Nevada’s Warren Washington, Alem Huseinovic enter transfer portal

Within the last 24 hours, two Nevada men’s basketball scholarship players will be looking to continue their careers elsewhere.

Guard Alem Huseinovic and starting center Warren Washington both entered the transfer portal this week, they both announced. They are the only two Wolf Pack scholarship players to enter their name in the portal thus far, though walk-on Caleb Oden, who did not play in a single game this season, did as well, per Verbal Commits.

Huseinovic, with three years left of eligibility left, averaged just 1.6 points and 0.7 rebounds, shooting 31.7 percent and 23.1 percent from distance (46.2 true-shooting percentage) in 43 career contests with Nevada. The Bosnian native notched a career-high eight points on 4-of-6 shooting with three boards in 14 minutes on Nov. 23, 2021 versus George Mason.

“Thank you Wolf Pack nation, the coaching staff and teammates for the past two years. I will always have love for Reno and the Nevada Basketball program,” Husenovic wrote via Twitter. “It was a tough decision but, I have decided to enter the transfer portal with 3 years of eligibility.”

Huseinovic, listed at 6-foot-4, played in over 80 percent (80.7 percent) of the team’s games in 2020-21 as opposed to 70.9 percent this last season; he was also more efficient as a freshman (46.7 TS%) than this most recent season (45.6 TS%).

Washington was arguably Nevada’s third-best player in each of the last two seasons and was one of the top shot blockers in the Mountain West in 2021-22.

The 7-foot center, who started in 46 of his 48 games in two seasons with Nevada, posted Wolf Pack career averages of 10.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 22.6 minutes, shooting 59.3 percent from the floor and 68.3 percent from the charity stripe (62.2 TS%). He was fourth on the team in scoring (10.5 ppg), leading the squad in rebounding (6.6 rpg) and blocked shots (1.2 bpg) with a 63.8 true-shooting percentage.

He missed eight games during he season due to a right hand injury. Washington started alongside 7-foot center Will Baker in 15 of the team’s first 17 games to form Nevada’s own Twin Tower duo. It went 3-5 in his absence, and after his return, head coach Steve Alford downsized and started just Washington (and no Baker) in four of the team’s final six games. He scored in double figures in all six of his post-injury contests, tallying 11.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and one block per game.

“The last two few years in Reno have been a blessing for me. I’ve made memories and formed relationships that will last forever,” Washington wrote in a social media post. “I’d like to say thank you to the coaching staff for helping grow as a player and as a man. Wolf Pack Nation, words can’t describe how much I loved competing for you - you showed your love and support through all of the highs and lows. With all that being said, I will be entering the transfer portal as a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility left. This has been a difficult decision, but I believe is the best one for my future. Reno will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you for everything!”

Washington was T-6 in the Mountain West in player efficiency rating (22.9), third in block percentage (6.3) and offensive rebounding rate while placing 11th in defensive rebounding rate. He began his career at Oregon State, where he played 27 games (0 starts) in 2018-19 for the 18-13 Beavers under head coach Wayne Tinkle before transfering to Nevada prior to the 2019-20 season. With OSU, he averaged 1.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.3 blocks in 7.8 minutes per game.

Factoring in Desmond Cambridge’s presumed departure (eligble for one more year, but was honored on senior night), Nevada will have 12 scholarship players this season with the freshman additions of Trey Pettigrew and Darrion Williams.