RENO - This has been one difficult season for Nevada point guard Ramon Sessions.
First, his former coach at Myrtle Beach High School, Buddy Rogers, passed away of a massive heart attack back earlier this year. He had been Sessions' coach since eighth grade.
"He was the only coach I had until I came here," Sessions said. "I would talk to him on the phone all the time."
Sessions, who went back for Rogers' funeral, told the Sun-News in Myrtle Beach that, "He (Rogers) was like a father to me. he was the biggest influence on me. Without coach Rogers, I don't know where I'd be, but I know I wouldn't be here."
Then, Sessions suffered a hip flexor injury right before the regular season started, causing him to play limited minutes in many of the nonconference games and not at all in two games (UC Davis and Seattle Pacific). It was the first serious injury he'd suffered since he played basketball growing up in South Carolina.
"He had a hard time," Nevada coach Mark Fox said. "The death of his old high school coach was really rough on him. He was somebody that Ramon leaned on a lot. This year he can't do that."
Sessions has slowly battled back, however, starting to flash some of the old form that made him Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year last season.
Fox has repeatedly told the media that Sessions' shooting stroke would be the last thing that would come back, and thus far he's been dead on.
"I'm fine," Sessions said before the recent road trip that saw him score 13 points, grab 11 rebounds and dish out six assists to help Nevada grab road wins at Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State. "I'm still just trying to get into game rhythm. It's tough coming back off an injury, especially not being in rhythm. Practice is practice. Games are different. The tempo is a lot different.
"It was the first time since high school I wasn't able to practice my game. It was tough for me. That's what he (Fox) would tell me that shooting would be the last thing. He knows how players come off injuriues. I'd never had an injury, so I had to take his word for it."
Sessions, who is shooting 37 percent from the field, has dished out six or more assists in six of Nevada's 10 conference games and has four seven-assist games this season. His numbers are still down - 4.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists. In conference play his assist average is up to 5 a game.
Passing the ball and being a floor general are the things that set Sessions apart from his peers. He still slips passes into openings you don't think are there, and he'll occasionally surprise a teammate with a great pass.
Does he try to emulate any point guards, or have a favorite one?
"Steve Nash without a doubt; hands down," Sessions said. "To me, he's the best point guard in the game."
Guys like Dwayne Wade and Mike Bibby might take exception, but no matter. It's hard not to like the floppy-haired Nash, who gets the utmost out of his physical attributes. One thing that Sessions and Nash both have success doing is working past defenders and hitting that tough floater over big men who come over to help.
It was exactly that kind of shot that got Nevada going last week against Louisiana Tech.
Trailing 25-24 with 36.9 left in the first half, Sessions bobbed and weaved out near center court, patiently waiting for time to wind down. He worked his way past the Bulldog defender and floated a shot in, moments before the first-half horn to give Nevada a 26-25 halftime lead. That basket started a 15-2 run that gave Nevada the lead for good.
He scored six points, including a nice post-up move, in the first 11 minutes to help Nevada to an early 29-23 lead, and then his free throw with 1:21 remaining was part of a 14-8 game-ending surge that lifted the Pack to a 90-81 win.
Though he has made 50 percent of his field goal attempts in his last three games, Sessions isn't worried about his scoring - ever. He just wants to continue to play pain-free and make enough good passes and hit enough baskets to help Nevada win a WAC championship.
Contact Darrell Moody at dmoody@nevadaappeal.com, or by calling (775) 881-1281
The Sessions File
Games - 20
Scoring - 4.2
Reb. - 3.9
Assts. - 3.9