Breaking news today, former McDonalds All-American Jelan Kendrick has officially committed to be a UNLV Runnin' Rebel. Highlights and links to other story's will follow, but a little background first.
When Kendrick joins our UNLV squad, it will be next season (2013-14) with newcomers Christian Wood and Dantley Walker. Kendrick, originally from Wheeler High School in Georgia was named to the 2010 McDonalds All-American team, as well as the 2010 Jordan Brand Classic. His roster mates included familiar names such as Cory Joseph and Tristian Thompson (of Findlay Prep), Fab Melo (who landed at Syracuse), Harrison Barnes (UNC), Perry Jones III (Baylor) Kyrie Irving (Duke) Kendall Marshall (UNC) Josh Selby (Kansas) and Jared Sullinger (Ohio State). As a connection to a current UNLV Runnin' Rebel, he was teammates with Roscoe Smith on the 2010 Jordan Brand Classic team.
Kendrick is a 6'7" forward who has been known to rock the rim. It's hard to judge where his skill set is right now given that he has effectively removed himself from basketball for the past two years for numerous reasons: multiple problems during his limited tenure at both Memphis, and then Ole Miss. Judging Kendrick purely on where he was coming out of high school, he was one of the best 2010 prospects.
Concerning eligibility and where he'll be in the short-term, it appears that Kendrick will honor a commitment to play for Indian Hills Community College in Iowa this season, then immediately be eligible next season for the Runnin' Rebels.
The overall consensus is that UNLV and its new coaching staff are doing more than going back to the Runnin' ways of the past. They are now recruiting at a high level, and from a page from Tarkanian's book, giving troubled players another chance to prove and better themselves, while UNLV benefits. The irony of of rehabilitating troubled players is that it happens in Sin City :). Getting Kendrick is smart because he certainly has the talent, says he's matured (time will tell) and a replacement will be needed to fill the void created when Mike Moser is gone. Now, the roster has several capable guys who can step into that role and compete for those minutes.
Here are the videos of highlights of Jenan Kendrick, hopefully we'll see this much and more in the 2013-14 season.
Before you salivate -- please remember to attend the Scarlet and Gray scrimmage at the Thomas and Mack on Thursday, October 18. Its free, so financially its a better value than the dollar menu at your favorite fast food restaurant. See this post for all the details.
CBS Sports
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LV Sun
Showing posts with label Recruiting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recruiting. Show all posts
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Desert Reign: Impressions of UNLV’s Talent - Part I
By Jason Taylor
7-29-2012
(Part 2 will be released Saturday night)
I had a bout of RWS - Rebel Withdraw Syndrome - and was unable to attend games recently in person, so I searched the net and found videos of several Desert Reign Pro-city League games on Rebel-Net.com.
Several Rebels joined the league this summer, and Rebel fans turned out in numbers. The air conditioning system was broken in one game, but red clad fans completely filled the stands regardless of the near 100-degree indoor temps, and hung in to gain measure and give support to the new arrivals, and a few seniors. That was a nice sight. DaQuan Cook made a comment about how all these people were cheering as he and Savon Goodman walked into the gym, even though the fans had never even seen them play before.
I was able to watch games that included Anthony Marshall, Justin Hawkins, Khem Birch, Bryce Jones, Katin Reinhardt, DaQuan Cook, Demetris Morant, and Savon Goodman.
There were never more than 2 current Rebels on each team.
The competition was stout enough to gain perspective, I believe. Although, of course, it is only a few games of loosely run scrimmages, so we obviously have to take that for what its worth in my analysis. Several players rooted in the Las Vegas area were in attendance, including Darrington Hobson (of UNM, and NBA Bucks), Jamaal Smith (UNM grad), Billy White (SDSU grad), Pierre Jackson (Baylor), Romel Beck (UNLV grad), Marcus Lawrence (former UNLV point guard), and several overseas pro players.
Here’s what struck me with each Rebel:
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| Anthony Marshall at Desert Reign |
Then, add Justin Hawkins - more very solid play. Justin seems to have hardened and strengthened his frame, and showed no hesitation what-so-ever on his shot, most of which, he made. Drives to the basket, mid-range jumpers, and three pointers - he looked Good. I’ve always said that he is a good three-point shooter when he steps into his shot - otherwise, not so much. Justin seems to have progressed - he was hitting three’s against in-his-face defense, even hitting a few fall-aways. On one telling play regarding added strength; he was below the basket and suddenly exploded straight up, slamming the rim down with a two-handed dunk. “Hold on,” I said, hitting ‘rewind’. “Holy mackerel. Yep, that was Justin!”
Now, for the new guys:
The first game I watched included Savon Goodman and DaQuan Cook. If you don’t watch anything else, watch this. DaQuan Cook is number 6, and Savon Goodman is number 12 on the green team.
How about that, Rebel fans?
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| DaQuan Cook with Carmelo Anthony |
So, DaQuan Cook - The game I saw with him was his first in Las Vegas. He had just arrived in town a few days before and was just barely getting oriented. He and Goodman came in off the bench. The first impression as he stepped on to the court, was that this kid is going to have to spend a good bunch of his time running back and forth between the dorm buffet and the weight room. He’s listed at something around 6’1” and 165lbs. I’d call that fairly accurate - maybe even a touch heavy. It’s hard to tell on video. I am a little worried he’ll get pushed around, especially on defense. On offense, he’s fun to watch; simply by the fact that you don’t know which way the ball is headed. He can thread the needle, and take advantage of opposite direction breakdowns with some nice no-look passing. Since this was his first game, he may have been a bit shy offensively. He rarely looked to take it all the way to the hole himself, and didn’t take many jumpers, especially if he was well defended. This made him a bit predictable at times. If the opposing team had receivers covered, they could possibly gain a turnover because he might force a bad pass before taking it strong himself. The jury is out on him, in my book. He’s young, so even if he needs growth, he has plenty of time to develop into a weapon for UNLV. Given the supporting cast, it’s very possible this kid could flourish as a true, pass-first point guard.
For the rest of the new guys, come back Saturday!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Interview with Anthony Marshall
On Saturday, June 30, 2012 Anthony Marshall did a comprehensive interview with Rebel Reign and many areas fans wanted to know about - he answered. As a senior, a leader, and a floor general Anthony will play a huge part of the Runnin' Rebels success this upcoming season, his final as a Rebel. He is also a class act as a Las Vegas native. Everyone enjoy!
RR = Rebel Reign
AM = Anthony Marshall
RR: You’ve been known to use negative comments from opponents, their fans, and even some from UNLV fans to push you harder – when did you start doing that and does it really work for you?
AM: It’s kind of something I’ve always done, even since my younger days. You hear talking around the city, and it kind of motivates you to prove doubters wrong. You just go out there and work harder, so publically its gotten out over the past year – but I actually do really use it. I use what people say about our or my abilities to work harder.
RR: So how far back have you been using it?
