University of Nevada Athletics

LAS VEGAS - University of Nevada sophomore forward Cameron Oliver was named to the Mountain West preseason men's basketball team as selected by the conference media. Oliver is just the second Wolf Pack player to be named to the preseason team in five years in the MW. Deonte Burton was selected to the 2013-14 team.


Nevada was predicted to finish second in the preseason MW media poll. The highest predicted finish since joining the MW for the 2012-13 season. Nevada was picked to place third in 2012-13 after winning the Western Athletic Conference regular season title and advancing to the NIT quarterfinals. San Diego State is the favorite to win the 2016-17 conference title.


Oliver averaged nearly a double-double last season, scoring 13.4 points and grabbing 9.1 rebounds per game. He earned All-MW second team and Freshman of the Year honors from the MW media while the coaches put him on the third team and defensive team. At the MW Championship he led the Pack to its first win at the event with a 26 point, 15 rebound performance and was selected to the All-MW Tournament team.

He set a Wolf Pack record and MW freshman mark with 99 blocks. In the home win over Fresno State he set the MW record with 24 rebounds and scored 20 points to record his first 20-20 game. At intrastate rival UNLV he grabbed 21 boards and added 14 points.

One of the top shot blockers in the nation he finished third with 99 total blocks and was 13th averaging 2.61 blocks per game. His 345 total rebounds was 17th in NCAA I. He led the MW in blocks per game, total blocks, total rebounds and was second in rebounds per game.

Nevada is coming an outstanding season in head coach Eric Musselman's first season leading the Wolf Pack. The Pack became the first team in Nevada and Mountain West history to win a postseason tournament, capturing the College Basketball Invitational with a thrilling overtime victory over Morehead State in front of more than 9,000 fans at Lawlor Events Center. The team posted a 24-14 record, went 16-3 at Lawlor and won a MW Tournament game for the first time.

The Pack returns four starters in Oliver, D.J. Fenner, Linsey Drew and Elijah Foster. Three highly regarded four-year transfers that redshirted last season will join the team. Senior guard Marcus Marshall, the 2013 Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, averaged 19.5 points per game at Missouri State his junior year. Leland King is a 6-7 forward that scored 14.6 points and grabbed 7.8 rebounds per outing his sophomore year at Brown. The third is forward Jordan Caroline, who was named the MVC freshman team after averaging 9.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per out.

A pair of four-star recruits in Davearl Ramsey and Josh Hall will see time in year one in the program. Ramsey played on two Team USA gold medal teams as a prep athlete. The 6-6 Hall is a versatile player that can play multiple positions.

Tickets are on sale now. To purchase tickets call 775-348-PACK (7225) or go to NevadaWolfPack.com/tickets.



All-MW Team
Cameron Oliver, So., F, Nevada
Elijah Brown, Jr., G, New Mexico
Jalen Moore, Sr., W, Utah State
Tim Williams, Jr., F, New Mexico
Trey Kell, Jr., G, San Diego State

Predicted Order of Finish
1. San Diego State (23 first-place votes) - 293
2. Nevada - 253
3. New Mexico (3 first-place votes) - 249
4. Fresno State (1 first-place votes) - 200
5. Boise State - 164
6. Utah State - 153
7. Colorado State - 146
8. UNLV - 120
9. Air Force - 90
10. Wyoming - 73
11. San José State - 41