Top 5 storylines of the year
Tuesday, May. 6, 2008 @ 12:30 am
The 2007-08 academic year brought lawsuits, a freshman phenom, dismissals, inspiration and a prodigy. From the good and the bad, this year was one of the more memorable years in recent history.
Terri Patraw
August 29, 2007
The media received an e-mail on Aug. 29 from Nevada athletics announcing Antoinette Marjanovic was named the interim head coach for the Nevada soccer team.
What happened to Terri Patraw, the coach from last year?
The only mention of Patraw was that she was leaving the program after three seasons and that Director of Athletics Cary Groth wished her the best of luck in the future.
Patraw didn’t take the news well and filed a whistle-blower complaint against the University. She didn’t get hired back, but is appealing the decision.
Patraw spoke up about NCAA violations, which led to an investigation and two visits by NCAA representatives.
Patraw has maintained that she only wants her job back and that she deserves it after sending Nevada to its first NCAA Tournament appearance. She received the highest-rated evaluations. Nevada officials said she didn’t adhere to directives.
The civil lawsuit has been filed and along with the whistle-blower appeal, this story will continue to develop into next year and possibly longer.
Colin Kaepernick
October 6, 2007
The redshirt freshman quarterback always knew he would get his chance to lead the Nevada football team.
His chance came early. After Nick Graziano was injured in the Fresno State game Oct. 6, Kaepernick came in the second quarter and finished with four touchdowns, 384 yards passing and no interceptions.
Holy crap.
The fans’ emotions must have been near schizophrenic. Graziano, one of the most hyped quarterbacks in recent memory, goes down and the season may be in jeopardy.
Kaepernick comes in and looks like Dan Marino.
Kaepernick took home Freshman of the Year honors and led the Wolf Pack to its third-straight bowl game. Question now: who starts at quarterback next year?
Tyrone Hanson
October 30, 2007
In what ended as one of the saddest stories of the year, Nevada forward Tyrone Hanson was kicked off the men’s basketball team after attending an off-campus Halloween party where three men were shot and killed.
Hanson was dismissed Oct. 30 by the team because he was instructed not to go out that night by Nevada coaches. He was beaten up and was unconscious before the man charged with three counts of murder showed up.
Hanson transferred to Arkansas-Fort Smith Community College afterward and hopes to make it back to Division-I ball.
JaVale McGee
March 31, 2008
The 7-foot-1 Nevada center came into the season as a physically gifted prospect for Nevada. He left with the same description for the NBA March 31.
McGee gave Nevada fans some of the best dunks they’ve ever seen. He took his talent to the next level and entered the NBA draft.
When Nevada fans saw the potential with McGee, it was easy to think about next year.
Five-star recruit Luke Babbitt and McGee in the same front court. WAC Title? NCAA Tournament? National Championship?
All were possibilities.
After Nevada lost to Houston in the College Basketball Invitational, the discussion started. Would he stay or would he go?
He went, leaving fans to wonder what could have been.
National Prominence — Nevada softball
April 8, 2008
It’s just a 1-0 win on the schedule. A pinch hitter, Michelle Beach, hit an RBI single up the middle and a pitcher, Katie Holverson, pitched a four-hit shutout.
The win was over the No. 1-ranked team in the country, the Arizona Wildcats.
Since then Nevada won eight games over ranked opponents on its way to winning its first WAC regular season title.
The Wolf Pack reached a No. 19 national ranking and is almost a lock for the NCAA Regionals. Riding a 12-game win streak (40-14, 14-2 WAC) the Wolf Pack is a No. 1 seed in the WAC Tournament.
It’s the only team in Nevada athletics ranked in the top 25.
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