AM: Middle school, high school. A lot of people say you shouldn’t read negative things because it could harm your game or stuff like that, but for me, it just adds fuel to the fire. Back in high school I would go onto message boards and read, just like I do now. You have to have a tough skin and all, but I use it.
RR: With Oscar Bellfield graduating, there is an obvious opening at the PG position – are you ready to run Coach Rice’s up-tempo offense, and what can we expect different from what we saw from Oscar?
AM: Well, if you’re a Rebel fan and at the games you would see I ran a lot of point last season. Me and Oscar were so interchangeable, sometimes he would go to the wing and let me run the break, run the point guard position a lot. If you look at my stats, I’ve made some strides over the last couple of years on my assist to turnover ratio. I felt this past year I did fairly well, could do a lot better, but I felt it was a starting point for me. Oscar was first, and I was second in assists in the conference. So I feel that I am really ready to play the point guard position, it’s something I feel I can do, and to be the team we want to be I’ll have a good opportunity to fill that role.
RR: Do you see yourself playing shooting guard or point guard at the next level?
AM: Well if you look at the guys who play shooting guard at the next level, they are 6’6”, 6’7” around there, so for me, I feel PG is the position I’ll have to play and I’m pretty comfortable playing it. There’s still some things I need to work on in that area, just my overall game, I just can’t be satisfied with one thing. So for me to get where I’m trying to go the point guard position is something I have to play. If you look at Russell Westbrook, who is a great player – not trying to compare myself to Westbrook, in college he was more of a shooting guard (at UCLA he wasn’t PG, they had Collision) and then in the NBA they tried to mold him into a point guard. It’s just a learning process – a transition.
RR: As a Las Vegas native, you’ve been a strong vocal supporter of recruiting locally. Are you happy how things have changed since you’ve started with the program, and how much further does UNLV need to go to get to where you think it should be in local recruiting?
AM: I think it’s changed a lot. Coming out of high school, people really weren’t considering UNLV as a destination, not too excited about playing basketball here. UNLV staff wasn’t really focused on recruiting local prospects like that. That’s why UNLV wasn’t recruiting local prospects. Now you can’t go anywhere without seeing someone with UNLV hat, tee shirt or sweatshirt or just talking about the Rebels – it’s a real feeling. When I signed my letter of intent this is what I envisioned, now its exciting to become a Runnin’ Rebel.
RR: Is there anything more that can be done to improve?
AM: I just feel like if we keep doing what we’re doing,, keep winning, and we’re one of the elite programs – everything should take care of itself. Who wouldn’t want to come and play for a Coach who lets you do what you want to do, gives freedom as long as you play hard each time, play defense, and play as a family. He lets you get out of run, he’ll never tell you not to shoot a good shot. And who wouldn’t want to play in beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada – it all just clicks.
RR: What are your personal goals for the 2012-13 season?
AM: Improving my overall game, I feel like returning and being a leader on this team, on and off the court, focus on the goal that’s ahead – to win a championship. That’s why we all came to UNLV, and that’s what Coach Rice feels we are capable of. So, if you look at the nucleus we already have and bring in the new guys, we have a great opportunity. Even though its far away, and easier said than done - put in the work and we’ll get there.
RR: Even though your already a pretty athletic and muscular guy, what are you working on physically in the off-season?
AM: I’m just trying to get my eating habits right, hard being a college athlete and stuff like that. Just getting my eating habits right. I really want to take a night class in yoga, it prevents injuries and soreness – just staying healthy and all. It’s just hard to find a night one because of summer school, and practice.
RR: When this year is over, and you’ve graduated – what will you miss the most about playing for UNLV?
AM: It’s kind of hard to say because there are so many things, but I’d have to say being around my teammates. You really grow a tight bond with them – like they are your family. That and definitely putting on the UNLV jersey and running down the red carpet. That’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life and cherish.
RR: What is something you’ve learned from Coach Rice and staff that’s new to you, both on and off the basketball court? (philosophy, tips, etc)
AM: They are both terrific coaches (Rice and Kruger). They are really similar, except for Coach Rice wanting to play fast and Coach Kruger wanting you to slow things down first. It’s kind of good having both because sometimes the flow of the game is a team that likes to get up and down like you, then others want to work in the half court. Their methods of teaching are kind of different, but overall, it’s kind of the same.
RR: Who has been you most challenging 1-on-1 defensive / offensive assignment – in college basketball / MWC / within your team?
AM: Personally, that’s a tough question. Hard to say, I look forward to guarding all the guys at SDSU – I grew up playing against them. On the court – we’re enemies, but off we are friends. So I’d have to say it’s always good matching up with guys you know. Hank Thorns Jr. at TCU, Billy White when he was at SDSU, BYU, they liked to get up and down when we played them. It’s always fun.
RR: Inter-squad scrimmages – who is the biggest challenge to play against?
AM: I always match up with Justin Hawkins, Bryce Jones, or Mike Moser. With Justin – I’ve known him like since the 9th grade. He always thinks he has an advantage on me because he knows my game. Bryce, he’s very competitive as is Mike Moser.
RR: Is Justin as successful at picking your pocket as he is in the game?
AM: Actually no, because I know his defensive tendencies, and I know better than to dribble the ball right in front of him, keep my body between him and the ball. So he doesn’t pick my pocket like that.
RR: Twitter – obviously you are plugged into social media, what does the interaction mean to you and how does it differ from before you had a twitter account?
AM: I actually got Twitter my freshman year, before anyone really had it. Then my sophomore year, people saw how much I tweeted and people started following me – then it really blew up.
RR: What kind of effect does it have on you?
AM: Some people say it may have a negative effect, but to me, it I’d say it has a very positive effect. Growing up, never had a website or social network to reach people we looked up to, to ask them advice or questions. So for people to write me questions or comment on how they feel about something – I cherish that, and appreciate it. I think it’s fun, I’m always looking to help someone if they need it, or answer questions like who’s my favorite players, etc. Someone taking five minutes out of their day to talk to me, I appreciate that.
RR: Do you think you could go without Twitter at this point?
AM: Yeah, I could. It’s just a social network – not life or death. I could do without it.
RR: Just was curious, because obviously there are collegiate programs that don’t allow it and that can be a big part of a player’s decision on whether to attend that school or not. But it doesn’t look like anything like that will be happening at UNLV anytime soon.
AM: I feel like we are all responsible men. Coach Rice, he holds us accountable as adults – we know what we can’t write. So he treats us like adults.
RR: There was a stretch of games last season where you were half-man half-amazing – otherworldly. Now, you always play really well, looking back what was clicking for you during that time period?
AM: Just being aggressive. In the beginning, I was more passive, looking more to get my teammates involved. I wasn’t really looking for my own offense, and that hurt a bit .I’d say around the SDSU game, conference play, that’s when I got it going – that’s when I had a stretch of playing really well. I started being aggressive, going to the lane. When defenders tried to stop that, it opened up my mid-range jump shot. When defenders tried to stop that I just kicked it out to my teammates.
