The Nevada’s 2004 men’s basketball team, which made a memorable run to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, will headline the 55th annual Governor’s Dinner.
The dinner is set for July 24 on the grounds of the Governor’s Mansion in Carson City.The 2004 team, led by head coach Trent Johnson, went 25-9 overall and won both the WAC regular-season and tournament titles. In the NCAA Tournament, the Wolf Pack earned Nevada’s first trip to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, picking up victories over No. 25 Michigan State (72-66) and No. 2 Gonzaga (91-72) to advance to the second weekend. There, the Pack’s run came to an end against eventual national runner-up and 14th-ranked Georgia Tech, 72-67.
In 2004 the Wolf Pack notched its first 20-win season since 1997 and first NCAA appearance since 1985. That team helped kick-start a run of five consecutive WAC titles and four straight NCAA Tournament appearances for Nevada.
Johnson and his staff of associate head coach Mark Fox, assistant coaches David Carter and Josh Newman, and student assistant coach Matt Ochs helped members of the 2004 Wolf Pack squad earned numerous accolades, headlined by Kirk Snyder earning WAC Player of the Year, the WAC Joe Kearney Award (given to the WAC’s top student-athlete over all sports), and a spot on the All-WAC First Team. Garry Hill-Thomas was named to the WAC All-Defensive Team, while Snyder and Todd Okeson earned spots on the WAC All-Tournament Team.
The roster of the 2004 Nevada Men’s Basketball Team included Chad Bell (redshirt), Nick Fazekas, Garry Hill-Thomas, Marcelus Kemp, Curry Lynch, Todd Okeson, Sean Paul, Kevinn Pinkney, Kyle Shiloh, Kirk Snyder, Seth Taylor and Jermaine Washington.
The 55th annual Governor’s Dinner kicks off with a private VIP reception featuring live music and cocktails at 5 p.m., and the backyard opens to other guests at 6 p.m., with the dinner and program at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $350 per person and tables of 10 for $3,500. VIP tickets, which include the pre-event VIP reception, pictures with Johnson and the team, and premier reserved seating for the dinner and program are $500 a person, with tables at $5,000. The registration deadline is July 17.
Tickets are on sale now through the Wolf Pack Athletic Association online. All tickets include cocktails and a reserved seat for dinner and the program at the event.