Nevada basketball media day
Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2007 @ 1:18 am
The Nevada men’s basketball team showed up in uniform for media day on Thursday, and center JaVale McGee looks like he had a productive offseason.
The official Web site lists him at 7-feet, 237-pounds - which is bigger and taller than last year. That kid’s a scary athlete.
With the possible exclusion of New Mexico State, the Wolf Pack boasts the most athletic frontcourt in the conference with McGee and DeMarshay Johnson, the former starter who returns after being academically ineligible last season.
While freshman Armon Johnson and sophomore shooting guard Brandon Fields will have to share most of the point guard duties, they should have a pretty easy time connecting on the lob pass.
Actually, the Wolf Pack is much longer and more athletic than last year’s team in general. Expect plenty of running.
-Senior Marcelus Kemp is changing this season from No. 5 to No. 21, the number he wore in high school
Kemp said he wanted No. 21 when he arrived at Nevada, but Kevinn Pinkney already had it. He couldn’t switch last season because the jerseys had already been made when Kemp requested the change.
-Despite being a freshman, Armon Johnson is already starting to fit in with the team. He was one of the more outgoing players at the media day as far a joking and messing around between interviews and photos, and Nevada coach Mark Fox warned - with Johnson being a local kid from Hug High - that Reno mayor Bob Cashell better watch out.
Word is Johnson played really well in pick-up games with the team last spring and that he may have pushed for serious playing this season regardless, but he will have to contribute with Lyndale Burleson ineligible.
Johnson is an explosive scorer that has the athleticism and quickness to explode to the rim, and the jump shot to pull up from deep.
-Freshman forward Malik Cooke will barely be 18 years old when the season starts, but he looks like he’ll eventually fill the true small forward role the Wolf Pack has missed since Kirk Snyder and GHT.
At 6-foot-5, Cooke is lean and athletic. He’s a slasher who should be able to use his athleticism to get the rim.
With Kemp figuring to see more time at shooting guard this season - he worked on his ball-handling this summer based on the feedback he received from NBA personnel during the draft process this summer - so Cooke may fit into the regular rotation behind Tyrone Hanson.
-The other newcomer is junior college transfer is junior college transfer Ray Kraemer.
In the mold of other Wolf Pack guards, Kraemer has good size with a muscular 6-foot-4 frame.
Kraemer sat out last season with a shoulder injury, but he’s just a sophomore this season. He’s more of a shooting guard than a ball handler, he should provide scoring and outside shooting if the Wolf Pack needs it.
-Despite the athletics department’s equipment deal with Adidas, the men’s basketball team has a deal with Nike this season and will wear the Swoosh.
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