RR: When you started your UNLV career in 2009-10 with a roster that included Tre’von Wills, Chace Stanback, Matt Shaw, Steve Jones, Darris Santee, Brice Massamba, Kendall Wallace, Derrick Jasper, Oscar Bellfield, Justin Hawkins, Carlos Lopez, and Coached by Lon Kruger. Now in 2012-13 your roster has yourself, Justin Hawkins, Bryce Dejean-Jones, Katin Reinhardt, Daquan Cook, Mike Moser, Anthony Bennett, Roscoe Smith, Savon Goodman, Quintrell Thomas, Demetris Morant, Khem Birch, and Carlos Lopez now coached by Dave Rice. How is the feeling different now?
AM: I’d say for me, now I have the leadership role. Coming in as a freshman you really don’t say much, we had leaders like Tre, Jasper, Oscar, and Chace. This year, it’s probably me, Mike, Justin, just taking on that leadership role.
RR: What do you know about Katin Reinhardt and DaQuan Cook? Have you played with them at all?
AM: I haven’t had a chance to play with them yet, they come up next week. But what I know is they are both great guards, athletic, great passers. Katin can shoot it, DaQuan is a traditional pass first guard. So I mean, once they get here we’ll have a lot of pieces to put together – but I’m looking forward to working with all of them.
RR: Everybody in the country is talking about the amazing new transfers and recruiting class, ranked #7 and likely preseason ranking in the top 10. What’s the buzz right now amongst the team about it?
AM: The sky’s the limit. I think our potential is unlimited. It’s exciting to have such talented pieces to work with. We’re lucky to have the opportunity to show that. If you look at the past, a lot of top ten teams, some don’t even make the tournament, or they get knocked out the first round. So buzz – we’re not trying to be that, we’re trying to surpass. We want to get to the end and cut down the nets and raise the trophy. That’s the ultimate goal and I feel this year we have the right pieces to do that. You look at our roster from top to bottom, and guys are interchangeable. You take our second team players, whoever they are going to be, and they could be first team at another college and have them winning games. So for us, we just have to put together the pieces and make things work.
RR: Obviously coming into last season Mike Moser sat out a year as a redshirt transfer, and then came in and was amazing. Do you see the same thing happening with Bryce Jones?
AM: Yeah definitely, I also see the same potential in Khem. They are both terrific talents, and I am really pleased to have them on my team. Bryce is a competitor who brings some grit to the team which is good, but I also see the same things with Khem also.
RR: I know you won't be playing with them, but tell us what you know about Dantley Walker and Christian Wood. Have you played with them, what do you see from them?
AM: Actually Dantley used to play for my AAU team the Las Vegas Prospects when he was in high school, so I’ve always been around watching him play. I’ve always liked his game, and when he decided to come to UNLV I was excited for him and happy for him. I grew up watching him – he’s like a little brother. Christian, I’ve seen highlights of him and made it to one Findlay Prep game – and he’ll be playing for the Las Vegas Prospects as well, so I’m excited and happy for both of them and excited to see what they do when they come in.
RR: Coach Rice seems to be a very "nice" guy, a solid guy like Coach Kruger, is he the same in the huddle as his public persona?
AM: Yeah definitely, he’s a nice guy. He really doesn’t do too much yelling – he talks to you calmly unless he has to get after you if you’re not doing stuff right. I think that makes a big impact on how you play, when a Coach can just come and talk to you, it makes you play relaxed instead of pressured. The way he is seen in the public eye – that’s the way he is, what you see is what you get.
RR: Give me a couple things that would get him "fired-up" mad.
AM: Not playing as a team, that’s one. We’re a team of great talent, so playing as a team is very important. Not playing defense, not keeping your man in front. We have some scrimmages were not keeping your man in front is really important. Not boxing out when rebounding, the little things – stuff like that.
RR: Do you work with any specific assistant coaches, and how do they help you?
AM: Each assistant coach, their doors are open to talk to them or get some shots with them. That’s the great things, they’re always willing to work with you and help you. That’s the great thing about having a coaching staff like this. I’ve worked out with all of them, and they just want us to improve and get better.
RR: What’s your favorite NBA team, player – similar games to your own or strive to play like?
AM: I’m a west coast guy, so it would have to be Lakers and Kobe Bryant. I really try to play like myself, but drawn comparisons from fans and other people to Derrick Rose as far as athletic style and body type. Russell Westbrook as far as athleticism, being a shooting guard and then to point guard. As far as trying to play like Kobe – naw, he’s 6’6” and when I realized I wasn’t going to get that tall I realized I had to play like a smaller guard.
RR: Favorite shoe on the basketball court?
AM: I play different Jordan’s all the time, but this past year my favorite shoes were the Jordan XIV’s.
RR: We’ll that’s all I have – I really appreciate the interview.
AM: No problem, thanks.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Facing the 'good problem to have' - is there room for everybody?
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| Coach Dave Rice - knows exactly what he's doing |
Before the article - shout-out to UNLV's Joel Anthony and the Miami Heat for winning the NBA Championship. That's two Runnin' Rebels winning championships in the last two years (Shawn Marion 2011 with the Mavericks).
Any college coach will tell you, having too much talent is a good problem to have to deal with. The opposite is obviously trying to make up for a lack of talent and figuring out ways to beat your opponent when likely outmatched. The Runnin' Rebels are now as stacked as they were at anytime since their 89-90' and 90-91' teams took college basketball by storm. Let's look at what others are pointing to as a perceived problem.
There are forty minutes in a college basketball game, and with no more than five players on the court for a team at any given time, that means 200 minutes are up for grabs, not including the potential for overtime. What keeps a player on the floor is their ability to make plays, hustle, be consistent, make others better, not turnover the ball and not pick up fouls.
Anyone who knows the game of basketball knows it takes some time for a player to get a feel of the tempo of the game, to feel the offense and read the opponent to work within the defense. Game tape and bench time are very important, but cannot make up for actually planting your sneakers on the court and breaking a sweat. There have been players who have had more minutes than they thought possible, perhaps recently graduated Oscar Bellfield would fit into that category. And there were others who believed they were entitled to more minutes, specifically non-garbage time minutes - perhaps recently transferred Karam Mashour would fit into that category (he is transferring to Morehead St.). There have been coaching decisions that many of us fans would tend to disagree with, specifically the carousel of substitutions at the center spot constantly rotating between Massamba, Lopez, and Thomas - more so with Kruger, but somewhat with Rice. All in the persuit from a coaching standpoint of figuring out what five guys can get UNLV a W instead of a L. In the end, if the Ls outnumber the Ws, change will come swiftly and paid employees are the ones who may not see the court.
Let's run through scenarios under the believe that what Coach Rice said, he'd like to run 9-10 deep will in fact play out.
