And Then, There Was Rice; Comments from Shabazz not positive for Rebs

By Jason Taylor (rebelgrad95)
Rebel Reign Contributor

The hardest part of Lon Kruger’s departure for many UNLV fans was watching the look on the players’ faces.  A few were able to muster responses to the shocking news as other players passed by the cameras in the background, unable, or unwilling to respond.  If there is any animosity toward Kruger amongst fans, much of it would stem from remembering that moment in time… Our boys were crushed. 

In the following days players wondered if they would fit in to an upcoming, unknown system.  Fans wondered who might leave the program, and if the revived hope provided by Kruger, would begin to fade.

Then, there was Dave Rice. 

He came in a few weeks after Kruger’s departure, and not only convinced every single player on the roster to stay, but the freshman head coach formed an all-star assistant coaching staff and began signing new, elite recruits within a few weeks:  Dantly Walker (all time leading NV H.S. scorer), Bryce Jones (Top 100 recruit 2010, USC transfer), Christian Wood (Top 100 recruit, 2013), Katin Reinhardt (Top 100 recruit 2012), and DeQuan Cook, who was high on the UNLV radar for 2012. 

With Rice and company, there is a very real chance that UNLV may sign 1-3 more Top 100 Recruits for 2012.  In fact, the #1 and #7 recruits in the nation, Shabazz Muhammad and Anthony Bennet, still have UNLV on their short-lists.  When is the last time UNLV has been in this position?

There is a renewed “buzz” surrounding the program.  Not a Kruger-style buzz, but a 1990’s Tarkanian-elite program-style buzz.  Rice keeps a check on unrealistic expectations, but in-the-know fans love what they see so far!

How has he done it?  He promised to put the “Runnin” back into the Runnin’ Rebels. 

While that sounds like fun, it raises a few questions.  What does “Runnin” actually mean?  How will it be different?  What types of players are needed?  Does Rice have the right weapons with the current Kruger roster?

Lets take a look at the likely components of a “Runnin” team.

• Quickly identify defensive seams, and attack at first light.
• Guards run the wings looking for quick outlet passes, even on in-bound plays.
• Players have more authority to make decisions based on flow.
• The “Bigs” run the lanes looking for dishes and clean-up work.
• “Offensive Sets” rely on quick lateral movement.
• Guards/Forwards often penetrate and create the “draw and dish”, or finish.
• “Face-up”, or “catch and shoot” jumpers become increasingly important.
• Centers “stretch” their defenders, forcing them to guard away from the basket creating driving lanes.
•  Deep and frequent use of the bench.
• Occasional zone defenses, preserving “offensive legs”.

Many would assert that Kruger looked to “push” the ball as much as possible and create fast breaks, so how is the “new” style really that different?

While it is true that Kruger liked getting out on the fast break, it was usually created after a turnover, rather than after rebounds and made baskets.  Kruger’s success centers heavily on a very good turnover margin.  His teams defend with an intense man-to-man effort, and then maintain control of the ball on the offensive end, running a “safe” offensive set that eventually works the ball into a good shot.

Rice’s offense risks Kruger’s turnover margin, but adds the likelihood of higher average-per-game scores.  Kruger protected the ball with style of play.  Rice will rely more on good decision-making, especially from the guards.  Where Kruger almost always set the offense up, Rice will likely seek any crease or space in the defense and attack or shoot.

The current roster for 2011, with Bryce Jones sitting out under transfer rules, will consist of a team formed 100% by Kruger.   

Will they fit in to Rice’s Run-n-Gun scheme? 

Every single guard could benefit, according to their assets.  Outlet passes will seek out open guards on the run.  Marshall, Bellfield, Hawkins, and Smith all have very, very good speed and are good finishers.  Wallace should benefit because he can find the open spot on the 3-point line and receive the kick-out or swing pass.

Marshall will have more point guard duties and Bellfield will have more time as a shooting guard.  Who is the better shooter of the two?  Bellfield, and he loves face-up jumpers.  Who is the stronger driver with ability to draw defenders? Marshall.  If he is quick to get “the feel”, the Bellfield-Marshall combination should be more potent.

Hawkins scores best at the basket with chaos and contact.  Smith is an all-around athlete with an astronomical vertical - Reports have it measured at well over 40 inches.  This should be fun!

How about the forwards?  Mashour may get a chance to really show his stuff.  If he can play good defense and stay under control he’ll get his playing time because this kid is a shooting, slashing, dunking machine with good mid-to-long range accuracy.  Moser is supposedly a near mirror image of Stanback.  They are smooth shooters and if they are consistent, their mid-range jumpers will seal the “draw and kick” deal.  Rice should love all of these guys.

The “bigs” will be interesting.  The question for Massamba is, “can he get down court fast enough to get playing time?”  Lopez is built for Rice’s offense assuming he continues his development.  We haven’t seen much of it yet, but he actually has some range.  Thomas, like Marshall, with size and strength, can fit into just about any system.  He’ll likely lead the team in rebounds per minute played, by far.  All three are good out to about 15 ft, and they should all get a chance to utilize their jumpers more under Rice.  It wouldn't be surprising to even see Lopez start hitting some 3-pointers this year.

So the question was really answered last spring.  As the players listened to the new system and what it meant for them, they all decided to stay, and it’s easy to see why.  UNLV Basketball is evolving, more than changing.  The players “took the wheel” under Kruger… Now Rice is going to let them put the Pedal To The Metal!

Rice owes Kruger a big "Thanks".  Considering he is a new head coach, could he have found himself in a better situation?

 It should be fast and fun!  See you there!

Comments from Shabazz not positive for Rebs


Sporting news has just published a story that features comments by Shabazz Muhammad regarding where he would like to play. Muhammad is quoted as saying, "Yeah, I think (UCLA) is an option. We've (him and Kyle Anderson) been really talking about that. Pretty much he's like my best friend now, so I'm always hanging around with him. We're just talking about UCLA, what other schools he likes, what other schools I like."

Shabazz Muhammad's list of schools are: Arizona, Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, Memphis, UCLA and UNLV.

Kyle Anderson's list of schools are: Saint John's, Seton Hall, Florida, Georgetown and UCLA.

