December 7, 2021 Volume 128 Issue 4

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VOLUME 128, ISSUE 4

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A4 & A5 STARTING FIVE A6

AUDREY RODEN

A8

BEHIND SCENES HEROES

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SERVING THE UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO SINCE 1893

A look into men’s basketball Mountain West Conference games

News Editor: Emerson Drewes andrewmendez@sagebrush.unr.edu

By Kelsey Middleton Preseason is moving fast and conference play is just around the corner. There are four more preseason games until Nevada faces San Jose State on Dec. 29 along with nine other universities.

Last season Nevada went 10-7 in conference.

So far in preseason Nevada is 4-4. Here is a look at what Nevada will be up against.

Spanish Editor: Melanie Mendez melaniemendez@sagebrush.unr.edu

San Jose State Dec. 29 - 8 p.m. - Away Feb. 16 - 7 p.m. - Home - Date Night With The Pack/Season Ticket Holder Appreciation Night

VOLUME 128, ISSUE 2

Editor-in-Chief: Andrew Mendez andrewmendez@sagebrush.unr.edu

A&E Editor: Jaedyn Young jaedynyoung@sagebrush.unr.edu Opinion Editor: Sydney Avery sydneyavery@sagebrush. unr.edu Sports Editor: Kelsey Middleton kelseymiddleton@sagebrush.unr.edu Copy Editor: Olive Giner oginer@sagebrush.unr. edu Photo Editor: Isaac Hoops ihoops@sagebrush.unr. edu Multimedia Editor: Morgan Bobbera mbobbera@sagebrush. unr.edu Sports Multimeda Editor: Matt Hannifan mhan ifan@sagebrush.unr.edu Social Media Manager: Carley Olson andrewmendez@sagebrush.unr.edu

Last year, the two Nevada vs. San Jose State games were canceled. San Jose went 3-13 in conference play. Sophomore guard Omari Moore so far is averaging 15.5 points per game, which is lower than both Nevada guards Grant Sherfield, 17.7, and Desmond Cambridge Jr., 17.0. SJS has not scored over 80 points in a game so far and the games have been close in score. The team currently has a field goal percentage of 44.2 percent. They are currently 2-3.

New Mexico Jan. 1 - 6 p.m. - Home - Mountain West Home Opener

New Mexico went 2-15 in their conference play last year. Nevada beat them twice by ten plus points. Nevada had a lead in both halves in both of the games. Desmond Cambridge Jr. and Grant Sherfield had the top highest points in both games.

So far this season, New Mexico is 4-3. Their highest scoring game was 10172 against New Mexico Highlands. Players to look out for are sophomore Jamal Mashburn Jr. and junior Jaelen House who are leading the team in points so far this season.

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DISCLAIMER The Nevada Sagebrush is a newspaper operated by and for the students of the University of Nevada, Reno. The contents of this newspaper do not necessarily reflect those opinions of the university or its students.

It is published by the students of the University of Nevada, Reno, and printed by the Sierra Nevada Media Group.

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CORRECTIONS The Nevada Sagebrush fixes mistakes.

If you find an error, email andrewmendez@sagebrush.unr.edu.

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Wyoming Jan. 4 - 8 p.m. - Home Wolf Pack Trivia Night Feb. 26 - TBA - Away

Wyoming is currently undefeated at 6-0. Last season they stood at 1411, beating Nevada back to back 71-64 and 93-88.

Kenny Foster was in the top three who had the highest points of both of those games and is now a junior. However, this season Hunter Maldonado and Graham Ike are the top Cowboys on the court so far leading in points.

Maldonado averages 19.4 points per game and Ike has an average of 18.8.

San Diego State Jan. 8 - TBA - Away March 5 - TBA - Home Senior Night

San Diego State has been a tough competitor for Nevada over the last two years. Nevada last beat them on March 9, 2019.

The Aztecs are standing 5-2 in their season so far.

They are averaging 63.9 points per game and have not scored above 73 points in a game so far. Nevada has shot above a 73 in all games but two. Seniors Matt Bradley and Trey Pulliam are leading the team in points. Bradley averages 13 points per game and Pulliam averages 10.9.

Boise State Jan. 12 - 7:30 p.m. Home - Hero’s Night/ Comic Book Night March 1 - 6 p.m. - Away

Boise State is currently 3-4. Nevada has beat the Broncos in the last four appearances against them.

Two players Nevada will have to make sure and defend well are fifth year Abu Kigab and redshirt senior Emmanuel Akot. Kigab has a field goal percentage of 44.3 and Akot is at 42.4.

There are no 7 feet tall players on Boise, but there is 6 feet 11 inches Burke Smith and 6 feet 10 inches Mladen Armus and Kasean

Pryor.

Air Force Jan. 15 - 2 p.m. - Away

Air Force is flying high with a current 6-1 standing. They lost their first game against South Dakota, but have won five straight games since. Their highest scoring game is only 73 points compared to Nevada’s 91 point high game. Last season, Nevada beat Air Force in their first game but lost by two points in the next. The team’s field goal percentage right now is 48.7, with senior A.J. Walker leading the team in average field goals per game. Walker has made 48 out of 85 field goals, giving him a 56.5 field goal percentage.

Fresno State Jan. 21 - 8 p.m. - Home - Educator And Nevada’s Teacher Association Night

Feb. 4 - 8 p.m. - Away Fresno State also has a high standing at 6-1. The Bulldogs had a five game win streak until they lost to UC Berkeley. Fresno beat Pepperdine, Santa Clara and San Diego. In comparison, Nevada beat Pepperdine and lost to Santa Clara and San Diego.