Here is how I see this years roster grouping out:
Players who can play point guard:
Anthony Marshall
Katin Reinhardt
Justin Hawkins
Daquan Cook
Players who can play shooting guard:
Bryce Dejean-Jones
All of the previously named point guards
Players who can play small forward:
Anthony Bennett
Mike Moser
Savon Goodman
Roscoe Smith
Players who can play power forward:
Anthony Bennett
Mike Moser
Khem Birch
Carlos Lopez
Quintrell Thomas
Demetris Morant
Savon Goodman
Players who can play center:
Carlos Lopez
Quintrell Thomas
Khem Birch
Anthony Bennett
Demetris Morant
Players who are going to potentially redshirt 2012-13 (based on speculation in the media)
Daquan Cook
Roscoe Smith (may be forced by NCAA)
Khem Birch (fall semester)
Savon Goodman
Demetris Morant
There have been many off-season additions, but the losses that most impact the Runnin' Rebels from a minutes and impact standpoint are clearly Chace Stanback, Oscar Bellfield, and Brice Massamba.
Chace Stanback averaged 27.9 minutes a game at the forward position. Who will fill his shoes? Much has been made of the deepest front-court in all of college basketball, and In the early season, we'll have #6/7th ranked Anthony Bennett to fill his shoes and bring both offense and grit to the position. Clearly, having Anthony Bennett run along side Mike Moser in the 3 and 4 positions is a dream lineup, so why not make it happen? Fortunately we can have any two of our deepest front court on the court at any time. Part of the reason why Coach Rice is thinking of running 9-10 deep is because its going to take a hell of a lot of energy to play his up-tempo offense the way he actually wants to execute it. Along with the offense, the constantly switching defense is likely to be back, and hopefully while we exhaust the opposing teams we keep fresh legs on the court. So, in likelihood Roscoe Smith will not be granted a waiver because the NCAA is not particualry thrilled with all the transfer activity. Let's pretend that Demetris Morant redshirts (could easily be Goodman instead of Morant redshirting), and Quintrell Thomas and Carlos Lopez stick with the 5 spot. Then you really only have Anthony Bennett, Mike Moser, Savon Goodman, and Khem Birch (in the fall). Not as deep as previously presumed. A total of 80 minutes between the small forward and power forward must be split between them. According to how I'm looking at it - plenty of room to be had and make up for Chace Stanback's minutes and production.
Oscar Bellfield averaged 32 minutes a game at the point guard position - that's a hell of a lot of minutes to dish out. All of the candidates outlined above all have the potential to be scoring point guards, and will likely not have to create their own shot or face a double team based upon the amount of respect opponents' defenders will have to pay the rest of the roster. Making up for the consistency of Bellfield will be difficult - remember, Coach Rice really wanted to start Anthony Marshall at PG before the seasons started, and did for a few games - but then changed back to Bellfield at point. I believe Marshall has the ability, but Coach realized that he needed the experience that Bellfield brought to the position. All four candidates are capable of playing point - but the starter will be the one with the most consistency. The starter will occupy 20-27 minutes a game. Because there are so many minutes to fill, redshirting Daquan Cook should not be an option, provided he is ready to run Coach Rice's system. Had Reggie Smith not transferred, hands down I'd say he was going to redshirt - but this will be a huge test for him. A friend of mine keeps telling me Daquan Cook will be the biggest surprise this year, can't wait to see if he's right. Plenty of room to fill Oscar Bellfield's shoes, and plenty of room to fill the shooting guard position as well. Over-recruited? Nope.
Brice Massamba averaged 20.2 minutes a game at the center position. This is a very interesting quandary because of the fall ineligibility of Khem Birch. Clearly, he would be in the mix at either the 4 or 5 position if available all year - but what to do about fall? Without Khem, you are left with Carlos Lopez and Quintrell Thomas guarding the center position. Pretty good, but the question is whether to have Demetris Morant use what could otherwise be an extremely productive redshirt year and have tons of freedom in the 2013-14 season. I can't even begin to think about how difficult this decision will be, but likely the outcome will be solely based upon how Morant plays in practice and the exhibition games in Canada, and whether he is comfortable with potentially losing minutes when Birch is introduced into the lineup in late December. I still have a lingering suspicion that the redshirt is probable, but if that's the case I am praying Lopez and Thomas can hold down the center position while awaiting Birch. Over recruited - No. Massamba really owned the center position last year, it will be fun to see who can carry his torch.
So, with as much hype about old roster vs. new, and whether the Runnin' Rebels are too stacked with talent that we all should be concerned - I think Coach Rice & staff knew exactly who they needed, didn't over recruit onto any one position, and have everything perfectly laid out going forward. Perhaps the mentality could be likened to someone going hunting, and always bringing too little ammo. Then, on a subsequent trip the guy finally brings an adequate amount of ammo and thinks - man, is this too much? Naaa... just enough to finally hit all of your targets. My prediction - MWC Champions and at least Elite Eight.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Savon Goodman's commitment caps this season's roster
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| The newest member of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels - Savon Goodman |
Late Friday the local media notified the Runnin' Rebel faithful that Coach Rice had yet again stunned the critics, as well as surprised the believers by signing Savon Goodman as the final scholarship on the 2012-13 roster.
Goodman had in recent weeks focused his possible destinations to UNLV and SMU. The 6'6" power forward from Constitution High School in Philadelphia, PA has been described by Coach Rice in a nice article by Ryan Greene of RunRebs.com as able to score at will, good in the transition game, a bit raw on offense, but a fantastic defensive player that can guard four positions.
For the purpose of RebelReign's profile of Savon Goodman, a little research as well as footage should say a lot about what UNLV is getting in Goodman.
Prior Commitment: Savon Goodman was previously committed to Villanova. He withdrew his commitment in the summer of 2011. Two potential reasons have been named, 1) Villanova's academic approach was not in line with what he was thinking, and or 2) After the Boost Mobile Elite game that summer Goodman got a lot more interest nationally, so he wanted to reopen his options and see if he could do better. In seeking a new home many destinations were mentioned, besides UNLV and SMU, NC State, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Kansas, Missouri, Seton Hall, St. Johns, Temple, West Virgina and UCLA were all named as potential places of interest.
Measurements: He is 6'6", 210 pounds, and has a 6'9" wingspan. He carries a full frame that is solid muscle.
Accolades: Goodman was a Parade Magazine All-American (as was Dantley Walker). He and classmate Daiquan Walker led Constitution to a 23-9 record, the Public League championship, and the program's first state title. Goodman's averages per game last season were 25.8 points, 14.2 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.Savon Goodman was named a top three rebounder/defender at the 2011 Kevin Durant Skills Camp. He is currently ranked as the 72nd best player overall in the 2012 class, and 18th best in his position by Rivals.com. He is currently ranked by ESPN as the 100th best player overall, 28th best in position. Both services rank him as a 4-star recruit. Member of the USA Elite National Team, helped lead USA to victory in France in FIBA competition in 2011.
