Fazekas' No. 22 now belongs to the ages

Wolf Pack great has jersey retired at halftime of Pack's game against UNLV

February 28, 2019
Nick Fazekas

Wolf Pack great Nick Fazekas had his jersey No. 22 retired by the University on Wednesday night at Lawlor Events Center at halftime of the Pack's game against rival UNLV. Fazekas led the Wolf Pack to a history-making four straight NCAA Tournament appearances during his career from 2003-2007.

Fazekas' No. 22 now belongs to the ages

Wolf Pack great has jersey retired at halftime of Pack's game against UNLV

February 28, 2019

Wolf Pack great Nick Fazekas had his jersey No. 22 retired by the University on Wednesday night at Lawlor Events Center at halftime of the Pack's game against rival UNLV. Fazekas led the Wolf Pack to a history-making four straight NCAA Tournament appearances during his career from 2003-2007.

Nick Fazekas

Wolf Pack great Nick Fazekas had his jersey No. 22 retired by the University on Wednesday night at Lawlor Events Center at halftime of the Pack's game against rival UNLV. Fazekas led the Wolf Pack to a history-making four straight NCAA Tournament appearances during his career from 2003-2007.

Wolf Pack great Nick Fazekas, the leading scorer in men's basketball history, had his jersey number 22 retired at halftime of the Pack's game against rival on Wednesday night before 11,289 fans.

The 12th-ranked Wolf Pack, wearing home "Battle Born" jerseys, beat the Rebels, 89-73.

Fazekas led the Wolf Pack to something unprecedented at the University - four straight NCAA Tournament appearances during his career from 2003-2007, while winning three Player of the Year awards in the Western Athletic Conference and totaling 2,464 points. He was a two-time Wooden Award finalist, two-time AP All-American and won 104 games during his four-year career at Nevada.

Flanked by wife and young son, as well as his parents and several other family members, Fazekas thanked the Wolf Pack's fans for their loyalty and support over the years, saying that his time playing for the Wolf Pack was "the best four years of my life."

The former NBA draft pick is now 33 years old and starring in Japan's top professional league. He has become a naturalized Japanese citizen and is leading the Japanese national team toward a 2020 Olympic berth. He told Chris Murray of Nevada Sports Net earlier in the day that, "To this day, I'll tell people if I could ever rewind to any point in my life, I'd rewind to the beginning of my Nevada career because this was the most special four years of my life. The people, the community, the fans, everybody sort of made it that way. It still feels that way. It still feels like home."

The night also marked a new season record for home attendance by the Wolf Pack. In 14 home games this season, the Pack has drawn 151,926 fans - an average of 10,852. The previous season record was set by Fazekas' 2005-2006 Wolf Pack team, which in 18 home games totaled 150,764 fans. Over the last three seasons under Coach Eric Musselman, the Wolf Pack has seen its per game average attendance climb from 8,923 (2016-2017), 9,048 (2017-2018) to this season's program per game attendance record of 10,852, or about 94 percent of capacity of Lawlor for the entire season.

February 28, 2019

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