The highest scoring game for the Bulldogs has been 86 points. There is some competition in height that Nevada will have to face with 7 feet 1 inch tall Braxton Meah and 7 feet tall Orlando Robinson. Robinson is leading the team in points, averaging 19.7 per game. This is above Grant Sherfield’s 18.5.

Colorado State Jan. 25 - 8 p.m. - Away Feb. 8 - TBA - Home Pink Game Sponsored By Renown

Colorado State is undefeated overall at 8-0. They have had many high scoring games such as with 109 points against Oral Roberts. Five of the eight games have had scores of over 80

points. The one game Nevada played against the Rams last year was very close. Nevada came out on top 85-82. CSU averages 86.8 points per game and has a field goal percentage of 53.6. Juniors David Roddy and Isaiah Stevens lead the team in points. Roddy averages 20.8 points per game and also stands at 6 feet 6 inches tall. Stevens is only 6 feet tall, but height does not stop his talent.

He averages 14.9 points per game, which is right behind Nevada Desmond Cambridge Jr,’s 16.9 average.

Utah State Jan. 29 - 7 p.m. - Home - Alumni Association Night/White Out

Feb. 11 - 6 p.m. - Away Utah State is currently 6-1 in their preseason.

They lost their first game and have gone on a six game win streak. Nevada has not defeated Utah State since Jan. 2, 2019.

The Aggies average 81.7 points per game with senior Justin Bean averaging 22.6 points per game. Behind Bean is Brandon Horvath with an average of 14 points per game.

Nevada will look to bring home the championship this year, as they start out the Mountain West Conference conference play on Dec. 28.

The league play will end on March 2 and will determine the seeding for the MW tournament.

The tournament starts on March 6 and the MW Women’s Basketball Championship will be held on March 9. Nevada is currently 4-3 as they are nearing the beginning of league play. Nevada was a fifth seed in last year’s MW championship, and they were eliminated in the first round.

As the Wolf Pack looks to improve their play let’s look at how they stack up to the rest of the Mountain West.

Colorado State Colorado State is currently 5-1 with the best record in the Mountain West Conference. They finished with a conference record of 11-5 last year and an overall record of 15-6. Colorado State is led by junior guard McKenna Hofschild with a team high 13.3 points per game and 5 assists per game. Another impactful piece is graduate student forward Karly Murphy, who averages 11.3 points and a team high nine rebounds. The Rams average 68.8 points per game on 42 percent shooting from the field. Colorado State plays Nevada at home on Jan. 27, 2022, and plays at Nevada on Feb. 19, 2022.

University of Nevada, Las Vegas UNLV is currently 5-2 on the season. They finished 13-5 in the Mountain West Conference last year, which was good enough to be the second seed in the MW tournament, and ended with

an overall record of 159. Junior guard Essence Booker averages a team high 16.4 points and 4.1 assists. Sophomore center Desi-Rae Young averages 14.6 points with a team high 6 rebounds per game. UNLV has a high scoring offense which averages an impressive 79 points per game. UNLV plays at Nevada on Jan. 19, 2022, and at home on March 2, 2022.

New Mexico New Mexico is currently 6-3. New Mexico finished 11-3 in the Mountain West Conference, which made them the number one overall seed in the MW tournament.

They had an overall record of 15-4. New Mexico is led by senior forward Shaiquel McGruder who averages a team high 14.3 points and 6.3 rebounds.

Another important factor for the Lobos is senior guard Jaedyn De La Cerda, who averages 13.4 points 3.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. The Lobos are another high scoring team as they average 76 points per game. New Mexico plays at Nevada on Feb. 12, 2022.

Air Force Air Force is currently 4-3. They did not have the best year last year, as they finished 4-14 in conference play and ended the season with an 8-18 record. This season, Air Force is led by senior forward Riley Snyder who averages 16 points, three rebounds and one assist. The other important scorer for the falcons is Briana Autrey-Thompson; she averages 12.3 points, two rebounds and two assists. Snyder and Autrey-Thompson both have two games scoring over 20 points this season. Air Force plays at Nevada Dec. 28 and plays Nevada at home on Jan. 9, 2022.

Utah State Utah State is currently 4-3. They also did not have a good year last year, as they finished with a 2-16 record in conference play and ended with an overall record of 4-20.

The Utah State team is led by senior guard Kaylin Randhawa who averages a huge 17.9 points per game, as well as three rebounds and two steals.

Graduate student forward Laci Hawthorne averages 10 points and 5.3 rebounds. Utah State can get the ball in the basket, but they have a problem defending as they are giving up an average of 77 points to opponents.

Utah State plays at Nevada on Jan. 3, 2022, and at home on Feb. 26, 2022.

San Diego State University SDSU is currently 4-4.

They ended with a record of 5-12 in conference play and an overall record of 7-17. Senior guard Sophia Ramos averages a team high 14.9 points and 5.3 rebounds. She plays well with redshirt freshman Asia Avinger, who fills out the stat sheet with averages of 10.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists.

SDSU plays strong defense as they hold opponents to 60.1 points per game, but they struggle offensively as they only score 59.6 points per game. SDSU will play at Nevada on Jan. 19, 2022, and again at home on Feb. 9, 2022.

Wyoming Wyoming is currently 3-3. They finished with a modest 8-8 record in conference play and an overall record of 14-9.