Take away: From reading articles about Goodman, as well as watching plenty of tape I've come to a few conclusions that may have not already been mentioned out there.
Effort - Savon Goodman is a dunking machine, no doubt. Not the fancy type of dunking that we potentially lost when Reggie Smith transferred out, but blue-collar lunch lets go to work dunks. What hasn't been mentioned but is readily apparent, is he has an extremely quick second jump - and the intuition to properly use it. This is valuable because it leads to a lot of second chance points from his own original miss, or someone else s. With the amount of Runnin' Coach Rice will expect from this finely tuned machine, having fresh hops on the bench (bench for now) is an extremely valuable commodity. What impresses me about his jumping is not only his dunks, but his ability to get to the open ball and provide the effort necessary to do the little things to win a game. Looking at what he was able to accomplish in High School, he is a legitimate double-double threat, similar to Mike Moser.But unlike Mike, they play entirely different styles of basketball.
Other attributes: Goodman has been noticed as well for two other attributes, passing and getting to the free-throw line. So, we can expect a man who will make smart decisions with the basketball, goat the opponent into foul trouble, and be able to capitalize from the charity stripe. Clearly, these are some things UNLV has been lacking in years past. He is fundamentally sound, physically strong, and mentally tough. Another excellent get by the coaching staff.
When will we see him play: Again, citing back to the article on RunRebs.com, the scenario is that if Roscoe Smith gets the waiver to play (and elects to play this season), then Goodman will redshirt this season. If Roscoe Smith is not granted a waiver (which is a likely scenario considering the love the NCAA has for UNLV and everything generally surrounding Smith's transfer from UCONN), then the picture becomes a bit more unclear. I'm not even going to begin to speculate on this because there are several contingencies that go into the ultimate answer. Just another fun thing to watch coming into the 2012-13 season.
A picture is worth a 1000 words...
So video is infinitely better. Do yourselves a favor and take a look at what Savon Goodman has done. You'll be impressed.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Welcome home, Roscoe Smith
Update - 5/27/12 7:00am - All current and future rosters have been updated
Well, Las Vegas is about to become Mr. Smith's home for the next few years -- so why not welcome him!(obvious play on a popular movie title). Runnin' Rebels fans will get to see Roscoe Smith at the fan preview, but it is yet undetermined as to whether he plays on the 2012-13 roster. Here are the scenarios:
1) Roscoe Smith is not granted a waiver by the NCAA to play immediately, forcing him to redshirt like any other player transferring teams. If you were unaware, UCONN was hit with sanctions (for failure to meet academic goals) banning the team from conference or NCAA tournament play. It has also cost UCONN an appearance in this coming years Carrier Classic, previously hosted in San Diego and starring UNC and Michigan St. Many of Smith's UCONN teammates have transferred or declared for the NBA draft - given the futility of playing for UCONN this season, its hard to argue against it. The gist - forced redshirt, we welcome him to the court on the 2013-14 squad when Mike Moser and possibly Anthony Bennett have gone on to the NBA.
2) Roscoe Smith is granted a waiver by the NCAA. He becomes eligible to play this year for the Rebels, adding even more depth at the small forward spot behind Anthony Bennett.
3) Roscoe Smith is granted a waiver by the NCAA, yet decides to redshirt to improve his offensive game and wait until there is more room at the small forward position to get a lot of minutes.
Regardless of scenario, the prevailing logic right now is that several people will redshirt this coming season, most likely would be Demertris Morant, then Roscoe Smith (voluntarily or not), and possibly Daquan Cook (less likely with the leaving of Reggie Smith).
But putting all of this aside, who is Roscoe Smith and what can the Rebels expect? I've scoured the Internet to find that answer.
Coach Rice was quoted as saying of Smith “He is a terrific player, a proven winner and has a tremendous work ethic. He is a versatile wing that can play and guard multiple positions.”
All true. Here's what the UCONN media and fans say about Roscoe Smith on those points:
Hardcore UCONN Blogger David Gillett profiled Roscoe Smith after his freshman (championship) year, and had this to say:
Looking Back: Roscoe Smith had a rough freshman campaign. He struggled with consistency on the offensive end and saw his playing time fluctuate. His jumpers were all over the rim and he lacked a way to put the ball on the floor to create a shot. He turned into a defensive and rebounding specialist and did the dirty work that the team needed from him to ultimately win the championship. Unfortunately he will be most remembered for his flub at the end of regulation against Texas where he tossed a half court shot with eleven seconds remaining on the clock.
The Good: He plays hard on the defensive end and was tasked with covering the opponents most offensively talented players. He has great length and athleticism. His shot isn’t horrible, he just needs confidence in it. If he can find ways to get to the line and see the ball drop in the basket a few times, it would help his shot drastically. He is a tough nosed player and doesn’t mind banging bodies inside and is the type of player Jim Calhoun loves.
The Bad: He has no go-to-move and needs to work on getting points in the paint. He settled for quick jumpers and that isn’t his game right now. He needs to develop a post game and a way to put the ball on the floor and attack the rim. He also needs to do a better job of blocking out. He had a hard time adjusting to college and tried to use his athleticism to get rebounds instead of putting a body on his man.
Looking Ahead: With a whole year under his belt and a taste of success, Roscoe should take the next step in his development and contribute more on the offensive end. If he can flirt with ten points and ten boards a game, then he will warrant a major role because of his outstanding defensive ability. The wing position takes the most time to develop and Roscoe has all the tools to be successful, fans just need to be patient. Link
Connecticut Post writer/blogger for UCONN Kevin Duffy wrote of Smith's leaving for UNLV
Sources indicate that Smith transferred because he wanted to play on the perimeter. Though he would have been guaranteed a starting spot and quality minutes at UConn, he would have primarily played power forward.
Smith, a starter in 33 of 41 games during UConn’s run to the 2011 national title, struggled to crack the rotation on a regular basis this past year. He averaged just 4.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 18.3 minutes per game. He did, however, thrive in a critical five-game stretch that helped UConn clinch its NCAA berth. Link
And then we have the UCONN fans. The author of this particular post (champs99and04) seems well versed in UCONN basketball (1255 posts) and expressed this sentiment on the loss of Roscoe Smith:
I too, thought Roscoe should have stuck it out at UConn because I think that would have been best for his career. But I think calling him a "glue guy" is selling him short. No, he wasn't a star, but basketball is a team sport, and without the hard nosed role players like Smith and Oriakhi, Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb wouldn't have gotten the chance to do their thing. Forget winning a national championship, because I'm not even sure the 2010-11 Huskies make the tournament without Roscoe. They were thin up front, Roscoe came in under the assumption that he was going to play the three, but yet he played the four nearly the entire season. Over his two years he was as selfless a player as anybody could have hoped for, which is why it surprised me that he decided to leave.
