On weekday mornings, Nevada Sports Net will recap three big headlines of the day in its Morning Download. Read below for today’s topics.
1. Nevada alum Kobe Sanders lands standard contract from Clippers
NBA rookie Kobe Sanders, who capped his college career at Nevada after four seasons at Cal Poly, had his deal with the Los Angeles Clippers converted to a standard contract. That procedural move means Sanders can play an unlimited number of games in the NBA this season. A second-round draft pick, Sanders was on a two-way contract, which capped the number of games he could play in the NBA. His new deal is a two-year, minimum-salary contract. with the second season a team option. The 23-year-old Sanders has averaged 7.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 21.5 minutes over 44 games. He’s shooting 45.1/38.5/80.4 from the field for the Clippers, who sold at the trade deadline, which should open more minutes for Sanders. The Clippers are 10th in the Western Conference at 25-27 overall with a five-game lead over Memphis for the last play-in spot.
2. Reno Aces set annual Fan Fest event for March 7
With pitchers and catchers reporting at the major-league level this week, the Reno Aces have set the day for their annual Fan Fest, which will run March 7 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Greater Nevada Field. The event is free to the public and includes a number of fan-friendly events. “We’re excited to welcome our incredible Aces family back to Greater Nevada Field for the 2026 Reno Aces Fan Fest,” Aces president Eric Edelstein said in a news release. “Fan Fest is our first chance of the year to reconnect with our fans, celebrate the return of baseball to Northern Nevada and is a great way to kickstart the year as we get ready for another exciting season of Aces baseball.” The Fan Fest event is presented by News 4 NBC, Fox 11 and Nevada Sports Net.
3. Pack’s Katie Wetteland, Skyler Durley named MW freshmen of week
Nevada softball’s Katie Wetteland and Wolf Pack women’s basketball player Skyler Durley were named Mountain West freshmen of the week in their respective sports. In her college debut, Wetteland hit two home runs and drove in five runs in a win over Illinois. She finished the weekend at the Tiger Classic by hitting .467 as Nevada went 3-2. Meanwhile, Durley tallied 18.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in a pair of losses last week for Wolf Pack women’s basketball. Durley is averaging 11.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists during her freshman season.