Nothing is final till its final, but this can't be chalked up to anything other than not-so-positive news for the Rebels...

Sporting News

Story on Muhammad also published on MWC Connection

The addition of rosters, Preliminary observations about rosters, Update of Nevada HS records, Excellent video

Update Sunday noon - Added Christian Wood to 2013-14, Changed Bryce Jones' status (wrongly added a year to his eligibility)


This week’s update is more about changes to the website. This year's 'schedule' page has been fully updated and cleaned up, and all four interviews have archived links in the 'interviews' page. As far as the new pages, you’ll notice right above this there are now pages for the current year roster, as well as predicted rosters for 2012-13, and 2013-14. This is a way to keep track of who will be graduating, and the commitments the Rebels have been making for seasons beyond the current. I’ve found it gets tiring keeping all of the new recruits in your head, hence the ease of roster pages! 

The rosters are set up with hyperlinks to either the UNLV basketball website bio for each player, or in the case of a recruit, a link to information about that player.

Now that I’ve put in the work building the rosters, its time to make some preliminary observations.

#1 – If we don't sign a big-man in the 2012-13 class, we get smaller. UNLV loses interior size after this year with 6’10” Brice Massamba leaving due to graduation. Up to this point, UNLV hasn’t had any big men give verbal commitments for the entering class of 2012-13. Its been reported that the two big-man targets that UNLV has set its sights on are Matt Willms (6’10”)  and Robert Upshaw (6’11”). LV Sun  

It will be especially important to land a commitment from at least one true center to give Carlos Lopez some relief in the new running system. He can’t play the full 40 minutes (nobody can), and we don’t want to be without a true-center on the court for very long – teams with size could take advantage in the paint. 

A new big-man recruit who has a year with Thomas and two years with Lopez will learn a lot and improve his skill set, so the sooner the better. Besides the size issue, we’ll lose Oscar Bellfield and Chace Stanback, who are major pieces of the puzzle as well.

#2 – We lose three key pieces after 2012-13. The pieces are Anthony Marshall, Justin Hawkins, and Quintrell Thomas. Three key guys that will likely account for a decent chunk of the offense this and next season. Remember how happy everyone was that despite the coaching change UNLV only lost two primary players (Willis and Jasper)? This is likely to hurt a little more.

#3 – Major turnover after the 2013-14 season. UNLV will graduate 4 seniors after the season: Carlos Lopez, Karam Mashour, Mike Mosher, and Reggie Smith. All of the upcoming three seasons look highly promising, but anyone would have to concede it will be a little harder losing four players all-at-once.

This new ‘rosters’ feature  will continue to be updated, added to, and enhanced as news and information comes in. Any new commitments will be added as well so you can see what our rosters will look like in the future. Enjoy, and as always, if you have any suggestions please let me know or discuss in the forums.

Update on Nevada High School record books

The Nevada State High School Boys Basketball record books have been updated, and UNLV recruit Dantley Walker appears 27 times in the lists, topping many important categories. I'll not spoil the fun of which ones, please click the link, do a 'control-f' (find), and type Dantley Walker. 

NVHS Records

Watch this video – its fantastic!!

Interview with Jovan "Wink" Adams, Rebels snag Katin Reinhardt

On August 4, 2011 I sat down with Jovan ‘Wink’ Adams and spoke about everything, from coming to UNLV, playing at UNLV, and playing in the pros. Some of the subjects we talked about were his recruitment, the coaching change, memorable games / players, new players on the roster and in the future, playing overseas,  and what’s next for Wink.

RR: So I’m sitting here with Wink Adams. As I recall you came to UNLV from Houston, TX?

WA: Yes sir, close to Pearland Texas, suburb near Houston.

RR: And you went to private high school?

WA: I actually went to two high schools. My first year I played, made the team, but coach didn’t play me, I wasn’t getting minutes. So I ended up quitting basketball my freshman year and ended up joining the band, I was in the band for a year.

RR: Really, what instrument did you play?

WA: I played the Tuba, it’s kind of my hidden talent (laughs).

RR: In more of a orchestra setting or something else?

WA: Marching band, also jazz band. I love it, man its kind of my hidden talent. Not many people know about it. I love it. So I did that my freshman year, then I transferred to another school and played basketball two years there. Then I went to a prep school that a lot of guys I knew went to, they said there would be a lot of exposure. It was kind of the best thing for me, when I was playing at the 4 year high school I was only getting interest from a lot of junior colleges. I actually committed to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, they were my first letter. My coach told me to go to prep school and I would get some better colleges offering. First I didn’t want to do it, then I just went for it and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. My name just skyrocketed after ABC camp in New Jersey, with a whole lot of colleges seeing me. They got to see me play the point and I got to be the #2 ranked point guard in the country.

RR: Your height is 6’0”, when did you peak out in height in high school?

WA: It was late, like my sophomore or junior year. In 8^th grade I was 5’7” or 5’8”. I just stayed that height until my junior year. I grew a little then. I wore the shoes with the big soles on them to be a little taller. When I got to 6’0” I knew I wouldn’t go anymore, but I’ve always been a wide-shouldered big guy. Football was my first thing, and basketball kind of came along. I picked that up for my mother, and its something I stuck with.

RR: So if you weren’t playing point guard, what would you play?

WA: Two guard (shooting guard) was my main position otherwise. A lot of colleges wanted to put me at two. I played a lot of two guard at UNLV.

RR: You were ranked the #2 point guard, #19^th overall regardless of position, coming out of prep school, and you were Coach Kruger’s first and probably best recruit…

WA: Yeah, it’s kind of funny how that worked out. When you’re ranked that high on Rivals.com, those guys always want you to go to the top-five schools. The top five was UCONN, Florida, Alabama State, Okalahoma, and Arkansas.

RR: A lot of those, with the exception of UCONN were in the south, and you’d be familiar with them being from Houston?

WA: Right, growing up you would see them on TV all the time, big time schools. But for some reason, since I was a kid I always wanted to come to UNLV. My first hat, my first jacket was all UNLV, back when Larry Johnson was playing. He actually came to big-time tournament, and I asked my coach about UNLV, and it just so happened he knew Coach Lew Hill. I remember they watched me play in an AAU game, and that whole game I zoned out and had 36-38 points. When I went home I got my first letter from UNLV, and I told my mother – I know exactly where I want to go. UNLV jumped right to the top of my list, everyone was shocked.