The bottom line is that although Roscoe and Oriakhi won't be held in the same regard as guys like Adrien, Khalid, etc., they still contributed massively to this program during their stints here, never got into trouble off the court, and kept their grades up. I have a lot of respect for Roscoe and Oriakhi, even if I disagree with their decisions to leave. Link
Speaking to the decision to leave and nicely summarizing Roscoe Smith's career, Dom Amore of the Hartford Courant wrote this:
Smith, a sophomore from Baltimore, started 33 games as a freshman in 2010-11, averaged 25.4 minutes, 6.3 points and 5.2 rebounds. In the NCAA final against Butler, Smith blocked four shots. This past season, Smith started 18 games and averaged 18.2 minutes. He began playing a bigger role in late February, when the Huskies (20-14) began playing better as a team.
Calhoun would not comment on his discussions with Smith. A team source, requesting anonymity, said Smith's decision stemmed from his desire to play small forward rather than power forward. With Oriakhi, who has since committed to Missouri, gone, and small forward types Omar Calhoun and R.J. Evans coming in, Smith was most likely to play power forward. Smith, unless he can obtain some sort of waiver from the NCAA, will have to sit out a year before resuming at a new school. Link
This is Smith's statline:
Season gp gs min minavg tp ptsavg fgm fga fgpct fg3pct
2010-11 41 33 1040 25.4 258 6.3 87 227 .383 .301
2011-12 33 14 602 18.2 146 4.4 53 125 .424 .241
TOTAL 74 47 1642 22.2 404 5.5 140 352 .398 .286
Season ftm fta ftpct oreb dreb treb rebavg a to blk stl
2010-11 59 75 .787 78 135 213 5.20 19 36 51 21
2011-12 33 51 .647 39 73 112 3.39 7 28 19 7
TOTAL 92 126 .730 117 208 325 4.39 26 64 70 28
Conclusion:
Coach Rice's words are accurate. Roscoe Smith is a champion. He's a valuable player who is a tough defender who is often tasked to defend the opposing teams best player, and can defend from the 2 spot to the 5. His offensive game needs a bit of work, and shot is inconsistent. He does a lot of invaluable things other than defend, he brings intensity and heart, and does things that don't show up in statlines. My theory besides other obvious factors (style of play, friends on the team, region, etc), is UNLV has become a treasured spot for forwards because they will have the opportunity to work 1-on-1 with Stacey Augmon, who was a hell of a player and was the former player development coach to the Denver Nuggets. The Runnin' Rebels have scored a major coup by recruiting Roscoe Smith, and he will provide some continuity when we do lose early Mike Moser and Anthony Bennett, and quite possibility Khem Birch.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
How sweet it is! - Anthony Bennett is a Runnin' Rebel
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| Anthony Bennett is the latest addition to a stellar Runnin' Rebels roster |
With the dust that clouded up the Las Vegas sky clearing, Anthony Bennett cleared the air as well, and stole the collective breath of Runnin' Rebels fans this afternoon by selecting UNLV as his destination. Bennett, the highest ranked undeclared senior of the 2012 class (#7 regardless of position), and a prized member of Findlay Prep's powerhouse basketball team, picked the Runnin' Rebels after eliminating Florida and Kentucky in recent weeks, and then eliminating Oregon.
Bennett, who will play in the small forward spot along side Mike Moser, may get to start with longtime friend and fellow McDonald's All-American Khem Birch (when he become eligible after the fall semester) - who is likely as responsible as anyone in successfully recruiting Anthony Bennett to play at UNLV.
Expectations will be extremely high for the Runnin' Rebels, as many formidable weapons remain on the roster and when things click, the Rebels will be able to compete with and beat any team in the nation. What's impressive about Bennett, is that he uses his statute and leaping ability to efficiently dunk the ball. Staying away from being a one-trick-pony, he has considerable offensive skills in the form of a midrange jumper and even an effective three pointer, which makes his defender respect him not just underneath the basket.
It is clear that Coach Rice and the Assistant Coaches did a hell of a job in recruiting Anthony Bennett, and acknowledgement and thanks goes to the players who made him feel like UNLV was a good destination to further the very bright future he has in basketball. Much will be made of his addition, as well as the potent roster that is a mesh of experience and talent. But a picture is worth a thousand words, so they say, so videos must be worth exponentially more. Here are links to all prominent stories on UNLV landing Anthony Bennett, and video of Bennett in action.
To Anthony Bennett- Thank you for choosing UNLV. You had your pick of every top basketball school in the nation, and you recognized that you could do as much for UNLV as it could do for you. If every Runnin' Rebel fan could personally thank you, they would.
Bleacher Report
SB Nation
CBS Sports
ESPN
Las Vegas Sun
LVRJ
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Half an update: Birch's disposition and Bennett's final three
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| Jimmy Kimmel tweets to Anthony Bennett |
While this won't be the next preview (next and final is guards), there was two significant Runnin' Rebels news stories that came out this week and are worth noting as well as discussing.
A Good Khem Birch Interview
Those who miss Ryan Greene's take on the Runnin' Rebels look no further than Vegas Seven, the weekly which has a section and website under the moniker, www.RunRebs.com. Scooping the other news outlets, Mr. Greene interviewed Khem Birch, and bounced aspects of his game and worth ethic off of Coach Rice to complete the piece. The article in it's entirety can be found here: Link.
While the whole article is plenty interesting, the part I'd like to discuss is Birch's stance on playing center. As should be noted and is well established in news stories, Khem departed Pitt among other reasons, because he did not want to play Center. Clarifying his position on playing the five spot, Khem says he didn't want to play with his back to the basket, in the slow half-court offense that Pitt ran. He doesn't mind playing center in Coach Rice's transition offense because of potential mismatches.
Drawing my own conclusions from his words on the subject, he doesn't appear adverse per-se to the center position anymore, so likely much more emphasis in not liking his former teammates or the offensive sets the team was running. That's kind of a really bold reason why one would transfer, especially given the chronology of events that brought him to UNLV. Distilling that, Birch was unhappy early in the season at Pitt, he just so happens to see the UNLV-UNC game where UNLV runs and is dominant most of the game, and then after electing to transfer he picks UNLV over Florida.
Their loss is our gain for certain, and my roster preview albeit assumed that he would be playing the five spot rather than the four was part wishful thinking and logical conclusions - but the guess was on the money. So, to have another really legitimate center option after the fall semester, and one of his caliber is intriguing to say the least. It also shows the maturity of Khem, being willing to play the same position he supposedly despised for the Rebels. This should work out very well.
Bennett's Final Three
Not that long ago, teams were being cut and UNLV didn't make it into the dress cricle. That was the disappointment which became Shabazz Muhammad's ridiculous 'the decision' show. Rebels fans have reason to be hopeful, and its because we are in the final cut of destinations for the best unsigned high school senior in the nation. Anthony Bennett has reportedly narrowed his list to UNLV, Oregon, and Kentucky. Gone is Florida - which was considered a favorite after they had a similarly tall player transfer out, but their hopes diminished when Bradley Beal declared for the NBA Draft. According to this story, he and Bradley were close and he would have loved to play with him - hence Florida was in the running, but no more.
