Train Nevada basketball player Alem Huseinovic. who entered the transfer portal in March, has committed to play at Rice.
Huseinovic, a 6-foot-4 guard, spent two seasons at Nevada, appearing in 43 games, including one start. He tallied 67 points, 31 rebounds, 12 assists and nine steals in 341 minutes (7.9 per game). Last season, Huseinovic averaged 1.3 points in 8.2 minutes per game, shooting 32 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from three.
The native of Bosnia and Herzegovina played his prep ball in Phoenix and was an excellent 3-point shooter in high school, although that didn’t translate to the college level at Nevada. He’ll get a fresh slate at Rice, which went 16-17 last season and 7-11 in Conference USA, finishing 10th in the 14-team conference. The team is coached by Scott Pera, who is 66-90 overall in his five-year tenure with the Owls. Huseinovic has three years of eligibility remaining and can play immediately this season as a first-time transfer.
At Nevada, Huseinovic scored a career-best eight points this season against George Mason, making 4-of-6 shots in 14 minutes. He scored five or more points in six of his 43 college games. Huseinovic was an unrated prospect, per 247Sports, when he signed with Nevada prior to the 2020-21 season. He was also recruited by UC Riverside, Boston University, Yale and Northern Arizona.
Huseinovic was a heralded shooter as a prep prospect, averaging 14.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists during his senior season at PHHoenix Prep. He made 43 percent of his 3-pointers and 91 percent of his free throws. As a junior, he helped Chaparral High School in Phoenix to the 6A Arizona state championship, averaging 14.2 points as one of the state’s top sharpshooters. However, he made only 9-of-39 threes (23.1 percent) at Nevada.
Huseinovic is one of six Wolf Pack players to transfer this offseason, becoming the fifth to find a new school. Desmond Cambridge Jr. and Warren Washington both transferred to Arizona State. DeAndre Henry transferred to UC Davis. Walk-on Caleb Oden transferred to Division II San Francisco State. And Grant Sherfield, Nevada’s top scorer the last two seasons, remains unsigned as he also tests the NBA draft waters.