RR: So did you have to decommit from Cal Poly?

WA: Yeah, I actually decommitted when I made the decision to go to prep school. UNLV wasn’t recruiting me at first, until I asked about them. It worked out for the best.

RR: So the relationship of your AAU coach with Lew Hill was good, but you’d have to answer ultimately to Lon Kruger, the head coach – how did that relationship get started?

WA: When I spoke with Coach Kruger, he just kept it honest with me. He expected me to perform, to be a scorer, do what I’m doing. I liked what he had going on, a new coach, new coaching staff, rebuilding the program – I just wanted to be a part of that. When he offered the scholarship, I jumped right on it.

RR: Freshman year at UNLV, you actually played significant minutes at UNLV, how was that?

WA: I started at point guard, and I was nervous. I was so nervous, my first shot was a three pointer off the backboard. I had like 8 points and 6 turnovers. Coach told me you got to slow down, let the game come to me. You just have to get into your comfort zone. After awhile he saw me scoring a lot, he pulled me to the side and said, you are a scoring point guard, so we’ll start you at the two. Playing the two was real comfortable for me, and once he did that I had no problems.

RR: You got to post-season play (NCAA or NIT) three out of the four years you were at UNLV, would you consider the most significant would be the sweet sixteen season?

WA: Right, that was my sophomore year (2006-07).

RR: Even though you guys got to the NIT the last one, you play a real tough team in Kentucky – at Kentucky.

WA: Boy, you know, we were excited to play those guys. Throughout the season you see teams on TV but you never know who you’re going to play tournament time. Kentucky, the way they play, it was a hostile tournament environment – and that’s exactly what it was. Everything they got going on, big time program…

RR: They never-not make the tournament.

WA: Never not make the tournament, it was exciting playing them, playing against a top program, it was big.

RR: Because you guys had so much success most of the time, what do you think, looking back now, made things click? How were you guys able to be so successful so consistently?

WA: You know, we had one of  the smallest teams. Joe Darger played 5 some of the time, and he was only 6’7”. My whole time at UNLV we stretched defense, just guarding guys, using advantages, getting out, running – just being bulldogs out there. That’s how we practiced, that’s how we played. I think our defense was the big time thing. When we’re in the gym and preseason doing a lot of conditioning and running. Every team we played saw our size, and it was our defense that did it.

RR: Among the coaching staff, was it all Coach Kruger, or who architected the defense?

WA: I think all of  them did, every coach had something. Coach Kruger was the operational guy, he knew defense, he knew the game – he said something you’d listen. Hensen was more on shooting, he’s one of the best shooters I’ve ever seen, he can really shoot the ball. He’d take us through drills during practice, constantly shoot. Coach Hill, was coaching our big men, teaching them down low moves, everything. Coach Grensing, he’s the yeller. No matter what, you’d hear him yelling something on the sidelines. Jason Kabo – strength and conditioning, he does a great job, he’s one of the best in the country. He’s behind the scenes but he makes it all happen. He breaks everyone’s workout down individually, nobody does the same workout. He breaks it down for your body, one by one. That’s why everyone was so successful during those years, I give a lot to Jason Kabo.

RR: Do you still consult with Coach Kabo?

WA: Oh yeah, even though I’m not there anymore. He still helps me out to create a program. He just wants to help people out, and he does a great job.

RR: As far as your time at UNLV besides the tournament runs, do you have any games that are particularly memorable to you. Do you relive them, not because you made a mistake, but the good times?

WA: I think, off the top of my head, the TCU game my junior year. Those guys shot 17-19 during the MWC tournament in the first round. Those guys shot the lights out, and it came down to the wire. I think with about 5 seconds left I got the ball and got an and-1, and it was crazy. That game, I still watch it and it gives me goose bumps, I watch it all the time. To see a team shoot that well, 17 for 19 is amazing. I still don’t know how we won that game.

RR: That’s nearly 90%.

WA: Yeah, they shot the ball ridiculous; I still don’t know how we won that game to this day. Biggest game I ever played in.

RR: Is there any matchup with other players you encountered during your collegiate career – that was the best matchup you ever had. I’m not taking about people you dominated, but they pushed you to be better. Like, for example, Tre’von had Jimmer.

WA: I think I had a couple. My freshman year, I think Brandon Heath (SDSU) was one of the best scorers ever in the Mountain West. Playing against him, you learn a lot. When you play against be best, you learn more. Brandon Ewing (Wyoming) was another. J.R. Giddens (New Mexico), there was a lot of guys who played in the conference who were tough matchups and pushed me, it was a battle day in and day out to play against those guys. If I could do it all over again, I’d do it.

RR: Is there anybody looking back, knowing what you know now, you could have bested them? They may have had your number back then but now you feel you could take him?

WA: Back then, Jimmer. When we played against him he was young, you could tell he was going to be good, but not player of the year good. When we played him, he’d score 15-16 points. I think if we played him the way he played this year, who knows.

RR: You had to deal with Lee Cummard, Jonathan Tavernari.

WA: Trent Plaisted too, they had a tough team. We couldn’t beat them at home.

RR: When the team traveled out for tournaments, there was a lot of hoopla, like a bowl game. Is there anything memorable and special you remember about those tournaments?

WA: I think, the most exciting part was seeing where you’re going to play, selection Sunday, seeing where and who you’re going to play. That’s the best thing. When you actually get there, its an incredible vibe. You have fans from everywhere, different teams, cameras, playing on a neutral court, the whole tournament itself is an exciting time to play.

RR: What about the seeding, UNLV normally has been placed in 8/9 seeds, does that kind of stuff fade to the back because theoretically, any team 1-64 theoretically has a shot to win the whole thing?

WA: I think my junior year we were in that range, junior year, 8-9 seed. Sophomore were 29 and 6, and we got a 8 seed. We thought we were going to get a four seed because we were one of the best teams in the country. When we got the eight seed, a lot of people were disappointed thinking we would be seeded better. When we played Georgia Tech and Wisconsin, both good teams, Wisconsin was a 2 seed, we just made the most of it. At the beginning of the year Coach Kruger said, we could be one of the last sixteen teams playing – and we actually did it. I tell people, if he had said “we could be one of the last eight” we could have made it to the elite eight (laughs).