The downside is many have Kentucky as a strong front runner now to land Bennett. Any why not, Kentucky is essentially the Barbie's of the college basketball world - 'that bitch has to have everything'. The positive take away is that Bennett just finished an official visit to UNLV, and was thrilled with the staff. Clearly, there are several good things going for us -- a staff he likes, facilities everyone should love, and a long time friend - the aformentioned Khem Birch. If Bennett held high regard for Florida because he had a friend on the roster - then we are in a good position with Birch not going anywhere for at least a year.
I'm optimistic on this one. I think Bennett knows Kentucky's championship run was a rare event, largely enabled by consensus #1 draft pick Anthony Davis. It will be a very difficult feat to repeat, and being the team who follows a championship team and failing to bring a championship is an expectation and burden few would want to have to deal with. Anthony Bennett's hopefully not the type who believes he has to be on Kentucky's roster to be noticed by NBA scouts, and knows merely being associated won't help his draft position. He likely knows UNLV will be scary good next year, especially if he is a part of the magic. Come on Las Vegas, let's fly a Canadian flag for Mr. Bennett and land a top 10 prospect!
Update: Anthony Bennett has spurned Kentucky's scholarship and is down to between Oregon and UNLV. Officially, Bennett had said his decision would come in two weeks (this was about a week ago), so his decision grows ever closer. LV SUN.
Another update: Anthony Bennett has tweeted Monday evening that his decision will come this weekend.
Final update: ANTHONY BENNETT CHOOSES UNLV! Full story coming Sunday (late night today)
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Coming full circle on recruiting: Update on Dantley Walker, as well as the news of the past week
Taking a break from the three part series previewing the roster of 2012-13, there is much to talk about as well as summarize that occurred on the recruiting front. Before discussing that which many of you already know, let’s get an update on Dantley Walker, future member of the Rebels for the 2013-14 year.
Dantley Walker Update
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| Dantley Walker: Man on a mission |
For those of you familiar, Dantley Walker – prolific scorer from Panaca, NV committed to the Rebels, but as a Mormon he elected to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This delays his arrival at UNLV as a freshman two years. I had the opportunity to interview his father/assistant coach Greg Walker last year, and get updates from time to time. The information we had previously, was that his mission was to be in Spokane, Washington – and he was fortunate to get an early start so that he didn’t have to begin his colligate career, then leave and come back to it two years later. He was clearly excited to go on the mission, and to be a Rebel.
Since we’ve last updated, Dantley Walker has been on his mission for nine months now, and is doing very well. He loves serving the call of the mission, but obviously misses competitive basketball very much. He served the first five months in Cordeau-d'lene, Idaho, and has been in Spokane, Washington since then. One of Dantley’s goals for his downtime was to keep in basketball shape and do all that he can to maintain readiness for the future. To that end, luck has smiled on him and one of his former AAU coaches from the Las Vegas Prospects, Rick Walter, now coaches at Spokane Falls Community College. Any morning that the two can find the time, he works out with Coach Walter and goes through some serious basketball workouts.
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| Elder Walker at the training center |
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| Elder Walker working on the golf game |
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| Elder Walker showing off the guns |
According to Coach Walter, Dantley seems to be maintaining his basketball skills. As far as the hope that he might be playing pickup ball with formidable Gonzaga players – that hasn’t occurred just yet. So far, he plays with other missionaries and basketball players around Spokane. He does hope too hoop it up with Gonzaga players, or Spokane Falls players. As far as physical activity not on the court, he's lifting weights and jumping rope when he can and has added about 10 pounds to his frame since graduating from high school.
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| Dantley Walker and Coach Walter in Spokane, Washington |
I inquired as to whether he’s been recognized (as a UNLV recruit) while out doing his mission work, and he really hasn’t because up there they’re more focused on Boise St, Washing St. U of Washington, Gonzaga, and Idaho St. But, they eventually all find out he’s going to be a Rebel, and think it’s really cool. For those that may not straight off believe him, they check the internet – especially his YouTube mix tapes and find out quick enough. I also wondered if he regularly got heat (given what he’s doing) for not going to BYU – and Dantley normally appeases their question by pointing out that he is from Nevada, UNLV offered first, and as a matter of fact Coach Rice was very interested in Dantley as assistant coach of BYU. It a great situation he has with the Rebels, going on the mission and then coming back as a scholarship player, but he’s really interested in Coach Rice’s up-tempo system. He also sometimes mentions that the WCC isn’t as strong as the MWC, but has to be careful about saying that in front of the Gonzaga fans.
Yes, Dantley Walker has had some friendly suggestions to just stay put after his mission and help the Gonzaga Bulldogs – to that his answer is “no way, gonna run and gun with Coach Rice and the Rebs.”
Dantley Walker will be back from his mission in July, 2013, and will begin practice at UNLV shortly thereafter. Best of luck to Dantley Walker and his family, he is perusing and admirable endeavor in the name of his faith, and that’s a quality trait to have. He’ll be more mature and focused, and hopefully will run point for the Rebels when he is ready to suit up.
Shabazz no more
Although there were many reasons that it would make sense for Shabazz Muhammad to join the Rebels, he cut UNLV from his list of five shortly before the McDonalds All-American game. Incidentally, he was MVP of that game, and won the dunk contest.
For whatever reason, Muhammad chose UCLA – a storied basketball program, that has become an embarrassment to its former glory, harbors a coach who nobody can say has any discipline over his players, hasn’t made the NCAA tournament in the past two years, and has been the jumping away point for numerous promising recruits – who go on to do great things elsewhere (Chace Stanback UNLV, Mike Moser UNLV, Drew Gordon UNM, Matt Carlino BYU). A lot has been said, straight out in the media that Muhammad, or rather his family, was essentially bought and sold under the guise of an Adidas shoe deal. For what it’s worth – I honestly hope not. While UNLV is not an Adidas team (Nike last time I checked), the choice of UCLA over the likes of national champion Kentucky, or Duke which is a perennial favorite and sucks up more TV time than anyone makes no sense whatsoever. UCLA holds no advantage over UNLV in terms of basketball prowess. On this subject, this is perhaps the only time I’ve ever agreed with that San Diego loving troll Ed Graney of the LVRJ on this point – we don’t need Shabazz Muhammad. No reason to be bitter towards him on this, for not choosing UNLV – but the angst I have (as well as many others) is about the stupidity of the choice of UCLA.
