The Nevada men’s basketball team has four returning players this year: senior guard Vaughn Weems, junior forward Elijah Price, sophomore guard Peyton White, and sophomore point guard Myles Walker.
Head coach Steve Alford announced on Sept. 24 that this will be his last season coaching the Pack before he retires, and the players want to give him the sendoff he deserves.
“I know how much this year means to him,” Price said.
Price is one of the Pack’s key returners this season. After averaging 12.8 PPG last season, he says he wants to be a better offensive threat.
“I want to be a better shooter, so I’ve been working on that a lot this year,” Price said. “And be better at finishing around the rim.”
In the last game of the season versus Auburn during the National Invitation Tournament, Price had 22 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks.
From a team standpoint, Price says defense will be Nevada’s bread and butter this season. Last season, Nevada allowed 75.1 points per game, ranking 111 out of 365 NCAA D1 programs.
“I think defensively, we can be really good again this year,” Price said. “I think we move the ball pretty well. Like I said, everybody getting involved, having multiple players that can score [and] that can defend, I think will be really well-rounded.”
Two more returners for the Wolf Pack are White and Walker. White only averaged 4.6 PPG last season, however, he looks to be more of a contributor this upcoming season.
As a true freshman last year, White played a versatile role in the starting lineup, filling in at small forward and power forward after center Joel Armotrading went down with an injury.
White showed lots of promise in his first collegiate season, as in his fifth career college game, he put up 15 points over 24 minutes against the UC Davis Aggies.
“I don’t think it’s a starting job, I think it’s just playing,” White said. “I want to play a lot, obviously, and I want to help the team win, so whatever that is, if it is coming off the bench, if it’s starting at the four, starting at the three, I’ll start at the five. It’s just where I help this team win.”
Walker played an important role off the bench as a true freshman, providing good support for now Washington Huskies guard Tayshawn Comer. Walker had seven points across 17 minutes of action in an 81-65 victory against the University of San Francisco Dons.
“Definitely getting stronger. I was taking the weight room very seriously and then working on my outside jump shot,” Walker said.
As the only senior on the team, Weems told the Sagebrush that he expects to take on a leadership role this year and be a vocal presence on the court.
“I’d say my confidence is way up, like all the way up,” Weems said. “It’s right where it needs to be.”
Weems’ offseason work consisted of improving his shooting and getting up high-volume shots outside of practices.
“That’s me, getting in the gym and getting up a lot of reps,” Weems said. “That’s what that is, and the confidence came with it.”
They will play their first exhibition game of the season on Oct. 17 against the Utah Utes.
