Andrea Wilkinson/Nevada Sagebrush
Josh Hall leans on Devearl Ramsey during Wolf Pack media day at Lawlor Events Center on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016. The two freshmen were top-150 recruits.
By Brandon Cruz
Only having four years in college basketball to foster spectacular teammate chemistry can be an especially difficult task. Luckily for Wolf Pack basketball, its two top-150 recruits, Josh Hall and Devearl Ramsey, have been playing with one another for their entire lives.
6-foot-6, 190-pound Hall had nothing but praise for his longtime point guard Ramsey when asked about their chemistry during their upbringing.
“We’ve always played well together. We used to actually always play against each other and even further back in elementary school,” Hall said.
But the question that surrounds the two is how much did Ramsey’s decision to join Nevada affect Hall’s decision to come to the Battle Born State? Hall was originally committed to play at Rice University in Houston, but it appeared that some summer ventures changed his mind.
“After the summer I wanted to be open to new offers and field new options,” Hall said.
Hall’s summer consisted of a lot of time spent with Ramsey as they played on an AAU team together called the California Supreme. They gelled well, and Hall praised Ramsey’s decision-making ability.
“We did a lot of pick-and-roll action, a lot of pick and pop. Whenever I would have a big guarding me, he would recognize the mismatch,” Hall said
Although it appears that Ramsey played a significant role in Hall’s decision to commit to Nevada, Ramsey would not consider himself to be the main factor as to why Hall found himself in the Silver State.
“I don’t know if I played a really big factor, but I think I played a good factor in bringing him here,” Ramsey said.
While Ramsey believes he may have played a small component in getting Hall to commit to Nevada, Hall would say otherwise. Ramsey may have been more important to the process than he actually knows.
“[Ramsey] played a really big factor because we were playing together for so long. He just made me feel comfortable being here. He kind of persuaded me too,” Hall said.
Ramsey downplayed his role in helping attract Hall to the University of Nevada. Even without their statements, just watching the two interact demonstrates their relationship with one another.
When there is such a bond between players like Hall and Ramsey, eventually others will notice. Senior shooting guard D.J. Fenner can foresee amazing potential for the two.
“They play really well together,” Fenner said. “Definitely can see them being a really good combo when they’re older. Their games are different.With Ramsey at the point and Hall at combo guard, you can see them being able to feed off each other.”
Who knows, maybe they will become Nevada’s Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, as their longtime chemistry has star-like qualities. Although they may need a few seasons to confirm that statement, they sure have the ability to make an early impact, according to head coach Eric Musselman.
“The biggest thing is Josh has been such a great surprise, because he can play multiple positions, has a great attitude and a really high basketball IQ,” Muss said.
Musselman also commented about the impact Ramsey could have on the team.
“He can change the complexion of the game with his defense. He’s going to increase the tempo for us, he does a great job of pushing the ball and has really improved his 3-point shooting in a short amount of time,” Musselman said.
From the blacktop basketball court