By Derek Shore (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Nevada boys basketball team got back on track in 2023, going 14-14 after posting an 8-19 season in 2022.
Nevada looks to continue that upward trend in 2024 with three starters and four lettermen returning in head coach Shaun Gray’s 10th season at the helm.
“This is another group of hardworking young men that understand our blue collar culture,” Gray said. “They are excited to wear the six letters of N-E-V-A-D-A across their chest.”
The Tigers will lean heavily on a pair of near double-digit scorers to lead the way. Brice Budd, a 5-foot-10 senior, averaged 9.8 points, 2.8 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 2 steals last season, while 6-2 junior Jack Cheaney contributed 9.2 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.
“Brice is a high-motor bulldog who can guard the opponents best guard,” Gray said. “He can also give us a spark offensively from 3 and attacking the rim. Jack is great with the ball in his hands creating for himself and others. He should see a big jump in scoring opportunities this year. He can shoot from deep range and also finish around the rim. He has a knack for the glass.”
Five-foot-eleven senior Riddick Shook (4.8 ppg, 1 rpg, 1 apg) and 6-1 junior Gabe Smith (2.5 ppg, 1 rpg) also return for Nevada. Gray said Shook was the Tigers best 3-pointer shooter last year and the team’s leader in charges.
“Riddick is a great 3-and-D guy who looks to take on an even bigger role this year,” Gray added. “Gabe is another 3-and-D guy that can score around the rim at times. He looks for a much bigger role this year for us on both ends of the floor.”
Sophomores Kellen Braden (5-10), Uehe Mba (6-2), Mason Majors (5-10) and Alex Ast (6-2) are expected to emerge on varsity this winter. It’s safe to say Gray is excited about the potential of all four newcomers.
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“Kellen is a very savvy guard that played some spot minutes as a freshman a year ago,” the coach said. “He does everything well and makes his teammates better. As he continues to gain varsity experience, he will develop into a very good point guard and leader for us. Uehe is a lanky athlete, who has an extremely high motor. He can guard positions 1-5 and is very bouncy. He will give us the ability to play a fast style of play and we should be able to play 5-guard offense when he is on the floor.
“Mason is a lights out shooter who is instant offense when he comes on the floor. He has a knack for getting to the rim and getting deflections and steals. Alex is an elite defender who also has a very quick first step getting downhill to the rim.”
Nevada football phenom Talan Chandler will not play basketball in his senior season. Instead, the talented offensive lineman will graduate early at semester to kickstart his career at Colorado.
As for the Tigers style of play:
“We will play an up-tempo game and give our guys the freedom to score early in possessions as well as shoot a high volume of perimeter shots,” Gray said. “We hope that our depth and the number of shooters we can put on the floor will allow us to be a tough matchup for a lot of SWMO teams on most nights.
“We will still hang our hat on the defensive side of the floor, where we pride ourselves on limiting clean 3-point looks and on making teams drive the ball where we hope to be ready to draw a lot of charges. Our ball pressure and passing lane pressure is something our guys have bought into all summer and we are excited to see even more growth in our pressure defense.”
Nevada will travel to Joplin for a four-team jamboree on Nov. 16 along with Lamar and East Newton. The Tigers host Neosho on Nov. 28 in their season opener.