RR: Even though you’re from Houston, have you made Las Vegas your home? Even though you’re playing international basketball.

WA: I live here now, my wife, she’s actually from here. We just bought a house in Centennial. I love being here, being a part of the program, going to the alumni meetings. This is definitely my home.

RR: After UNLV you went to Turkey. What was the name of your pro-club?

WA: Olek Unow, it was 2 hours away from Istanbul.

RR: How did you feel about the experience?

WA: I was excited to go, my first time playing overseas. If it had been Africa, I’d been excited to go. When I got there, it was a culture change. Women were covered up, you would walk through the streets and soldiers were out with big guns. At one point I was kind of nervous not knowing what would happen. It was a good experience. It’s a Muslim country so five times a day they have the bullhorns throughout the whole city, the call to prayer. Its so loud, me and one of my teammates who was there in his first year as well, it came on and (laughs) we were nervous, didn’t know what was happening, we were scared out of our head. Coach told us what was happening, we got used to it, it was a good experience.

RR: Before playing overseas, you played summer league?

WA: Yes, it was the New York Knicks, at the Las Vegas summer league.

RR: How does it work, when you aren’t drafted but you get onto a summer league team?

WA: The team can just pick you up. My agent called me and told me the Knicks want to pick you up for the summer league, and I signed a contract for summer league. When I got that news, it was great news. When I first came to UNLV for summer league, it was great – fans were built in.

RR: After the summer league, did you have the option to go to the NBA D-League as opposed to going to Turkey?

WA: Yeah, I did, but the money was a big issue.

RR: Doesn’t the NBADL pay like $50k a year?

WA: No, in the 6 months I played in it, it paid only like $13k. The players I know who have played in it are like, man, I’m not doing that again. If you’re going to settle for D-league you might as well work a 9-5, make more money doing that.

RR: After Turkey, you did played D-League ball with Tulsa?

WA: Right, I finished the season with them, we played in the championship but lost to Rio Grande.

RR: And then the Sioux Falls Skyforce?

WA: I also played in Belgium. While I was there I got drafted by the D-league. I wanted to come back and play basketball in America so badly that I left Belgium and played for the Skyforce in South Dakota.

RR: Besides the pay issue with the D-league, what was your overall impression? Level of competition, focus on getting you ready for the NBA?

WA: I think some teams are actually owned by NBA teams, so Tulsa was owned by Okalahoma City, and a lot of things they do are different from other D-League teams. A lot of guys from OKC who get drafted but are not playing, they got sent to play with us, which is always a good thing.

RR: Did you find the competition was better in Turkey or Belgium vs. the D-League?

WA: No, I thought the D-league had better competition. You had ex-pros, people who have played in the NBA, former big-time players from college.

RR: Did your European teams ever get a chance at the Eurobasket championship over there?

WA: No, the two teams I played for were always in the middle of the pack. I haven’t had the chance to play for a title team yet, but hopefully in the future.

RR: Is the pay respectable over there?

WA: Yes, and they pay you cash.

RR: Something I’ve read, and I don’t know if its merely isolated to the Greek teams, but given the global economic situation, I hear that on some European teams players don’t sometime get paid, checks don’t cash?

WA: Oh yeah, a lot of teams in Greece. They offer you a lot of money but can’t pay it. I had a friend. AJ Abrams who played for Texas, he played in Greece for 6 months and only received one check. He said he had to leave, man they were giving him $200 here and there, enough to eat. He said he couldn’t do it. When I was in Turkey, the team that Deron Williams is going to, people who I know on that team, they were always late on payment too. That’s why I was surprise he signed with them, and that there was talk of Kobe going there too.

RR: Because of the NBA lockout, do you expect a lot of NBA players coming over and playing with you or on opposing teams?

WA: Yeah, a lot of the teams I knew and played against have players now. Sasha Vujacic is recently signed on. A lot of have NBA or ex-NBA guys. I know I’ll play against at least a couple guys.

RR: I think I read in the RJ article that you’ve given up hope on the NBA dream?

WA: Yeah, well I mean, if it happens, it happens. You get older, and every year only 15-30 spots open in the NBA and there’s 2000-3000 players trying to get them. The odds are against you at all times. When you have the opportunity you have to take advantage of it. If it happens, it happens. Right now my whole thing is to try and make the money before my career is over.

RR: Is there any countries that you wouldn’t play for? A lot of people now are playing in China, maybe Kobe too?

WA: I would love to go to China, it has the best market overseas. They have the most money and they can afford to pay players what they’re worth, and you know its going to pay on time. China, aside from the NBA, have some of the better known leagues. A lot of NBA players, even when there wasn’t a lockout, they left the NBA to go to China and make the same type of money. China is a great place. Definitely open to it.

RR: How do you get hooked up with the international teams?

WA: Usually how it works it you have an agent in America, and his company has a company they work with in Europe, and they have their own agents. So really you have a agent in America, and one in Europe. The European agent is marketing you, and when he find a team that wants you, he talks to the American agent, who talks to me.

RR: Do they have a highlight tape of you that they send?

WA: Yeah, they have some film. I think every agent has his main business somewhere. One agent may have contacts more in Germany, someone might have connections somewhere else like Italy, Turkey, but not in Germany – so that how it is. Agents are a lot about who you know.

RR: You’re done with the D-league right, not going back?

WA: Never.

RR: From the teams you’ve played on at UNLV, you still keep up with your former teammates?

WA: Oh yeah I still work out with Marcus Lawrence, Scott Hoffman, Curtis Terry, a lot of the guys. I think we kind of drawn to each other, we’ve been through it all, the good times and the bad. We all kind of look out for each other.

RR: I’ve read some about your interest in coaching, and you were close to coaching at Centennial high school.

WA: Yes, they actually hired me. I was out there in the summer time doing some work. I felt like putting the ball down for a little while and trying coaching. When you’ve been playing for so long, its kind of hard to decide to just stop playing. I’ve stayed in shape, and my agent has come to me once in a while and asked if I wanted to keep playing, and I was open to it. When the time came, I just decided I couldn’t put the ball down yet.

