Fazekas leader of this Pack
NEW ORLEANS -- It could come to an end this afternoon, or Thursday or Saturday in San Antonio. Or it could play out all the way to the Final Four in Atlanta. And then, win or lose, it will come to a conclusion and Nick Fazekas will move on.
Finally, he will give up the role he has played since he arrived at the University of Nevada as a tall, gangly kid who wasn't heavily recruited, but knew what he wanted.
That he has emerged as not only the leader of the Nevada Wolf Pack but as the poster boy for excellence as three-time player of the year in the Western Athletic Conference is a testament to his persistence as much as his skills as a basketball player, which are considerable.
Odds are this phase of Fazekas's career will end at New Orleans Arena this afternoon, when the seventh-seeded Wolf Pack face No. 2 seed Memphis in a second-round South Regional game.
At stake is a spot in the Sweet 16, and as much as Nevada craves that spot, Memphis, which is deeper and arguably more talented, wants it as well.
Memphis coach John Calipari says there will be no surprises from his team for Nevada, which reached the second round with a 77-71 overtime victory over Creighton Friday. "Teams that have success in this town do what they do best," said Calipari. "Teams that struggle are the ones that change their attitude and approach the tournament differently. We're not going to change our attitude. We're going to smash people."
Fazekas knows he must play his A game. So must the rest of the Wolf Pack, who barely survived Creighton. Fazekas needs to produce more than the 17 points and 11 rebounds he mustered before fouling out with three minutes remaining in overtime.
More than a few media members not familiar with Fazekas's demeanor said he seemed almost detached from the proceedings.
"Whether I score 30 or 25, I'm going to act the same," said Fazekas. "That's the way I have always been, win or lose. I just stay levelheaded. I'm not the type of guy who gets vocal. I keep it the same."
Against Creighton, Fazekas was bothered by early foul trouble, and the trouble his teammates had getting him the ball.
"I could see he was frustrated that we couldn't get him the ball," said Nevada coach Mark Fox. "He's not a cheerleader."
But he is a leader. It's been that way for the last four seasons, as Nevada has altered its profile from an NIT team to one with an NCAA Tournament pedigree.
Fazekas came to Nevada out of Ralston Valley High School in Arvada, Colo., as a 6-foot-11-inch prospect who had led his team to a Class 4A state championship as a senior and was looking to take his game to the next level. Nick's father, Joe, spent two seasons at both Wyoming and Idaho State.
When Nick didn't generate much interest from higher-profile schools, former Kansas State and Pepperdine coach Tom Asbury, who was Joe's high school coach, pointed Nick toward the University of Nevada.
It has worked out well, so well in fact that Fazekas toyed with the idea of jumping to the NBA last season, but decided to come back for his senior season. That season now includes a 29-4 record.
"It feels good and [the Memphis game] is definitely an opportunity for us," said Fazekas, Nevada's all-time leading scorer and arguably the best player in school history. "They've won 31 games and 23 in a row, so they are definitely a team to be reckoned with. There is no doubt that they are a good team and very athletic. Their record shows how good they are."
Nevada is good, too. With Fazekas and senior guard Kyle Shiloh and senior forward Denis Ikovlev, the Wolf Pack have come out of the pack of NCAA Tournament teams that are considered one-and-done fodder for the elite.
Whether Nevada emerges into a new role of a Sweet 16 team may depend on Nick Fazekas.
Mark Blaudschun can be reached at blaudschun@globe.com. 
