Nevada players finish summer league

The annual NBA Las Vegas Summer League is over, and former Nevada stars Nick Fazekas, Ramon Sessions and Kevinn Pinkney will now continue training in preparation for training camps which start in the fall.

Fazekas, the No. 34 pick overall by the Dallas Mavericks, helped his team to a perfect 5-0 record in Las Vegas. The 6-11 Fazekas averaged 6.6 points per game and 4.4 rebounds per contest. He knocked down 40 percent of his field goals attempts.

Sessions, who went 56th overall to the Milwaukee Bucks, played in four games and averaged 5.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest. Sessions shot 35 percent from the floor.

Milwaukee's other two point guards - Earl Boykins and Mo Williams - may not be with the team next year. The Bucks gave the 5-foot-5 Boykins an opportunity to test the free-agent market, and Williams, who just finished his third season, is being courted by the Miami Heat among others.

Pinkney, who averaged 8.8 minutes per game, averaged 1.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per outing. It's not certain whether the Washington Wizards will invite him to training camp or not. He was among the Wizards' final cuts at last year's training camp.

A fourth WAC player, ex-Boise State star Coby Karl shot 52 percent from the floor and averaged 12.2 points for the Los Angeles Lakers. Karl was not selected in this year's draft.

BSU HONORED

The Boise State football program received two awards at the recently held ESPY Awards in Hollywood.

The Broncos were nominated for "Best Game of the Year" and "Best Play of the Year," both coming at the 43-42 overtime win over Oklahoma at The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.

The Broncos win for the best game beat out the Indianapolis Colts comeback win over the New England Patriots and Oklahoma State's 105-103 overtime win over Texas.

The best play was the Broncos' two-point conversion play where they ran the Statue of Liberty play to beat the Sooners.

Other nominations were Travis Pastrana, who did the first double backflip in motocross history, Pitt's Darrelle Revis, who returned a punt 73 yards for a score against West Virginia, New York's Endy Chavez, who robed Scott Rolen of a home run in game seven of the NLCS, and Dwayne Wade, who made a wild off-the-glass shot in a 104-101 win over Indiana.

Boise State coach Chris Petersen, quarterback Jared Zabransky, tailback Ian Johnson and wide receiver Legedu Naanee were present at the awards ceremony.

NEVADA STUDENT-ATHLETES HONORED

A total of 67 Nevada student-athletes were named to the 2007 WAC All-Academic for spring sports and all WAC freshman/transfers.

David Ciarlo, Ben Colton, Dan Eastham, Kody Keroher, Owen Mackedon, Matt Suleski and Terry Walsh were nominated from the baseball team. Ex-Douglas star Brittany Puzey heads the softball honorees along with Michelle Beach, Katie Stith, Kristin Stith and Amanda Wise.

Kelly Burke, Nicole de Gennero, Heather Olmstead and Chase Cooper represented the men's and women's golf squads. Eldar Dzhafarov, Guillaume Tonelli, Caroline Bailey, Ly-Huong Dinh, Maria Mizyuk, Sonia Velez and Bridgette Strickland represented the men's and women's tennis teams.

The women's track and field squad had 17 members honored, including Inger Appanaitis, Christa Avena, Kali Baker, Hannah Balkenbush, Amanda Boise, Amanda Gramly, Patrice Hartwell, Corinne Kuklovsky, Megan Lytle, Ashley Mathis, Bree-Ann Piva, Mandy Russ, Charlotte Schonbeck, Annalisa Serrano, Polly Smith, Sherena Smith and Shaina Wright.

The remaining 27 student-athletes honored were either freshman or transfer students. Included in that group was Carson High grad Alex McAlman, a member of the track and field squad.

WOLF PACK ADDS MASCOT

The Nevada Wolf Pack will add a second mascot to join Alphie next season. The fans are being asked to give Alphie's younger brother a name.

Through July 31, fans can e-mail their suggestions to askalphie@unr.edu. Fans are asked to include their name, address and telephone number.

Fans who send in the most popular name will be entrered in a drawing for a Pack Pass, which includes four tickets to one football game, one basketball game and one baseball game as well as admittance to all women's basketball, soccer, volleyball and softball games.

For more information, call the Pack's marketing and promotions office at 682-6961.

NASH ANNOUNCES STAFF

University of Hawai'i new men's basketball head coach Bob Nash announced his coaching staff recently with the hiring of two assistant coaches.

Joining Nash are longtime associate coach Jackson Wheeler, who was retained from previous head coach Riley Wallace's staff, and new assistants Larry Farmer and Eran Ganot.

"We've assembled a diverse coaching staff that addresses all of our needs, recruiting, a seasoned bench coach, and a young technology and computer savvy coach," Nash said in a press release distributed by the university. "Jackson and I have worked closely for the past 17 years and as recruiting coordinator, he understands the type of players who will fit into our program. I've known Larry for some time and he's familiar with our program having worked our games on TV. As a previous head coach, he brings the knowledge of game-time situations and will help us in other areas of strategy. Eran is a rising young star in the coaching profession and understands new technology and how it will help with recruiting and scouting purposes."

Farmer, 56, was a former Division I head coach at his alma mater UCLA (1981-84), and had been working as a college basketball analyst the last couple of years.

SPARTANS GO OVERSEAS

George Nessman will take his San Jose State men's basketball team on an eight-day, seven-night trip to England.

The group leaves Aug. 13 and returns on Aug. 20. During that time, the team will play three games.