Both are 6-2 sophomore guards who are former walk-ons and won't see much playing time. A final walk-on, 6-2 freshman guard Evan Glusman, also won't be counted upon much this season. Glusman played for Durango High in Las Vegas. And that, believe it or not, is it. The Wolf Pack thought they would have a reasonably decent center returning in Dimitrios Marmarinos, but he signed a two-year $350,000 pro contract in his home country of Greece. That hurt. What's left isn't exactly going to strike fear into the hearts of opponents, but Johnson isn't thinking championships or even records at this point. "I'm optimistic and looking forward to the challenge," he said. "I'm not worried about how many wins we get this year. I just want to teach the team to play together and be more competitive every single day. If we do that, then the wins will take care of themselves."
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