Wyoming won the MW tournament last year as a seventh seed. They are led this year by junior guard McKinley Bradshaw, who averages an incredible 16.3 points per game along with 4.7 points per

Men’s Current Standing W 91-76

L 68-75

L 74-96

L 70-73

L 75-102

UNLV Feb. 1 - 7:30 p.m. - Away Feb. 22 - TBA - Home Blue Out

UNLV has the same preseason standing as Nevada currently does, 4-4. UNLV’s highest scoring game was 101 points and they have an average of 66.6 points per game. Bryce Hamilton is the team leader averaging 15.3 points per game.

James Hampshire is the tallest on the team at 7 feet 1 inches tall.

Kelsey Middleton can be reached at kelseymiddelton@ sagebrush.unr.edu and through Twitter at @ NevadaSagebrush

What’s coming up for the women’s basketball Mountain West Conference

By Anthony Miranda

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2021

game. She is followed by senior guard Quinn Weidmann, who averages 9.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. The Cowgirls only have one person on their team that averages double digit points, so they have to rely more on their defense. Wyoming plays Nevada at home on Jan. 29, 2022.

San Jose State University SJSU is currently 3-4.

They had a short year last year as they ended with a 1-2 record in conference play and an overall record of 2-2. SJSU is led by senior forward Tyra Whitehead, who nearly averages a double-double with 15 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Senior forward Cydni Lewis averages 10.8 points and 7.3 rebounds. SJSU is a good rebounding team that has a strong paint presence. SJSU plays Nevada at home on Dec. 31 and plays at Nevada on Feb. 2, 2022.

Fresno State Fresno State is currently 2-5. They finished with a 12-6 record in conference play and an overall record of 16-10. They lost in the Mountain West championship game last year as a fourth seed.

Fresno State is led by the popular and skilled Cavinder twins. Sophomore guard Haley Cavinder averages an impressive 19.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists. Her sister, sophomore guard Hanna Cavinder, averages a great 17 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists.

They are one of the most talented backcourts in the conference. Fresno State plays Nevada at home on Jan. 13, 2022, and at Nevada on Feb. 5, 2022.

Continued online at nevadasagebrush.com

W 88-69

W 81-62

W 79-66

Women’s Current Standing L 61-66

L 60-73

W 70-64

L 75-77

W 61-60

W 73-67

W 61-53

W 80-77

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2021

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Men’s Starters @NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

A4 | STARTING FIVE

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2021

STARTING FIVE

GRant sherfield #25/ guard/junior/6'2

200 MIN 101 points fgm/a 3fg/a ftm/a

42.5% 41.7% 42.5%

Louis Bubala / Nevada Sagebrush

desmond cambridge jr. #4 /guard/senior/6'4

185 MIN 98 points fgm/a 3fg/a FTm/a

44% 32.1% 63.6%

Louis Bubala / Nevada Sagebrush

Warren washington #5/forward/junior/7'0

147 MIN 71 points fgm/a ftm/a

61.5% 63.6%

Isaac Hoops / Nevada Sagebrush

tre coleman #14/forward/sophomore/6'7

139 MIN 16 points fgm/a 3fg/a ftm/a

20% 20% 80%

Isaac Hoops / Nevada Sagebrush

will baker #50/center/junior/7'0

141 MIN 74 points fgm/a 3fg/a ftm/a

Isaac Hoops / Nevada Sagebrush

58.3% 62.5% 72.7%

Women’s Starters @NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

A4 | STARTING FIVE

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2021

Da’ja HAmilton #2/guard/senior/5'8

136 MIN 71 points fgm/a 3fg/a ftm/a

34.7% 29.2% 92.3%

Rachel Jackson/ Nevada Sagebrush

kylie jimenez #3/guard/senior/5'6

180 MIN 51 points fgm/a 3fg/a ftm/a

40.8% 28.6% 62.5%

Rachel Jackson/ Nevada Sagebrush

nia Alexander #25/guard/senior/5'9

137 MIN 62 points 41.4%

fgm/a 3fg/a ftm/a

28.6% 90.9%

alyssa jimenez #12/guard/sophomore/6'0

143 MIN 44 points fgm/a 3fg/a ftm/a

47.1% 35.7% 77.8%

@NevadaWBB / Twitter

megan ormiston #40/forward/senior/6'3

74 MIN 24 points 33.3%

75%

fgm/a ftm/a

Rachel Jackson/ Nevada Sagebrush

STARTING FIVE

@NevadaWBB / Twitter

Profiles A6 | PROFILES

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2021

@NevadaSagebrush | nevadasagebrush.com

Q&A with Audrey Roden: The outstanding freshman on women’s basketball Story by Anthony Miranda Photo by Rachel Jackson / Nevada Sagebrush

Audrey Roden is a 5 feet 9 nine inches tall guard from West Linn, Ore. Just as a freshman she is averaging a team high 13.3 points and is shooting an elite 45 percent from the three point line through three games. Roden played basketball at West Linn high school, and now she is the sixth man for the Nevada Wolf Pack.

The Nevada Sagebrush was able to sit down and talk to Roden about herself and the young season.

Q: What are your thoughts on how the season has been going so far?

A: I think our season didn’t start out how we wanted it to, but after our first two losses we really came together as a team. We decided it’s time to change things, we can’t have a losing season so we came together as a team and fixed what we needed to fix.

We are playing a lot better together so things should be going up.

Q: How does it feel to have such a big role on the team, for example being one of the main scoring options, as a freshman? Is there any added pressure?

A: Honestly, it’s going to get a lot harder because people are starting to see what I can do, so scouting is going to get a lot tougher. I came in here knowing that I could be one of these players from the start, so having coach Levens give me the opportunity, because she also believes in me, is what really means a lot to me. She recruited me to come here and be a scorer and gave me an opportunity to do that from day one. It just means a lot to me that she believes in me.

