Gervasoni’s squad seeing results that it’s worked for
The women’s basketball team is just looking for a little love. That’s all.
They say they have some pretty good players and together they have a fast-paced system that’s fun to watch.
They know they are preaching to the people who think they’re garbage or that girls can’t play basketball in Nevada. Women can play solid basketball for teams like UConn or Tennessee, but not Nevada?
I’ve been through it…sort of.
I wrote stories about the women’s team for the past two years and not too many read them.
The program was going through a funk, like when the team won three games in the 2003-2004 season, coach Kim Gervasoni’s first year.
But after catching Nevada’s 83-76 overtime win over New Mexico State Saturday, I was shocked.
They’re pretty damn good. They could be going places.
With helpful points from the players and coaches, here were some things I’d never seen before.
A “defense” chant
The near 2,000 in attendance were standing toward the end of the game pleading for a defensive stop.
“We’ve never heard that,” said point guard Mikail Price.
Senior forward Cherlanda Franklin added “usually it’s us having to do it ourselves.”
I was on press row the past two years hearing five or so girls from the bench yelling “defense” chants. I felt bad.
It used to be so quiet in Lawlor that you couldn’t help but hear Gervasoni pleading with referees or yelling at her players.
Hell, you could hear fans talking about their weekends and why they were wasting their time at the current game.
I have never seen or felt so much emotion during a women’s game.
It was comparable on scale to the “white-out,” men’s game against New Mexico State last year.
Exuberant emotion
After Nevada grabbed a two-possession lead with about 20 seconds left, Gervasoni took Price out of the game as she got a warm reception from the crowd.
She smiled while Price walked toward her and they hugged. It was like a proud parent embracing a successful child.
Just before that, Gervasoni gave stern high fives to everyone on the bench.
Win over a good team
The Wolf Pack has had some good wins, but New Mexico State showed that even a solid crowd and an inspired team couldn’t put it away easily.
The Aggies shot 43 percent from the floor, not that bad, and out-rebounded Nevada 48-35.
Most impressive was that Nevada stood up to the solid interior presence the Aggies put forth.
New Mexico State had four attempts from 3-point land, making two, and continually shot mid-range jump shots and posted down low.
Nevada lacks interior defense and rebounding generally, but it prevented second chance points (16), even after giving up offensive rebounds.
It just feels right
The women’s team showed confidence in the 61-60 win against Utah State last year in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament. Nevada should have lost that game, but fought back and shut down Utah State in the final two minutes and escaped with the win.
It felt like they had a chance to win the tourney and go to the NCAA Tournament.
Then they couldn’t hit a jump shot and couldn’t stop dribble penetration against New Mexico State and lost by 11. The confidence was instantly gone. I knew they couldn’t compete in the NCAA Tournament.
Now it feels like they can.
Their interior defense and the guard play, which I thought was at its peak last year, is better.
If the Wolf Pack can beat Fresno State this week and take down Boise State in a rematch and fend off New Mexico State in Las Cruces, this team is headed for a place it’s never been before – the NCAA Tournament.
Scott Oxarart is sports editor of the Nevada Sagebrush. He can be reached at soxarart@nevadasagebrush.com
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on Tuesday, January 29th, 2008 at 2:02 am and is filed under Sports, Women's Basketball.
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