GETTING INSIDE
First-year coach David Carter is giving his players a bit more freedom on offense than they are used to, and the strategy has worked to the benefit of junior guard Armon Johnson.
Johnson averaged 17.1 points through 12 games and was hitting 54.0 percent of his shots, an extremely high figure for a guard … especially one that doesn’t have a super 3-point stroke.
But with a dangerous supporting cast, and increased spacing on offense, Johnson has found all kinds of lanes to the basket, letting him finished in a variety of ways around the rim. He hit 87 of 161 shots in the first dozen games as the Wolf Pack went 7-5 against an arduous schedule.
“We have shooters around him and when you have to guard the shooters, it leaves the lane open,” Carter told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
“He’s able to penetrate and he can finish, so I think that’s the reason for his percentages being very high. I think he’s improved his game in finding the open guy when they’re open. He’s grown up a lot, and he’s continuing to get better.”
Led by Johnson and big man Luke Babbitt (19.6 points per game), Nevada has reached triple digits twice this season, scoring 112 in a victory over Houston on Nov. 21 and hitting 104 in a loss to BYU on Dec. 22.
The Wolf Pack had 99 points in beating Tulsa on Dec. 23 as part of the Las Vegas Classic.
Nevada was leading the WAC at 83.3 points per game, a season after averaging 70.6 points. The Wolf Pack was averaging 63 shots per game after taking about 57 per game last season.
NOTES, QUOTES
• Nevada had a plus-6.6 rebounding margin through 12 games and had out-rebounded seven consecutive foes through the Tulsa game on Dec. 23.
• The Wolf Pack has one of the top inside-outside combinations in the West, if not the country. G Armon Johnson and F Luke Babbitt each had 87 made field goals through 12 games, tying for 16th in the country. They were the only teammates in the top 16.
January At A Glance: The Wolf Pack opens conference play on the road with trips to Louisiana Tech (Jan. 2) and New Mexico State (Jan. 4). Nevada swept this road trip a season ago, but needed overtime to defeat the Aggies and eked out a three-point win over the Bulldogs. The game against New Mexico State got a lot tougher with the return of Wendell McKines from academic ineligibility. After that, Nevada is home for three consecutive conference games—vs. San Jose State, Utah State and Idaho. The season direction for the Pack should be fairly clear after that homestand.
Quote To Note: “Coach Carter gives us a lot of freedom. As long as we don’t abuse it and everybody shoots with confidence, I think we’ll be a good team.”—Nevada G Armon Johnson, in the Reno Gazette-Journal, on the more up-tempo offense of first-year coach David Carter.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Season Recap: Nevada, despite many of the same key players from last season, aren’t the same team as a year ago. The Wolf Pack is pushing the pace much more under coach David Carter, and spent the nonconference season working on creating depth other than high-energy sixth man Ray Kraemer. Nevada’s 7-5 mark through 12 games wasn’t spectacular but the Pack is battle-tested for the WAC after games against UNLV, Houston, VCU, North Carolina, Pacific and BYU. The game at North Carolina on Nov. 29—in which the Wolf Pack committed only seven turnovers and narrowly lost 80-73—should be a confidence boost the rest of the way.
Player Rotation: Usual Starters—PG Armon Johnson, SG Brandon Fields, F Joey Shaw, PF Luke Babbitt, PF Dario Hunt. Key Subs—G Ray Kraemer, F Marko Cukic, G London Giles, F Adam Carp.
Game Review:
Nevada 74, Wagner 61
Byu 110, N evada 104
Nevada 99, Tulsa 68
Game Preview:
vs. Portland, Monday, Dec. 28
at Louisiana Tech, Saturday, Jan. 2
at New Mexico State, Monday, Jan. 4
vs. San Jose State, Saturday, Jan. 9
vs. Utah State, Wednesday, Jan. 13
In Focus: Neither Louisiana Tech nor Nevada have much depth, but both teams like to play at a fast pace, so this WAC opener could turn into a battle of conditioning when the two highest-scoring squads in the conference meet up. Outside of sixth man Ray Kraemer (22 of 42, 52.4 percent), the Wolf Pack isn’t great behind the 3-point arc, but can get their points from Luke Babbitt inside or on drives to the basket by Armon Johnson.
Roster Report:
• F Devonte Elliott and G Jerry Evans have not been cleared academically after not being eligible for the first semester. Coach David Carter said both players are headed for a redshirt year, even if they were able to join the team for the spring semester.
• G Armon Johnson had a combined 47 points in two games at the Las Vegas Classic, including 30 against BYU.