RR: Speaking of keeping in shape, you’ve already played one pickup game this morning at Dula Recreation center, and you have a few more?

WA: I’ll play another at 2pm at UNLV open gym, and then another at 5:45 at Valley High school.  That’s a normal day for me. That’s how I keep in game shape. I come over here in the morning and play. Me and a friend we’ll go to UNLV and put up about 500 shots, and do some running on the track. Got to get a workout, eat, breath, and sleep basketball. I get to the gym by 9am, run on the treadmill, play with those guys, do it all day.

RR: Ever play over at Impact basketball academy?

WA: I have before, when I first came out before I went to Turkey. It’s a good program, they do a lot of things over there and have a lot of great players come over. Nationwide, a lot of guys flock to it and love to workout over there, so it’s a good thing.

RR: Obviously, you’re who career was under Coach Kruger, what did you think about his leaving?

WA: I didn’t think he was going to leave, but once again – money issue. I think his deal, who could turn it down, it’s a no-brainer. I think Coach Rice came for the love of the program. I don’t think he’s getting as much as Coach Kruger was, he played for the Rebels. Once you play for the school, you feel like you’re a part of the program so I feel that Coach Rice coming is good for the program. He is the first coach who has played here who actually coached here. They’ve brought back Stacey Augmon and brought in Justin Hutson and Heath Schroyer, it’s a great program and things are going well. Coach Kruger did a good job, and Coach Rice is going to build on top of that.

RR: You’ve played pickup games at UNLV, and you’ve played with a lot of the current players, since a lot of people haven’t seen the new guys play – what do you think of Mike Moser?

WA: Oh man, Mike is going to be really good. I think he’s a great outside player like a Matt Shaw. He’s a big man who can step out, and its hard to defend him. He can put it on the floor, shoot it, rebound. He’s long and athletic. He’s going to be a big key to the program this year. All the guys, everyone is working hard. Anthony Marshall, he’s playing through the roof right now. He’s getting bigger, stronger, shooting the ball well. Chace, all of those guys are working hard this summer so I can see them having a good season.

RR: Have you played much with Reggie Smith?

WA: Yeah, Reggie’s one of the most athletic 5’10” guards I’ve ever seen. This guy can throw it down, he can jump, shoot it, put it on the floor. And he can defend which is very important. Reggie plays good defense and the knows the game. Its going to be a big-time backcourt with him.

RR: Do you think he can fill Bellfield or Marshall’s shoes when he graduates?

WA: Yes, he’s doing well. Reggie brings a piece they need, a guard that can defend, play the passing lanes, defend around the rim – so that’ll be big.

RR: You’ve built a relationship with recent signee Dantley Walker?

WA: Yeah.

RR: I’ve spoke with Greg Walker, Dantley’s father, and they spoke about the great influence you had on Dantley. How did that relationship start?

WA: A friend of their family, works at the bank with my mother-in-law. She invited us to a game, said I want you to come see. I came to the game and the whole team ran to me and asked for autographs. I was like, these are pretty cool people. I watched him play, and I was like – UNLV needs him. He can see the floor, and shoot it. He’s like Jimmer, but not as big. He can handle the ball, shoot it, he’s crafty with the ball – everything Jimmer does, he does. When he decided that he wanted to go to UNLV, said that I and Kevin Kruger were his favorite Rebels. From that day, we’ve just had a great relationship, text him all the time. This past 4^th of July I played in a 3 on 3 tournament with him, and we won it. He’s become like a little brother to me, always texting and calling. I love the kid, he’s going to be a big part of UNLV in 2 years, and I’ll definitely come watch him play.

RR: I ask players what kind of shoes they play in – what do you prefer?

WA: I think, as far as just waking around in, love the Nike Air Force One shoes. To play in, I love Nikes, Adidas, no preference. Just depends on how the shoe is made. I don’t like light shoes, I’m a heavy set guy so I like the heavy shoes. The pro model Adidas. I’ve played in Jordans, I’ve played in all Nikes.

RR: That’s partially determined by the team?

WA: In college, UNLV was a Nike team, so it was Nike shoes and I kind of got used to it. Back in AAU ball it was Adidas. When I used to the Nikes, I loved them.

RR: How far do you think the Rebels can go in the foreseeable future?

WA: I think in the next two or three years, definitely see at least the second round, sweet sixteen. They’re getting some guys in there that are great, and the Coaches they have can recruit the pieces they need. Once they put it all together, they will be an up and down team. I think they’ll go pretty far in the tournament once it’s put together and on the same page. Defense, practice, and work hard builds a good team.

RR: What’s next for you now?

WA: I’m leaving this Saturday to go play basketball in Switzerland. As soon as I get there, there will be a training camp, and then the first game will be on the 15^th. That’s why I’m working out so much, getting ready for it. Switzerland should be good, a bit more Americanized than say, Turkey or some other places. It’ll be fun.

RR: Well everyone wishes you much success.

WA: Thanks.

Also published at the MWC Connection

Rebels snag Katin Reinhardt

Coach Rice and Staff secured a significant player in Katin Reinhardt. While there was a lot of talk from Reinhardt in the papers about Coach Rice telling he would have the freedom that Jimmer had when Rice was at BYU, I think Reinhardt is a much different player than Jimmer. 


Although I've not seen Reinhardt play in person, from watching the youtube footage I'm seeing some excellent passing that reminds me of first - Jason Williams (ala Sacramento Kings days), secondly a Steve Nash or Deron Williams type. 


Nonetheless, excellent pickup for our Rebels. Likely more pieces to this championship puzzle lie ahead. Welcome to UNLV. 

Update on Dantley Walker's Mission

Recently received an update from Greg Walker, Dantley's father. 


Dantley is now at the Missionary Training Center. They dropped him off on Wednesday morning, August 3rd, in Provo, Utah. He'll head to Spokane on August 22nd. 


Wink Adams and Dantley recently played in a 3-on-3 tournament together on July 4th and won it. Dantley also won the 3 point contest by hitting 23 in one minute in the championship round. 


Best of luck to Dantley over these next two years!

