Interesting team/season stats

Next Sunday - Interview with Greg Walker, father and coach of future Rebel, Dantley Walker!

Because of so much of the off-season happenings, many people have already forgotten last season. Not here, not now. Let's look at these statistics as room for improvement, and talk about how a Dave Rice system is going to move the numbers.


Points per game: UNLV averaged 71.6 PPG last season
This mark was 89th best in the country (#1 was VMI@ 87.9)
This mark was 4th best in in the MWC ( #1 was BYU @ 81.4 (#7 in nation))


Next season: Good chance of improvement. Likely at least 5 PPG higher, hopefully 10.
Offensively, minus Tre'von Willis.
Additions Mike Moser, Reggie Smith. More minutes for Karam Mashour, welcome back Kendell Wallace. More experience and chance for leadership from Anthony Marshall, Chace Stanback, Justin Hawkins, Carlos Lopez, Quintrell Thomas, Brice Massamba.
Last season, there were few transition buckets, and a massive shooting slump from three. Next season Dave Rice has promised to restore the Runnin Rebels to their namesake and play a lot of transition run and gun basketball. Statistically, if we can credit Dave Rice (and not put this all on El Jimmer) then we have an outstanding chance for improvement given his success at BYU.

Rebounding: UNLV averaged 34.9 RPG last season
This mark was 171st in the country (#1 was North Carolina with 42.6)
This mark was 5th in the MWC (#1 was BYU with 38.5) *would have assumed SDSU*

Next Season: It can only improve. Being 171st in the country in rebounding is unforgivable. I would place the blame on several factors, 1) we played a decent amount of teams that could rebound better than we could; 2) it takes awhile for the three bigs to work it out, 2 of them were new additions; 3) Lon Kruger's staff was not noted for having a good big-man coach. It is simply shocking that we won as many games as we did with that kind of statistic. Rebounding is everyone's responsibility, but primarily it falls on the forwards and center. Dave Rice has said that transition basketball starts with rebounding, I would assume there will be a great emphasis and improvement in rebounding next year.


Steals: UNLV averaged 8.1 SPG
This mark was 36th best in the country (#1 was Duquesne with 9.9)
This mark was 1st in the MWC

Next Season: We must maintain this excellence, or improve. Tre'von Willis was known to be able to steal, but didn't have the speed necessary to take advantage too often when he did pick-a-pocket. Other known threats to take away the ball are Marshall, Hawkins, Stanback, and Bellfield. Steals lead to transition buckets -- nobody expects a steal, that's why the team who does it has a real advantage to score.

Three point shooting: UNLV's three-point percentage averaged 32.97% last season
This mark was 232nd in the country (#1 was Northern Arizona @42.3%)
This mark was 8th best in the MWC (#1 was Air Force @37.7%)

Next Season: We must improve, god help us if we don't. All of us thought UNLV jacked up way too many 3 pointers, 558 attempts to be exact. However, surprisingly we were 197th in the nation in attempts. Kendall Wallace will be back, but he isn't going to magically solve everything. Other players need to put in time in the gym perfecting their 3 point shooting abilities. It's the most valuable shot in basketball for a reason - they aren't easy. If Mashour gets minutes, he may also be a three point threat, and Lopez actually has some range in his shot, maybe not 3 point range, but close. Dave Rice had excellent three-point shooters at BYU, some of the best in the country. Hopefully he will be able to bring some tips of how they made their three's look so easy, and caused the opponents defense to spread out and cover from distance - opening up the center.

Its going to be a fantastic season, just wish it was closer!