Q: You received offers from Grand Canyon, UC Santa Barbara, Montana, Gonzaga, and Texas Tech. Why did you choose Nevada over those schools?

A: Honestly, I was the first kid they offered in our class, and so I felt like the coaching staff really wanted me here and they really believed that I could be a difference maker in the program. First off, I actually had a lot better relationship with them, so it was a combination of how they believed in me and the relationship I had with them that set it apart. Also they had a football team, that was really important to me. I was going between here and UC Santa Barbara for my top two and we had a football team and they didn’t. I wanted to have a really good school community and it’s also close enough to home but far away enough at the same time.

Q: You played AAU and had a great career at West Linn high school, so when did you first realize you had a passion for basketball?

A: Probably like seventh grade or even before. I just always loved playing basketball—well that’s not true. … I was a very geeky kid and I didn’t like sports at all, so my dad made me choose a sport just so I would be active. I chose basketball. After that I loved it, after that

I couldn’t put a ball down. I always wanted to be going shooting, working out and just going to the gym. That was what my dad and I did for fun.

I think that from a really young age, I didn’t know I could play Division I but I knew I wanted to.

Q: When did you realize you had a chance t o play college ball?

A: Seventh grade, I would say. We h a d one of the Oregon assistant coaches come i n t o our practice, and everyone was like, ‘who is the best shooter here.’

Everyone looked at me, and I was like, woah. That was eye opening.

Q: In what two ways do you think you impact the team the most?

A: I think that number one is that I come off the bench with such a good attitude and good spark of energy that really gets the next group going. I prevent a fall off from the starters. I think also I bring a lot of joy and fun in the locker room. I’m always dancing, always having a good time trying to get people hype for the game and just keeping people’s energy and spirits up, I believe.

Q: What is one area of your game you

think you need to improve?

A: Defense. I need to just lock sometimes, thinking about too much. I know that it will come. In high school and in club, you never really had to scout people like that and really know their tendencies and everything like you do in college. It’s only been three games, it’ll come.

Q: You had four and five rebounds in your last couple g a m e s and you a r e

u

p i t

near t o leading the team in rebounds most games. Is this something you put emphasis on in your game?

A: Yeah. When I was getting recruited I wasn’t getting the looks I wanted, so I had a talk with my coach. She was like, ‘I can tell you right now if you’re a guard that can rebound or a guard that can shoot, you will go somewhere.’ I was like, alright, I can’t really control if the ball goes in or not, but you can control if you go get rebounds. It probably started sophomore year. I really made that a huge emphasis every game, every practice: go get rebounds. Just go crash, run towards the basket, and a lot of the times it will fall into your lap.

Q: How does it feel to be named Mountain West freshman of the week?

A: I was really surprised when I found that out, but it’s pretty cool. I totally forgot about this award. If I just keep doing what I do consistently and working really hard, like it got me there without even realizing it.

Q: What are some of your interests outside of sports?

A: Oh God. … I love getting my nails done.

I like to hangout with my best friend. Her and I just do everything together, and anything we do together is always fun.

Q: What is your favorite music genre and top three artists?

A: Probably R&B, not like the new stuff and not like the 90s R&B. Probably, Bryson Tiller, Summer Walker and H.E.R. Q: What are your top three movie genres?

A: I like scary movies and Christmas movies. I like the sci-fi messwith-your-head ones. Those are cool.

Q: Why is Dennis Rodman your sports hero?

A: I feel like he’s just such a badass. I feel like if you could play like him, then you should be really respected because you work so hard and you give everything every play. No one can take you off the floor if you play like that, because you bring so much energy and create so much for your team. It doesn’t really matter if someone likes you or not if you’re playing like that, because chances are they don’t … He is very underrated in what he did.

Q: What is your ultimate goal for yourself this season?

A: I want to win Freshman of The Year, I think I can do it. I think that I’m going to need the support of my teammates, the support of my coaches, and the support of our fan base. I think I can do it and I really hope we can get there.

Q: What is your ultimate goal for the team?

A: I want to win a Mountain West conference championship.

I think getting to the tournament, having a chance to play in the NCAA tournament would be really cool.

Audrey Roden is having an impressive start to her freshman season. She looks to be a young star in the making who will continue to improve and hopefully have a successful Wolf Pack career.

Anthony Miranda can be reached at kelseymiddleton@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @NevadaSagebrush

Alem Huseinovic: basketball player and viral TikToker all in one

Photo Courtesy / Nevada Athletics Alem Huseinovic works on his skills at practice on Oct. 1.

By Kelsey Middleton Alem Huseinovic, sophomore guard for Nevada men’s basketball, has an interesting background when it comes to his basketball career. Not only is he described as “a fierce competitor,” but he also is a viral TikToker

and attends events to promote the Wolf Pack.

Huseinovic has had many TikToks go viral, getting over 200,000 likes and millions of views. His fame started back in a high school weight lifting class with his friend.

“This is when TikTok just started to become a thing, people started hopping on,” Huseinovic said. “Me and him decided, because we were bored in our weights class, we were like ‘alright let’s do something.’ He said ‘alright let’s see who can make a TikTok and by the end of class make it go viral.’ So he came up with his idea and I came up with mine.”

Huseinovic’s TikTok had about 100,000 views by the end of the class period, which surpassed his friends’ views TikTok. “It was just a simple video I made in like three minutes off the top of my head. I was like, ‘wow 100,000 views … this is crazy.’ My friend couldn’t believe it either. I started making more and ended up getting more than 100,000, 200,000, then it started to get to the millions, and then three million. It just started going crazy. I was shocked.”