Interview with James Dean Leavitt - University Regent

On August 3^rd, 2011 University Regent James Dean Leavitt sat down with me for an interview. The topics we discussed were the coaching search / selection, UNLV Now stadium project, funding in general, TV package, conference changes, and ticket prices.

RR: Obviously your focus as a University Regent is academics and athletics over the eight member institutions in Nevada, but for the purpose of this interview I want to talk to you about UNLV Basketball, and other subjects as they relate to UNLV Basketball,  just saying this so people don’t forget you work on and for a lot of other really important things as well.

JDL: That’s correct, seven academic institutions, and the Desert Research Institute.

RR: As a regent, were you shocked that Coach Kruger left and took the Oklahoma job?

JDL: I was surprised that he left, that being said it is a wonderful opportunity for Dave Rice. Coach Kruger did a lot of things well but I don’t think he was a significant recruiter for us, he made the effort but just didn’t deliver a lot of high-powered recruits; let’s face it – coaching is one thing and talent is another, and you certainly have to have both to be a top-20 program.

RR: Providing that he didn’t leave, an obvious hypothetical, and he had time left on his contract, he would have been renewed as long as his salary demand didn’t go higher?

JDL: He would have been renewed, obviously with the economic situation we couldn’t pay him more, but he was successful enough to be renewed. There is the dilemma, do you put someone else in who could possibly done more, I don’t know the answer to that question, but I believe he would have been renewed.

RR: One of the things I noticed about the selection process, you guys as regents (some of you) were present for some of the interviews.

JDL: I was present for 3 of the 4 interviews, I was briefly present for the Ernie Kent interview, but I couldn’t stay for it. Jim Livengood and Neil Smatresk was there for all four.

RR: It seemed a little unusual for the regents to be a part of the interview process, was it unusual, or was it part of the plan?

JDL: You know what, I was asked to participate and happy to do so. We had a new president in Neil Smatresk and even newer AD in Livengood, so I think they wanted to be comfortable with multiple points of view representing the community. I invited Kevin Page, a UNLV alumni to participate and he joined me for 3 of 4 interviews as well, so it was the four of us.

RR: As far as the interviews went, who was tasked with asking the questions, or was it roundtable?

JDL: It was led by Jim Livengood, I was more of an observer, I gave my opinion if asked. Its ultimately is the A.D.’s decision who to recommend in consultation with the president. Certainly I was consulted and I appreciated being a part of the process. I was clear and they were clear that it was the Athletic Director’s decision – and that’s the way it should be.

RR: As far as who was put in the final four, and who was under consideration, did salary ever figure into the decision? Was it an up-front thing, salary demand?

JDL: I can’t recall if the range was specified or not, I certainly know in each of the interviews a range was discussed. We knew we were not going to have to pay the same for someone coming in that Lon Kruger was commanding, but the decision was based on who was right for program. The money was secondary. Certainly you may have to pay someone like Ernie Kent perhaps more who has been a head coach more than a Dave Rice, but the marketplace is competitive, each of the four individuals very much wanted to come here and build the program. The decision of who would be interviewed was entirely Jim Livengood’s decision, I had no involvement in who the finalists would be.

RR: What is the current status of UNLV Now, the on-campus stadium project?

JDL:  We were hoping to get some financing legislation passed out of the legislature this past session, we were not successful in doing so, nor were any of the other stadium projects. That being said, we’re still moving forward, certainly majestic reality is moving forward. We’re hopeful that we can put a plan together that can move forward without the financing legislation. It could be that two years from now we go back to the legislature to get what we would view as the final piece necessary. In the past we were looking for the legislation and then do steps B,C,D. Now were at steps B,C,D and not waiting for the legislature. They didn’t do what we were hopeful they would. It’s certainly possible we’ll be back to the legislature after we are well into the project, and chances might increase then.

RR: Is there any indication why the legislation failed?

JDL: It was the end of the session, things were rushed. We were there, we were prepared. We were disappointed that the legislative leadership were not able to give it the time and attention it needed. The end of a session is rushed and hurried…

RR: Big budget problems this year…

JDL: We could argue that this could have been heard much earlier in the session,  but there was a decision made by the powers that be, not going to name names, and it was pushed off to the very end. In essence they just ran out of time. Our entire team was there till midnight the last 3-4 days of the session trying to get what we needed to accomplish. We were frustrated, it was visible. We had done our homework and prepared and were not given what was needed to get it to the floor.

RR: So, it didn’t make it out of committee?

JDL: Yes, it gets frustrating. At the end of the day you want your legislation to be considered on their merits and when it doesn’t get to be heard, it’s frustrating, you don’t feel democracy is well served.

RR: Did you have assemblymen and senators sponsoring the bill?

JDL: We did, we had Sen. Al Horsford sponsoring and leading the effort. You’re hopeful if it’s still needed two years from now… In some ways you could argue it’s a blessing in disguise. Anytime you’re looking for assistance from the State, you have issues because the public is always sensitive of these issues (taxes). All were trying to do, is create a tax increment district, in essence, blocking out the four corners of UNLV, and say look – any sales tax, and land tax, any of the usual taxes that would be paid, let us keep those, let’s not have those revert to the city, county, or state. It seemed like a very reasonable proposal, but that being said we’ll have to figure out a way to support the project without it, and it will be a challenge. Majestic and Ed Roski are confident, and have the experience to back it up. Ed is an incredible and honorable guy, and a guy with deep pockets. I’m still optimistic.

RR: My basic understanding of the project, it would be a dual use facility – the main centerpiece of it would be football on campus, but also for basketball with larger capacity than the T&M. 40-50k for football, 20-25k for basketball?

JDL: Yes, we’ve seen some beautiful state-of-the-art renderings for the design, and it’s impressive. A lot of the support for athletic programs is from substantial private giving, and there’s a link between the two, so there are constraints that are ever present.

RR: The need for the on-campus stadium, “UNLV Now,” isn’t it primarily driving by the need for football stadium on campus?

JDL: Oh there’s no question, it’s tough to run a good football program at Sam Boyd Stadium. Sam Boyd Stadium is suitable, but it is not the most desirable location. It’s in a very south-east location of the city, and to some extent it excludes people on the west side of town who don’t want to put in the extra driving. That being said there is only 5 home games this year, as opposed to the normal 6. I think if you have football on campus stadium it will generate excitement, it’s something that hasn’t ever been there for UNLV.

