Nevada Basketball – Dario Hunt - Freshman Block Record Holder

New Kid on the Block
By Paul Klein
Sixty-Seven times this year Nevada’s Dario Hunt has given the crowd a reason to chant ‘you got swatted’. Sixty-Seven times this year Hunt’s made the opponent feel outright rejection, literally. Hunt became a shot-blocking force for the Wolf Pack this year as a freshman. That’s right, he’s only a freshman.
Hunt’s incredible 67 blocked shots this season has set Nevada’s freshman single-season record, shattering the 44 rejections that Wolf Pack great Nick Fazekas had in his rookie campaign in 2003-04.
Hunt led the WAC and ranks 43rd in the country with 2.03 blocks per game overall, while he also paced first in the WAC with 2.50 blocks per league game. From a basketball standpoint, Hunt’s got more blocks than Lego land.
Hunt blocked a career-best six shots in a January 31 win at Idaho, besting his previous high of five January 8 at New Mexico State and February 7 vs. New Mexico State. He has blocked at least one shot in 28 of 33 games this year, including 22 with two or more.
Hunt’s efforts helped Nevada lead the WAC and rank 32nd in the nation with 4.88 blocked shots per game with a season high of 12 December 9 vs. Sonoma State. In conference play, the Wolf Pack led the league with 5.25 blocks per game.
Being a dominant shot blocker isn’t a new thing for hunt, he walked into Lawlor with a strong history of shot blocking averaging 3.1 blocks per game at Charis Prep School in Goldsboro, N.C.
He was also named the team MVP, earned first-team all-league honors, and averaged a double-double with 16.1 points and 15.3 rebounds per game as a senior.
Hunt has already climbed into third on Nevada’s single-season block shot-chart trailing only Edgar Jones’ 96-block season in 1978 and JaVale McGee’s 92-block season in 2008.
When asked about his blocking performance Hunt responded, “It feels good. Blocks can lead to big momentum changes and easy scores on the other end.”
The 6-foot-8 forward also contributes as a Wolf Pack starter. In nearly 20 minutes per game, Hunt has shot 50 percent from the field with 3.6 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game.
“I just want to keep on improving everyday,” he said. “And come back every year and get to the tournament and make something happen.”