He now has 55.3k followers and a total of 2.4 million likes. Because of his fan base, he is getting paid by TikTok and receives multiple sponsorships, partnerships and collabs. Tiktok pays viral accounts like Huseinovic’s by the amount of views and total engagement he gets. Huseinovic currently is partnered with Attitude is Free and Clutch Closet.

I’ve had some little partnerships I’ve been doing where businesses have been reaching out to me, giving me gear for them to promote.” Huseinovic said. “I’ve been making money off of that too. It’s all pretty cool.”

Although college athletes are allowed to sign with companies, Huseinovic has not for now because he has not had any offers.

Huseinovic said content has not been as frequent due to the school year. He said he had more time last year to make TikToks because of being stuck in quarantine.

“I’ve been slacking lately, not going to lie,” Huseinovic said. “But I’ve been really busy with basketball practice everyday. I don’t have time to make them. But I got some good ones coming soon.”

Despite a successful TikTok journey, Huseinovic’s athletic ability nationally and internationally brought him to Nevada.

Huseinovic, born in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, is a 6-foot-4-inch internationally traveling basketball player. He competed in Bosnia and in the United States, playing in Phoenix, Ariz. and Reno, Nev. “My family moved to Phoenix and then I kept going back and forth,” Huseinovic said.

“I was officially in Arizona when I was eight years old. From then on, I basically grew up in Arizona. I also go back every summer for about four months and then I play for the

national team.”

At fourteen, Huseinovic played on his first club team in Bosnia during the summer. The team was small and not very known. However, they were able to make it to the playoffs and not let the Spars win another year in a row. The Bosnian National Team had their eyes on him after a big tournament.

“I had an outstanding game in the championships, had like 30 points, ten rebounds, and like five or six assists,” Huseinovic said.

From then on, they have just been watching me. When it came to the 16U National team, they gave me a call and that’s how I got on.”

Huseinovic was on the U16/17 Bosnian National Team which plays in the summer.

He had a total of 26.1 minutes on the court and had the highest number of points at 18.3 in 2018. Huseinovic is not currently on the team because of his dedication to Nevada basketball.

“You have the preparations, practices and then the tournament, like whatever European tournament, World Cup or whatever you do. So right there we did the European Championships,” Huseinovic said.

When getting ready for college basketball, Huseinovic got offers from Boston University, University of California, Riverside, Yale and Northern Arizona University. Deep down, he had his heart set on UCLA. “Growing up in highschool, since freshman year, sophomore year, I was a UCLA fan,” Huseinovic said. “UCLA was my dream school to go to. I knew a lot of stuff about UCLA, like who Coach Alford was when he was there and everything.”

Huseinovic was surprised when he got a call from the University of Nevada, Reno, and Alford wanted him on his team. Alford had switched from coaching at UCLA to UNR in 2019, after former coach Eric Musselman accepted an offer at the University of Arkansas.

Nevada called Huseinovic at just the right time. He just got done at a big tournament at the end of his junior year and was three days away from leaving to play for the Bosnian U18 National Team.

“I answered the phone and it was Coach Craig Neal, and he basically said ‘we’d like to give you an offer and Steve Alford is the head coach,’” Huseinovic said. “I was like ‘what Steve Alford, that’s crazy.’ I had literally been tracking them this whole time. I took an official visit and fell in love with everything they had to say. I fell in love with Reno, the community, and their basketball.”

While Huseinovic was finally ready to come to Reno after signing, it wasn’t ideal conditions his first year. Like many other athletes, Huseinovic had a rough freshman year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was pretty hard freshman year,” Huseinovic said. “I got here up in like June ninth or tenth of last year. Right when I stepped foot

in Nevada I quarantined for like 14 days. After that was done, there were outbreaks on campus and stuff. I was in quarantine from June till about August, so basically a month and a half, almost two months.”

He explained practices this season are majorly different compared to last year when dealing with stricter COVID-19 restrictions.

“We couldn’t touch a basketball or go to indoor gyms,” Huseinovic said. “All I did was keep my conditioning up and hit the weight room. We also didn’t have any preseason big games, we didn’t have any scrimmages, exhibition games, we didn’t get any full practices. I feel like that affected me a lot. Overall, the outcome was better than I thought it was going to be so I am also happy with that.

The fact that we also get an extra year is also big time.”

After the first couple weeks of practice, Huseinovic has a good feeling about the Wolf Pack this year.

“This year we are going to be much better than last year,” Huseinovic said. “I feel like last year we were pretty good, we were just young and inexperienced. We had four freshmen, this year we got two great freshmen coming in who are also really good.

Also the freshmen who were last year, me, Tré, Dre, Daniel, we are much more experienced than last year. We also got good transfers. So we are a very deep team. I think we are going to turn a lot of heads this year.”

Huseinovic brings a lot to the Nevada basketball team. Stats may be a big thing to look at, but personality is just as important.

“Personality wise I feel like I’m a very fun person to be around,” Huseinovic said. “Always moving around, never too serious. Skill wise, I say I bring shooting mostly and then also IQ: knowing when to do stuff or what to do in what situation.”

Being at Nevada, Huseinovic has made special event appearances on behalf of the Wolf Pack.

“The Reno Aces wanted to get more connected with UNR and the athletes and students,” Huseinovic said. “They reached out to our staff and asked if two guys wanted to throw out the first pitch and me and my teammate Nick Davidson were working out when our staff came in and asked us if we wanted to throw the first pitch. We said yeah we’re down. It was a cool experience and all.