RR: Because the plan has a dual use stadium, is there any problem with the T&M, should we be concerned with the T&M if UNLV Now fails to produce the stadium?

JDL: I think T&M is fine, I think it needs a little retrofitting and a little modernization. We’ve done some things, a different cooling system a few years ago. It’s still an outstanding facility, and I’m always amused when people think there’s something wrong with it. It’s the second highest grossing facility in the country after Madison Square Garden. This is Las Vegas, and people kind of  expect the best here, and what better place to put a state-of-the-art stadium then right on that corner where every plane that lands, you look out and you see something that says “UNLV “naming rights”  be it Microsoft or whomever, from the plane or driving in. Naming rights are huge, and with the location that could be a $100 million deal.

RR: Speaking capacity, I know they’re not in the MWC anymore but BYU built the Marriott Center which holds about 23,000, is there the need to compete with capacity? Is there a concern we’re losing out edge on being the biggest and well attended?

JDL: I’m not so sure about the difference between what we have now and the Marriott Center. I think there’s an optimal size. One thing we haven’t talked about is that we’re discussing the possibility of bringing in an NBA or NHL franchise. So, as far as what happened in the legislature, we were going down one path and had a fairly clear idea, but because we didn’t get what we needed we’ve re-met as a group and explored every possibility and instead of going in a linear order we’re more flexible. A NBA franchise would have been a ways down the road, but we’re exploring it now. Naming rights would have been down the road – we’re exploring it now. Housing, dormitories, we’re exploring it now. Maybe we can’t do it the way we wanted, maybe we have to do it the exact opposite, such as building everything and then building the stadium. There’s been a lot of brainstorming accomplished. I'm expecting update in a week or two in terms of where UNLV is at as well as Majestic.

RR: Does the UNLV Now plan include razing the T&M, or does it stay?

JDL: The plan is it stays, and its retrofitted and becomes a place where, for example, maybe the women’s games are played there. It still would be used for a variety of functions. I don’t think there is any way until the new stadium is built to tell what exactly its used for. You can put $20-30 million dollars into the T&M and have a fantastic venue.

RR: With a dual use stadium, and I’m familiar with the land, you would take part of Swenson and the whole area (which is partly airport land) would become a stadium. With all the capital improvements that have already been accomplished and parking-land grabs to accomplish those feats, where will parking be located?

JDL: Parking will be very important, there will be several multi-level parking facilities built for this, it’s the only way to accomplish it. 4-10 story buildings but very attractive in appearance, built into the project. We’ve run out of horizontal space, so we have to go vertical. We only have so much real estate. You keep developing this great place of real estate, it’s close to the strip and its basically in the center of the city. You can get to campus from about 30 minutes from any part of town.

RR: UNLV hasn’t really built major athletic facilities since the T&M was built in the 80’s…

JDL: Yes, there hasn’t been a lot.  We refurbished the Bucky Buchanan Natatorium (pool) a few years back, of course we’re building the practice facility, the Mendenhall Center should be ready late-fall and really looking forward to the grand opening of that, what a recruiting tool that will be for Coach Rice. We’re really excited about it. At the end of the day, you’ve got to know how to coach but you still have to get to the players. You can turn a B player into an A, a C player into a B player, but you can’t turn a C player into an A player, so you need the talent to be competitive. Dave Rice understands recruiting, he gets a lot of credit and certainly deserves it for Jimmer Fredette. He wasn’t a highly touted recruit out of high school, out of New York, but he stayed through his senior year and got much better under Coach Rice.

RR: Back to UNLV Now, what do you think the chances are that shovels actually touch the ground?

JDL: Could be within 1-2 years, chances are still very high. You have very committed people, the board is really high on it. President Smatresk is really excited. Majestic Reality is a really good partner with the expertise and funding in land development. They are searching for capital and doing everything that needs to be done in planning a project of this scope. If you compare us to California or states with a ton of regulation, it’s not nearly as hard to get it done here. We’re well on our way and don’t anticipate any insurmountable obstacle.

RR: It comes down to money.

JDL: Its money, but more important the collective will of the city is behind the project. It’s not 100%, but if you compare it to Harrah’s / Caesars / Downtown, there is a lot more. The core of alumni and people like myself who have adopted UNLV as our university, and were just as passionate about it. The UNLV foundation board are made of the ‘movers and shakers’ and even though very few of them actually attended UNLV.

RR: Historically, that’s  the way it’s been…

JDL: Right, and they’ve adopted the university and are excited.

RR: UNLV has been lacking in RAF fund contributions, not in terms of total dollars, but the number of donors has been low – near bottom in the MWC for quite some time. Do you have any ideas on how to change it?

JDL: It’s the responsibility of the athletic director. Winning helps, and that produces donations. But Jim Livengood's job to go out there to talk to each and every booster, and get alumni to join it. He works closely with the alumni association. We have to increase the size of the gifts as well as the number. Even if you get a little bit from a lot of people, that adds up. Let’s say you have a guy who gives $100 a year, as his income increases maybe in 2 years its $500 a year, and then in a few more $1000. You can’t focus always on the big gifts, it’s a combination. He has multiple departments to manage, and at the same time he has a huge fundraising responsibility. Bill Bolt, who is the chancellor for development and the president Neil Smatresk, they also help. There are a lot of people who want to give to athletics. That’s what’s great about the university; it brings a lot of people together.

RR: Do you know who sets the prices and the donor levels for the season tickets?

JDL: Yes, that’s strictly the AD, to a lesser extent the administrative directors.

RR: With the recession, which as especially hard on Las Vegas – has there been any fundraising challenges with that?

JDL: You have supply and demand, and certainly if you don’t have the people needed to fill up the stadium, then you have to price yourselves competitively. They factor those things in, they are not clear answers so you have to make judgments.  The excess money goes to support the program. This is in large part a blue-collar town, and you want to be accessible and understand the fact that incomes are strained right now, and it’s a public institution. The market determines a lot of those things.

RR: Are you satisfied with the TV package as far as the coverage football and basketball gets. It seems to me in terms of at least basketball, there are still games not being featured on TV?

