Coming off a frustrating 10-21 season that landed the Nevada Women’s Basketball team near the bottom of the Mountain West Conference, a total restart was long overdue.
While outside expectations for the Wolf Pack may be low entering the 2026-2027 season, the program’s new direction under new head coach Kelly Sopak suggests Nevada is ready to turn heads and challenge the Mountain West much sooner than expected.
After nine seasons with former head coach Amanda Levens, Nevada brought in Kelly Sopak, a University of Nevada alumnus himself, to take the reins.
Sopak spent years establishing himself in West Coast basketball, founding the elite Cal Stars grassroots program, where he developed top talent like the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star and Olympic gold medalist Sabrina Ionescu.
He also led Northern California high schools Miramonte and Carondelet to multiple regional titles. His background in building championship winning programs gives Nevada the exact spark they need to transform the team into a real threat.
Returning to the Pack, Sopak inherits a program in need of an offensive revamp. Nevada struggled to produce points last season, averaging just 57.1 points per game and ranking last in the conference in 3-point shooting at a sad 23%.
Pushing the offensive pace will finally generate the transition looks and open perimeter shots the team lacked in the past couple of years.
Despite individual standout efforts in the last season, most notably from first year guard Skylar Durley who led the team with 11.8 points and six rebounds per game, the Wolf Pack severely lacked perimeter depth and fast break scoring.
To fix those issues Sopak has brought in a fresh, energized coaching staff ready to install a fast-paced system and reset the program’s culture from top to bottom. That shift in intensity is already taking shape behind closed doors.
“I think that I’m pretty demanding,” Sopak said. “I like to have fun, but we’re going to work hard every single day… I’m on them every step of the way from every drill to every shot. We’ve got to set our standard.”
The locker room has completely embraced that new expectation. Fifth year senior Amelia Raidaveta highlights how refreshing Sopak’s transparent approach has been for the returning players.
“Coach Sopak keeps it real with us,” Raidaveta said. “He tells us what we need to hear, we don’t necessarily like it sometimes, but I think that’s healthy in a successful program.”
That clarity is translating directly to the court, starting with offensive rhythm, tempo and shooting execution, unlike last year’s team who struggled with scoring. Raidaveta identified a clear increase in the roster’s offensive potential.
“We can shoot the ball,” Raidaveta said. “I think that’s a big difference from last year’s team. We’re shooting it consistently; we’re shooting at a high level.”
If Nevada can replicate that scoring efficiency when non-conference play tips off at Lawlor Events Center, the offense will look completely different from last year.
Sopak is not just relying on the returning players to flip the script either; he went right into the transfer portal to bring in players who already fit his fast paced style. That effort was headlined by the addition of All Western Athletic Conference (WAC) second team point guard Sierra Chambers.
Chambers, a Danville Calif. native who has previously played for Sopak in youth basketball, comes to Reno after a stellar sophomore season at Southern Utah.
She started all 32 games for the Thunderbirds, leading her team with 14.8 points per game and 3.8 assists in a conference-high 35.2 minutes per game while shooting 81.9% from the free throw line.
“I’m used to the way he [Sopak] plays,” Chambers said. “The fast paced game he runs is what I was looking for out of the portal.”
Rebuilding a program takes time, but Coach Sopak has already brought in the speed, depth and mindset Nevada needs. If the Wolf Pack can translate this energy into non-conference wins, they are going to prove a lot of doubters wrong.
“They really wanted me, and I wanted to go to a school that prioritized me,” Chambers said. “We have a lot of depth on the team, and being able to get up and down the court is going to keep our energy high.”
Having an experienced point guard who already understands Sopak’s expectations gives Nevada a solid foundation during this transition phase.
According to Raidaveta, the team focus during preseason practices has been centered around communication, accountability and adjusting to the physical demand of the new offensive plan.
“Coach Sopak has emphasized since day one that every single day counts, and we need to take every week seriously,” Chambers said.
Installing a face-paced offense takes time, but the shift in intensity is obvious. If Nevada brings this energy and focus to Lawlor, the Wolf Pack are going to surprise a lot of teams across the Mountain West.