We were supposed to get some merchandise, but didn’t because we left to go to class right after.”

Nevada men’s basketball has played eight games so far this season and Huseinovic was on the court for six.

Kelsey Middleton can be reached at kelseymiddleton@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @kelsmiddleunr

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2021

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Basketball players vs their height

By Kelsey Middleton Being tall is a gift … so they say.

When it comes to living though, height can get in the way of living comfortably and even stray a person away from some jobs. The men and some of the women on the Nevada basketball team face these difficulties. While there are some restrictions to a towering height, there are also many benefits to being tall.

What things are difficult for tall people when it comes to life? First and foremost: beds.

The length of beds, even a Twin XL, does not suffice for those who are tall. Twin beds and full beds are both 75 inches in length, and 13 out of 15 of the men on the Nevada team are taller than that.

Freshman guard Jason Mensah is 70 inches tall, which comes out to 5 feet 10 inches, and junior guard Grant Sherfield is 74 inches, which makes him 6 feet 2 inches tall. Mensah and Sherfield may fit more comfortably on a 75 inch bed and would definitely have room on an 80 inch bed.

Our 6 feet 4 inch tall and under men are best suited for an 80 inch Twin XL, Queen and King size bed. Meanwhile, the players above 6 feet 4 inches might need to look into a Cali King bed, which is 84 inches. Unfortunately for junior forward Warren Washington and junior center Will Baker, they are the exact same size as a Calif King bed.

All of the women have the height to lay comfortably on an 80 inch bed, and only a few would not be able to do any of the 75 inch and below options. Ten of the women are over 70 inches, leaving them a small amount of room left over.

More challenges tall people may face at home include the height of a standard door and shower head which are both 80 inches.

All of the women's team have multiple inches to spare with these obstacles. The men on the other hand have a few team members who must duck through doors and bend to get their hair wet in the shower. Junior forward K.J. Hymes is 6 feet 10 inches tall, 81 inches.

Baker, Washington and freshman forward Nick Davidson, all at 6 feet 8 inches tall, 80 inches, are the unlucky ones.

Height is also a factor in some jobs, such as the armed forces and becoming an astronaut. Men of the armed forces are more likely

Steve Alford releases AJ Bramah from team

Photo Courtesy / Nevada Athletics

to be drafted if they are between 60-80 inches tall. Eleven of the 15 men would qualify to be drafted. For the women, the height range is between 58 and 80 inches and everyone on the team falls into those heights.

Astronauts have a very interesting height range at 62-75 inches. Mensah and Sherfield are the only men who could shoot to the stars … literally. All of the women would be able to take the trip up into space if the chance ever came their way.

Other difficulties such as finding clothes long enough for the mens and women's legs, arms and torsos may be challenging. Tall people may feel awkward taking photos with other people who are shorter. It may lead to a bad leaning, crouching and bad posture habit.

Imagine how many times the basketball players have been asked how tall they are?

Being tall has difficulties, but there are bright sides to it. These Wolf Pack basketball players have many advantages not only in basketball, but also in their normal lives.

Can't reach the top shelf? Need a lightbulb changed? Ask your friendly neighborhood basketball player. With heights up to seven feet, extra inches with shoes and a large wingspan, they have advantages to reach up high. Their long, typically muscular arms, can add up to a great one-on-one or group hug.

While at a large event or even just the grocery store, these people would be easy to spot.

They can even help you find someone since they can see over multiple heads. At a music festival or movie, tall people have no problem with others blocking their view. They always have the best view. However, others may be annoyed when they have to stand or sit behind them and all you can see is their head.

An obviously good reason for being tall is to play basketball.

The height of the rim for college basketball is 10 feet. All of the Nevada basketball players have the potential advantage of being able to dunk because of their heights. Their arm span and vertical range are also large factors in their performance. It is harder to get around a seven foot player’s block compared to a five foot player's. The athletes learn how to use their height in ways they do not outside of sports.

So the next time you are laying in bed, taking a shower, lost at a concert or playing a pickup game of basketball, keep in mind what positives and negatives you may be missing out on because of your height.

Kelsey Middleton can be reached at kelseymiddleton@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @kelsmiddleunr Photo Courtesy / Nevada Athletics

The Wolf Pack and who’s in the NBA

By Anthony Miranda This 2021-22 NBA season is the 75th anniversary for the association. It has been years of collegiate basketball players making their dreams come true by playing in the league.

This season there are 16 players from Mountain West Schools on NBA rosters, including three former Nevada players — JaVale McGee and twins Caleb Martin and Cody Martin.

Their strides at Nevada propelled them from the Wolf Pack to the NBA. McGee played forward for Nevada from 2006-08, averaging 3.3 points and 2.2 rebounds in roughly 10 minutes per game in his first season. All his numbers would take a huge jump when he became a starter the following year. McGee started 31 of 33 games averaging 27.3 minutes per game.

His numbers reflected this change as he averaged 14.1 points, 2.8 blocks and 7.3 rebounds. Those stats helped him lead the Western Athletic Conference in blocks per game and overall blocks with 92 that season.

McGee finished second in the conference in rebounds per game and second in defensive win shares with 2.2.

McGee is going into his thirteenth year in the NBA with his eighth team—the Phoenix Suns. He has had a diverse career ranging from starter to imperative role player. He has career averages of 7.8 points, 1.5 blocks and 5.2 rebounds.

However, McGee has had career high per game averages of 12 points in 18-19, 2.4 blocks in 10-11 and 8.8 blocks in 11-12. He is most impressively a three time NBA champion, which puts him in elite company, winning two titles with the Golden State Warriors and one with the Los Angeles Lakers.

