The 2003-04 Nevada men’s basketball team poses to recreate an old photo Wednesday at Lawlor Events Center. Seated (L-R): student assistant Matt Ochs, Garry Hill-Thomas, Seth Taylor, Kyle Shiloh, Todd Okeson, Marcelus Kemp, Curry Lynch, Jermaine Washington, Kirk Snyder, strength and conditioning coach Matt Eck. Standing (L-R): assistant coach Josh Newman, head coach Trent Johnson, Nick Fazekas, Chad Bell, Sean Paul, Kevinn Pinkney, assistant head coach Mark Fox, assistant coach David Carter.
The first men’s basketball team in Nevada history to make the Sweet 16 was the headliner at the 2024 Governor’s Dinner in Carson City last Wednesday.
The unit, arguably the most memorable Wolf Pack squad, attended the annual event as a reunion with nearly every member of the team and coaching staff making the trip.
Some members of the squad had a journey to return to Reno and Carson City while a few others remain locals.
Todd Okeson, the team’s point guard and a Kansas native, said beating the Jayhawks is still etched into his brain as his favorite moment from that season.
“It’s easy. It’s beating Kansas here. I am a Kansas guy,” said Okeson. “The longevity of the season. We had a losing record at the beginning. I think the turning point was around Christmas time and beating Kansas. That’s my biggest memory of that season.”
The Wolf Pack bested the Jayhawks by 14 in late December before going on to post an unbeaten record, 15-0, on their home floor.
After Jan. 18, Nevada lost just two games before its season ended in the Sweet 16 against Georgia Tech.
Along with reliving their finest moments, several members of the Wolf Pack hadn’t seen each other in over a decade, allowing an opportune time to catch up.
“Everybody is looking older,” laughed Marcelus Kemp, who is a Seattle native.
“I remember when we beat Gonzaga (in Seattle). That whole run was epic,” Kemp said. “I’m just grateful to be here. Grateful to be around all the guys. I think we’re all doing well in life. It’s a great feeling.”
Three members of that team – Kirk Snyder, Nick Fazekas and Kevinn Pinkney – went on to play in the NBA.
“There’s so many memories, seeing the new buildings that are here,” said Fazekas, who went 34th overall in the NBA draft in 2007. “That team was so tough. We had pros; we had size. Offensively we were so good. Defensively, we were so good.”
To be invited as an entire team wasn’t lost on anyone.
“It’s even better. That’s pretty special and pretty unique. For one, that all of us showed up. … But everyone thought it was important to be here and obviously really special that we all got together,” Fazekas said.
Matt Ochs, the current Reno High boys basketball coach, was a student assistant on the 2003-04 team.
Ochs, the team’s first recruit in the words of coach Trent Johnson, relished the opportunity to relive some of the memories from two decades ago.
“A lot about some of the games we won. … We talked a lot about the win against Kansas when we were here at Lawlor,” said Ochs. “There’s so many stories you forget about and details you didn’t know and it’s been a lot of fun to hear it from a different perspective.”
There are other local ties, too.
Dean Browne, who was a senior forward on the team, was recently hired to be the boys basketball coach at Galena High School.
Of course, the pride toward their accomplishments is still there.
A few Wolf Pack teams have challenged the ’03-’04 squad for best team in program history.
They still believe that crown is theirs to wear.
“C’mon man, we’re obviously the best one. Any team I was on I’m going to say that we were the best team,” said Kemp.