Reno, Nev. ? Pete Padgett might be torn about whom to root for in this weekend’s Wolf Pack Classic basketball event.
You see, Padgett’s son, David, is a freshman forward for Kansas University. But the elder Padgett also has ties to both UC Santa Barbara and the University of Nevada, the two teams the Jayhawks will face this weekend.
“It’s ironic we’re playing UC Santa Barbara, considering my dad coached there,” David Padgett said of Pete, who returned to Reno High to coach his son for David’s junior and senior seasons.
Tipoff for the first game of the Classic between KU and UCSB is 7:05 tonight at Lawlor Events Center. The University of Nevada will play Alabama State at 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, the Jayhawks will face the host Wolf Pack at 9:30 p.m., after a 7:05 p.m. battle between Alabama State and UC Santa Barbara.
The elder Padgett was a four-time All-West Coast Athletic Conference selection as a basketball player at Nevada when the school was known as Nevada-Reno.
He finished his career as the school’s all-time leading rebounder and third all-time leading scorer. In addition, he was the WCAC’s all-time leading rebounder and still ranks third in NCAA history.
In 1976, Padgett was a sixth-round draft choice of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. He also played baseball and was drafted in 1972, 1976 and 1977.
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Homecoming: KU’s players want to win for Reno native Padgett this weekend.
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“We need to take care of business so Dave will have bragging rights when he goes home, and we can go into Christmas break with our minds where they need to be,” KU freshman Omar Wilkes said.
Added junior Keith Langford: “David’s going back home. We’ve got to take care of every player when they play in their hometown.”
The Jayhawks defeated TCU in Langford’s hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, this year, but lost to Stanford in Anaheim, Calif., right down the road from Wilkes’ hometown of Los Angeles.
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Tough slate: UCSB coach Bob Williams on his team’s schedule, which includes games against UCLA, Kansas and Pepperdine: “You like to test yourself. You play Kansas, UCLA, USC (last year), it’s a test. It shows you where you are in comparison to the rest of the teams out there.”
The Gauchos also play Utah State, the Big West team that gave KU a stern test in last year’s NCAA Tournament. KU won, 64-61, in Oklahoma City.
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Proud history: Williams took the Gauchos to the 2001-02 NCAA Tournament in his fourth year and nearly shocked Arizona in the first round. Last season, UCSB lost four conference games and won the Big West title outright before slipping in the Big West Tournament and then losing to San Diego State in the first round of the NIT.
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Family ties: Wilkes’ dad, Jamaal, grew up in Santa Barbara, Calif., where Omar’s grandparents, Leo and Thelma, live.
“It’s my favorite vacation spot in the world,” Omar Wilkes said. “I have some really good friends who go to school there, but they don’t play basketball. Santa Barbara has a great program, a great team from what I hear.”
Wilkes’ parents will be staying at the Padgett household this weekend in Reno. Omar and David Padgett are roomies at KU.
“Dave is a real tough guy. He is a real independent guy who would never admit to being homesick, but I think he is really glad to be going home to see his family,” Omar Wilkes said. “I really like him because he is really honest. We’ve kind of got to know each other like brothers because we don’t sugarcoat anything. We are always honest.”
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Impressive win: Junior forward Casey Cook scored a game-high 15 points in helping UC Santa Barbara to its first win against UCLA after 18 straight losses. The outcome didn’t shock KU coach Bill Self.
“I’ve watched them a lot on film. They are fundamentally sound, well coached, trap the post a lot, don’t beat themselves,” Self said of the Gauchos, who have beaten UCLA, Hawaii, Pepperdine, Westmont and San Diego and lost to Saint Mary’s and SE Missouri State. “They’ve been short-handed without (senior forward Branduinn) Fullove and will be even better as he gets healthy.”