His other career accolades consist of leading the league in block percentage in 10-11 and being ninth in the active NBA in career

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blocks. McGee has had a wonderful career in the NBA helping out his teams as a starting center and as a role player off the bench.

He is a three time NBA champion with a chance to win another one before he retires.

Cody Martin, one of the iconic twins, originally played for North Carolina State University before he transferred with his brother to Nevada. He played for the Wolf Pack from 2017-19 and averaged 13 points, 4.8 assists and 5.4 assists. He had an incredible 2017-18 season as he led the Mountain West Conference in total assists, steals, minutes per game and win shares. He would follow his impressive stats up with making the AllMWC third team and MWC All-Defense the next year for Nevada. The biggest achievement in Cody Martin’s Nevada career was leading Nevada basketball to the sweet sixteen in the 2018 March Madness tournament. Nevada had impressive wins over 10 seeded Texas, a two point win over two seeded Cincinnati, and an unfortunate one point loss to Loyola Chicago in the sweet sixteen.

Cody Martin is headed into the third season of his young career. He was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in the second round in 2019 and has predominantly been a role player, but did start 10 games in the 2020-21 season. In his first two seasons he averaged 4.5 points, 1.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds.

However, he continues to get better every year, and his role continues to grow on the team. This season he is receiving 25.7 minutes per game, which he has turned into 10.3 points, 2.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds through six games. In the early stages of his career, Cody Martin looks like he will continue to get better and play in the NBA for a long time.

Caleb Martin, the other iconic twin, had

a similar path as his brother Cody. He went to NC State before transferring to Nevada.

He played for Nevada from 2017-19, averaging 19 points, 2.7 assists and 5.2 rebounds.

He had two great seasons at Nevada in the 2017-18 season. He led the Mountain West Conference in points, field goals and 3-point field goals. Martin was named the 2017-18 MWC player of the year. The next season he improved in other areas and led the Mountain West in steals, offensive box plus/minus, and box plus/minus. Martin received 2018-19 All-MWC first team honors, as well as 2018-19 MWC All-Defense. Caleb Martin had an astonishing career at Nevada, with his brother, which will always be remembered for the amazing 2018 March Madness title run.

Caleb Martin went undrafted in 2019, but was signed by the Charlotte Hornets where he would play alongside his brother once again. Martin averaged 16.5 minutes per game with 5.6 points, 1.3 assists and 2.4 rebounds in his first two seasons. He was waived ahead of this season, but signed by the Miami Heat. He has only played two games this season for the Heat, but he has impressively not missed a shot and has one rebound, two steals and seven points. It will be interesting to see how Caleb Martin fits with the Miami Heat and how he can help the team win a championship.

As these three former Nevada basketball stars compete in the NBA the Wolf Pack family will continue to cheer as they did when at home games.

Anthony Miranda can be reached at kelseymiddleton@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @NevadaSagebrush

AJ Bramah played in four out of the five preseason games. He also played in the exhibition game against Dominican University.

Isaac Hoops / Nevada Sagebrush

By Kelsey Middleton Head Coach Steve Alford released AJ Bramah from the Nevada men’s basketball team after the first six games of the season “due to conduct detrimental to the team.”

It is unclear what conduct the program is citing. Bramah has already been removed from the online team roster. After the team’s second game at the Crossover Classic, Alford released more information about Bramah.

“We will continue to help him, we’ll have all the academic services that he needs if he chooses to stay in school,” Alford said.

“He’s very close to getting his degree and we help him any way we can. It was strictly a decision by me. At some point, you try to help, you try to help and we’ve done that for five months, six months. I think our staff has worked very hard to help, but at some point…decisions are made where consequences trump everything. And the consequence of everything that’s happened in my opinion led to a dismissal. But like I said, worse things happen to, I don’t like it, but we will help him any way we can to help him academically.”

Bramah was not a starter, but he did help out the Wolf Pack a good amount. He averaged 21.3 minutes per game and has a total of 43 points which is higher than starter Tré Coleman — who has a total of 16 so far in the season. Bramah was a big help on rebounds, averaging 6.5 per game which is the second highest after Warren Washington.

He also stands with the third highest free throw percentage at 88.9.

Bramah was originally committed to Arizona State instead of his other offers – Nevada, St. Bonaventure and Western Kentucky. Although he ended up decommitting from Arizona. The six foot seven athlete transferred from Robert Morris during the offseason to Nevada.

Braham unfollowed all Nevada athletics and local sports media accounts on his Instagram but still follows some players. Bramah’s Twitter profile no longer appears on the social platform.

Not only is losing the Robert Morris transfer skills something that fans are upset about, but also the teams 1-4 standing.

“Bramah was a high profile grad transfer that was being counted on to elevate Nevada, ” said Steve Ivy on Twitter.

There were also fans, like Jamie Tibaduiza, who had their suspicions about Bramah early on saying she “could tell something [was up with] Bramah.”

The Wolf Pack is 1-4 this season and had a win at their home exhibition game. However, many are not happy about this record and blame Alford.

Aaron Torres, host on Fox Sports Radio, even tweeted about how he warned Nevada fans to “stay away from Steve Alford.”

Alford signed a 10 year contract, which is the longest in Nevada history, leaving him at Nevada until April 30, 2029. By the end of his contract Nevada would have paid Alford $11.6 million. An $8 million payment would have been owed to Nevada if Alford broke his contract within the first year, but decreases each year after that. The least Alford would have to owe is $1.5 million at years six through ten.