JDL: I don’t think anyone is satisfied with the package. There are efforts made, and they get revisited almost on an annual basis. You get in there, and you try to market the best you can. A lot of people were critical of Mike Hammrick for some of the contracts he entered into. Last year, there was a lot of changing of teams conference to conference. BYU didn’t think they were treated fairly; all of a sudden they are independent. Utah believed they would get more money by joining the PAC 10. TCU, same thing. There were a lot of moving parts last year. This year we have Boise State coming in, next year UNR. You have to on be on TV. Certainly players like Shabazz and the other top recruits, if they’re aren’t on TV then how do they increase their exposure, so that’s what concerns me almost as much as anything. Let’s face it, if you are a star athlete you want to be seen on ABC, CBS, ESPN, and you don’t get on there as often. Wouldn’t want Shabazz to think, I’ll be seen 20 times on national TV at Kansas, only 6 times at UNLV. But, regardless of school, when you’re winning you get shown on national TV and the networks have provisions so that they can adjust to that.

RR: Obviously because of all the moves there was never any talk of UNLV leaving the MWC?

JDL: None that I’m aware of.

RR: How do you feel about these additions, especially UNR.

JDL: Its really exciting, the board set a policy a long time ago to try to get our flagship institutions into the same conference. I think it’s going to make the rivalry more meaningful because it impacts what place you finish in the conference. Right now UNLV has the edge in basketball, but UNR has the edge in football. I think it’s good for the State and rivalries are important. I’m concerned that we’ve lost BYU and Utah because they were good rivalries that generated a lot of income. I’m sure that UNR and Boise State will be comparable in certain respects. The MWC I believe will be stronger for the additions. BYU had a great run this year in basketball, but for a couple shots, who knows, they could have gone deeper in the tournament. It is a big loss of Utah and BYU that we couldn’t keep them in the conference, but they both did what they felt was in their best interests. I’m kind of interested to see how Utah will do in the PAC-12. It’s all exciting and football is right around the corner.

RR: A lot of schools count on football driving athletics, given the lack of recent success of UNLV in football how does that translate to finance?

JDL: Definitely, and it’s a challenge. When we talk about increasing funding for higher education there’s not a lot of support of that, and even less for athletics. Certainly there are a lot of tax payers who have a hard time justifying the expenditure. I don’t think that clash will ever go away. There are not that many programs in the country that operate in the black, but that’s the goal. I know Jim Livengood’s goal is to have athletics self-sustaining, and the future in our state is less and less support, but that’s the trend across the country. As the economic maintains its flat trajectory, it’s going to remain largely private donations. TCU has done very well, but they’re in the minority.

RR: Is it particularly difficult at UNLV because football isn’t driving things?

JDL: We’ll sure because bottom line, there is less money. There would be less gate receipts. We’re not anywhere near selling out (football) games. Fortunately or unfortunately, you have to win to get people into the stands. You can give away tickets, but you have to have a competitive product people want to see. Chicken and egg scenario. Certainly a new stadium won’t change things overnight, but it may very well help with recruiting. That was the emphasis behind the Mendenhall Center, helps with recruiting and player development.

RR: Going back to the naming rights, are there any restrictions on renaming the T&M and getting that windfall?

JDL: The existing relationship with the Thomas and Mack families, who helped build the facility, it’s very difficult to change it. They gave us those commitments, and you don’t want to undo the goodwill that was built.

RR: So the name of T&M won’t be changed?

JDL: No, for example I spoke with Bill Boyd when we considered moving the football stadium (UNLV), which is called Sam Boyd Stadium. They understand that things don’t stay the same forever. The name of the new stadium in the face of the old, are sensitive discussions. If you have a $600-700 million dollar project, and you can get 10%+ of it paid, that helps a lot.

RR: Let’s talk some fun, beside the hard work as a regent what’s the perks and fun stuff you do?

JDL: I think it’s the access, I get to meet and work with some of the most powerful people and incredible in the state, the social events,  the academic events, the cultural events, being surrounded by faculty, students, very invigorating. My profession is being a criminal defense attorney, and I get to represent one client at a time, but it’s like working in a vacuum working with the same judges and attorneys all the time, so it’s a great change from that world. We are given two tickets to the games, and certainly access to the box, but those are the only financial perks. You spend a lot of time serving the citizens, we only get paid $80 per meeting, so in a given year that’s about $2500, which for me is a day in the office. You don’t do it for the money, but anything you put your heart and soul into is extremely rewarding. Any type of civic commitment, but there is no greater cause then education of course, it’s the solution to all of our problems, scientists, engineers, doctors, and lawyers that help make up civilized society. Huge honor to be on the board, and I just finished my second year as chairman of the board. I’m now reassigned to chairman of health sciences. That’s a very exciting project as well. For me, just the ability to influence so many people, and to be involved with hiring chancellors, presidents, athletics directors, coaches, it’s amazing. Over the last two years I’ve been given extraordinary opportunities and it was well worth it.

RR: Those two tickets, how good are they?

JDL: They’re on the floor, not particularly good tickets. The box is fun, you get to socialize it. The closer you get the more exciting it is, especially in basketball. Same with football, boxes are nice to entertain guests and donors, have a drink, but there’s nothing like being close to the field.

RR: Wrapping the interview up, what’s something people don’t already know that you’re excited about or looking forward to?

JDL: Hard to answer it, but something people may not know, is over the past six years we’ve worked hard to keep the board elected. There was several efforts, one by Chris Giunchigliani and one by Bill Raggio to try to make the board of regents not elected, but appointed. We fought those efforts and hopefully it doesn’t become an appointment system. You want people to have access and opportunity. Someone like me would have never been appointed to the board of regents; those jobs would go to big supporters of the governor or big party contributors. Because the terms are 6 years, a lot of people don’t finish the terms due to health reasons or running for another office, so in some ways it’s the best of both worlds, 4 or 5 of the 13 board members are appointed. It gives people the chance to make a difference, and it keeps the board responsive to people and the tax payers supporting these publically funded institutions.

RR: That was something I didn’t know, interesting.

RR: Well thank you for sitting down with me for the interview, best of luck to you.

JDL: My pleasure, thank you.

(Also seen on MWC Connection)