Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
UNR — Team Transfer — eyes Sweet 16
Mix-and-match lineup achieves success quickly
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — UNR has made itself a factor again by developing into one of college basketball’s greatest melting pots.
Only in this case, the roster doesn’t include players from a variety of different countries. Instead, guys from various Division I programs banded together in Reno to form a winning combination.
All five of the Wolf Pack’s starters began their college careers at other Division I schools. This team of transfers has given UNR its first NCAA Tournament victory in more than a decade.
UNR, seeded seventh in the South Region, faces No. 2 seed Cincinnati (31-4) on Sunday. A victory would send the Wolf Pack (28-7) to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2004.
“Everybody coming here wants a second chance and wants to win,” UNR forward Jordan Caroline said. “(We’re) just buying into what the program believes in.”
Twin forwards Caleb and Cody Martin came from North Carolina State. Guard Hallice Cooke started at Iowa State. Guard Kendall Stephens transferred from Purdue. Caroline began his college career at Southern Illinois.
Transfers have helped Wolf Pack coach Eric Musselman rebuild a program that had produced three straight losing seasons before he took over. Musselman has gone 8028 in three seasons at UNR, which went 9-22 the season before his arrival.
“We kind of all had a similar situation when we left our last schools,” Cody Martin said. “We were looking for something like (where) we were
allowed to have freedom and just play how you want to play. I think that’s something our coach does for us.”
As he recruited his transfers to UNR, Musselman had a simple sales pitch: They’d get heavy minutes and plenty of freedom on the court.
“We take some crazy shots sometimes, but that’s who we are,” Musselman said. “We take quick shots. We take 3-balls. They have a tremendous amount of freedom offensively. Guys like to play in that system and that style.”
That autonomy is just what many of them wanted.
“Coach lets you play,” Caleb Martin said. “All he does is ask you to just play defense as hard as you can. Other than that, he doesn’t ask you to do much more.”
Caroline is in his second season with UNR. The other four starters began playing for the Wolf Pack this season after sitting out the 2016-17 campaign because of NCAA transfers rules.
Cooke says the four newcomers room together and benefited from spending last season on campus. “When you’re more invested in each other in life, the better your relationship is on the court,” Cooke said.