Kelsey Middleton can be reached at kelseymiddleton@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @kelsmiddleunr

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2021

Basketball Brings the Heat From Around the World

Brooke Germain/ Nevada Sagebrush The places of origin for the men and women’s basketball team at the University of Nevada, Reno

Behind the Scenes Heroes at Nevada

By Kelsey Middleton

Everyone knows about the Wolf Pack’s teams, from football to basketball, baseball, soccer and more. Names like Carson Strong, Warren Washington and Emily Rich are well known names in the world of Nevada Athletics. However, there are people behind the scenes these teams could not operate without.

For Nevada basketball, Kristi Wirtz and Kristen Smith are two staffers who make huge impacts regarding the players and the organization of the program.

Kristi Wirtz is the assistant athletic director of equipment for Nevada Athletics and joined the team in January, but has worked with the team since August 2016.

Wirtz’s first interest in equipment was at the University of Idaho, where she was a student manager. From there, she found equipment management to be something she was passionate about.

“Over time I realized I really enjoyed the profession and wanted to pursue it full time after I graduated,” Wirtz said. “I really enjoy working with the student athletes everyday and seeing them succeed. Seeing freshmen come in and develop both as athletes and as people over four plus years is amazing to watch.”

Wirtz attends the home games for basketball for both the men and the women, and stops by practices to see if anything is needed from her. Her main concern as the AAD of equipment is apparel and footwear, along with some other practice equipment.

All of the apparel for the team is brande with Adidas due to their contract with the company. Each player and coach is given certain clothes for the season.

“Each team gets three to four court shoes, two to three workout or travel shoes, a pair of slides, four to five travel

suits and several workout shirts and shorts, along with underlayers such as compression shirts, compression shorts, sports bras for the women, etc.,” Wirtz said. “Then the coaches also get polos and quarter zip tops for recruiting and wearing during games.”

Wirtz ends up ordering 35-45 of each item, except for the shoes which is usually an exact amount. Extra apparel is given to donors, former players and anyone who helps the team during the season. Part of the job also includes deciding what designs are put on clothing and designing new uniforms.

“In its simplest form, managing equipment starts with ordering all of the products, getting it embellished, preparing all the items for each individual, issuing it out, handling uniforms for game days/travel trips and then doing laundry,” Wirtz said.

Preparing items for the team is a process. Laundry is done in the morning from clothes worn at the games or night practices the day before. Clean clothes are laid out in the morning for practices or packed in travel bags for away games. Home games have their own separate routine.

“For home games, I prep all the uniforms with their game loops and shooting shirts in the morning, then set up the locker room during shoot around,” Wirtz said. “Between shoot around and game time I am available if someone needs something.”

If clothes are ruined, get lost or need to be replaced in any way then Wirtz is the person who puts in the order and makes sure the items are sent to get designs screen printed or embroidered. She is in contact with coaches and the directors of operations for both men’s and women’s basketball for more of the logistical side of things.

The players also have contact with Wirtz through the messaging app Teamworks,

and they stop by her office to say hello.

Another large part of Wirtz’s job includes other assigned duties. She has helped with things equipment related and non-equipment related. Wirtz can be seen as the ball person at some games, and she has helped set up pre-game meals and organize the storage of equipment when traveling. No matter what Wirtz is assigned to do, she is passionate about her job and what she provides to the teams.

“Equipment can be a very thankless job, but at the end of the day, I absolutely love what I do,” Wirtz said. “Our basketball teams are so much fun to work with, and we have great student athletes, coaches and staff here at Nevada.”

Similar to Wirtz, Kristen Smith, the athletic trainer for the Nevada women’s basketball and men’s tennis teams, contributes greatly to Nevada.

She started at Nevada this August after getting her Bachelor of Science in athletic training at Boise State University. Smith grew up in Reno and watched Nevada Athletics growing up.

After graduating she wanted to give back to the team she cheered for.

Her day-to-day activity involves going to every practice and game for the teams, and she ends up seeing the players six to seven times a week. The main role of the athletic trainer is to take care of anything medical-related, such as injuries and illnesses. Smith deals with a lot of lower body injuries.

“I would say a lot of ankle stuff, whether it’s a sprain or something like that,” Smith said. “Across all sports you’re gonna see low back stuff … its mostly lower body stuff, ankles, knees, backs.”

Sports can come with serious injuries, and Smith is always prepared to deal with

things such as broken jaws, torn ACLs and collapsed lungs.

Aside from her medical duties, Smith cares about the importance of females in athletics.

“Working with a women’s sport is, for me, being a female, like it’s important to me and something I value because like I want to be able to empower my female student athletes,” Smith said.

Women’s sports have been poorly represented, and Smith thinks people have finally realized this in the past year and a half. “...whether it’s air time, or just inequities in how they’re treated,” Smith said. “So for me, though, I always want to make sure my female athletes know that they are important and what they do matters. And the work and the effort that they put in should be praised and should be valued.”

Smith recognizes Nevada and the Mountain West Conference are both trying to empower the female sports also.

Smith wants to continue to be with Nevada for more years to come because she likes the level and the Division I setting.

Smith values the relationships she has with the athletes and how much fun her job is.

Without Wirtz and Smith, the basketball department would struggle. Smith has the power to save a player’s career by helping them get the right treatment for a fast and smooth recovery. Wirtz makes sure the players and coaches are looking their best with the right apparel.

Their work may not be known or seen by the public, but is still important. They are the behind the scenes heroes.

Kelsey Middleton can be reached at kelseymiddleton@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @kelsmiddleunr

Kelsey Middleton / Nevada Sagebrush