Mashour has left the building
His highlight of his career was the baseline dunk against the University of Central Arkansas. Less than a month later, came the lowlight – refusing to play garbage time minutes. It’s understandable why he’s frustrated, he played for the Israeli U19 national team, and supposedly was an athletic freak on the Las Vegas Prospects. Since arriving at UNLV, he’s not done anything but play garbage time for the most part. Mashour – a Kruger recruit and scholarship holder, showed more promise coming in, and was never given the chance to put that on the floor in front of the fans.
There certainly is a duality to this kind of problem – UNLV has largely been successful over the years, even back to the Tark days because of transfers. There is an ebb and flow of players who are constantly in search of playing time, or a system that better suits them or highlights their talent. Some people are searching for a challenge, others are looking to be a big fish in a little pond, instead of a little fish in a big pond. We get it, basketball is like life – sometimes things don’t work out as planned.
Karam Mashour, for certain, helped the Rebels the past two seasons, and surely improved his skills for practicing with and against a nationally ranked team. Hopefully, this experience serves him well wherever he plays next, and when he gets back to Israel and no doubt try his hand a pro-ball there. Good luck to Karam, and thank you.
In pursuit of Anthony Bennett
Numerous sources, LVRJ, LV Sun, Vegas Seven, have all noted that Anthony Bennett is the biggest prize left in the recruiting sphere, and the Rebels are hot on his trail trying to make his colors Scarlet and Gray.
I am cautiously optimistic that he will become a Rebel for several reasons 1) there is significant room now and in the future for a large power forward in our offense, 2) friendship with Khem Birch, 3) the Rebels are a damn good team worthy of his kind of talent, 4) excursion to his homeland, Canada this summer.
Hopefully Anthony Bennett does not feel any kind of distain that all the talk over the past year or two has been about Shabazz. Reality check – any town that has the consensus #1 pick will get a little crazy over him, especially so when we have a very good basketball team that could potentially land him.
Fact #2, Las Vegas is very high on Findlay Prep, and UNLV would love to land or retain as many Findlay Prep players as possible on the regular. The Runnin’ Rebels is the perfect landing spot for Anthony Bennett to spend 1-2 years bettering himself as well as the Rebels in pursuit of a championship and a pro-career. Anthony Bennett – WE WANT YOU TO BE A REBEL!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Recruiting news
RunRebs | UNLV in running for highly-touted Pitt transfer Khem Birch | Vegas Seven:
According to Ryan Greene the Rebels are talking to the following potential transfers:
Pittsburg - Khem Birch
Kentucky - Stacey Poole
Illinois - Crandall Head
Also Coach Anthony Brown of the Las Vegas Prospects AAU team tweeted:
First official Div. I offer in the books for Las Vegas Prospects 2014 soph star Shaq Carr as the hometown UNLV Rebels jump on board courtesy of Dave Rice after the Rebs victory tonight vs. Cal. Prospects strike AGAIN!!!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Rebs srtike out on 'Que'
UNLV loses out on Demarquise “Que” Johnson’s commitment, to Washington State University.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
ESPN scouts player talent: How are the Lon Kruger and Dave Rice recruiting efforts stacking up?
By Jason Taylor
RebelReign Contributor
(reblegrad95)
The Runnin’ Rebels were rich in talent and victories from the 1970’s through the early 1990’s. Under Coach Jerry Tarkanian, they produced four final four visits, and a national championship team that is held in regard as one of the best teams ever assembled. The Rebels were such an impact to college basketball that HBO Sports recently produced a documentary recounting the UNLV era (Runnin’ Rebels of UNLV).
Things changed, however. Robert Maxson, UNLV’s residing President at the time, set his crosshairs on Tarkanian. The two tangled, and eventually, Maxson was successful in pushing the legendary coach out.
Maxson’s effort to “clean the program up” immediately produced a partially secret contract that landed Rollie Massimino as Tark’s replacement. Fans were far less than tearful when the pair hit the exit doors a few years later.
Subsequent years produced glimpses of hope. UNLV made it back into the NCAA tournament in 97’ under Coach Bill Bayno, and the program landed a few NBA level recruits over the years, but the Saturday nights at T&M just weren’t what they used to be.
Much of the solution ended up being simple enough. They hired Lon Kruger. He began recruiting, and more importantly, coaching, and the team now looks back at a span where it has made it into the NCAA tournament 4 of the past 5 years.
Much of the talent assembled has come by way of transfers, but it is amassing, regardless. UNLV certainly has a good recruiting trajectory at the moment, but where do the Rebels actually stand now, and where are they headed with the new Rice recruits?
Investigating this question, individual player data have been extracted from ESPN.com, and applied to teams. ESPN has a list of Top 100 recruits, and it has a grading scale for each player that falls on the national recruiting radar. The scale criteria can be found here, but basically, scores over 92 mean a player will likely make an impact at high major schools, players scoring over 82 are predicted to at least play roles at mid major schools, and scores over 70 mean they should likely play division 1 basketball.
Derrick Williams, who came out early this year and was selected #2 in this year’s draft, fell 72nd in the top 100, and had a Scout Grade of 92. Kawhi Leonard of SDSU went 7th in the draft, was 56th in the top 100, and had a grade of 92 before entering college. The scores are not always tremendous predictors… Jimmer Fredette, the national player of the year, did not make the top 100, and was graded at a 79, meaning it might be tough for him to get playing time at a good school. Nonetheless, it is apparent after reviewing teams, that using ESPN’s recruiting information is highly correlative to the success of college teams.
The main question here is, “Does UNLV ‘Got Talent’”?
The recruiting info has been tracked down for every player on 6 selected teams, including UNLV, for the 2011-12 season. The other teams are San Diego State, New Mexico, USC, UCLA, and North Carolina. These teams have both a range in talent, and have relative importance to UNLV. UNLV plays USC this year, and has a good chance of meeting UNC if the Rebels beat USC in an early season tournament. UCLA is seeking some of the same recruiting prospects on UNLV’s list, including Shabazz Muhammad, and UNLV has two important UCLA transfers, Chace Stanback and Mike Moser.
In order to uniformly assess each team from a recruiting standpoint, the top 8 recruits on each team, according to their Scout Grade, are assembled. The information tells if and how a player places in ESPN “Top 100”, and what their Scouting Grade was before they went in to college. The “AVG” column shows what the average Scouting Grade is for the top 8 players. This gives a good assessment of the strength of the players that will likely see significant minutes.
USC | TOP 100 | SCOUT GR | AVG | |
MAURICE JONES - G | FR | 89 | 93 | |
ARI STEWART - F | JR | 52 | 93 | |
BYRON WESLEY - G | FR | - | 91 | |
GARRETT JACKSON - F | FR | - | 90 | |
ALEXIS MOORE - G | FR | - | 88 | |
CURTIS WASHINGTON - F | FR | - | 87 | |
EVAN SMITH | SO | - | 78 | |
DEWAYNE DEDMON | SO | - | 70 | 86.3 |
Notes: USC was hit with sanctions, but still has 2 Top 100 players. Brice Jones would have been another Top 100 for USC, but he just transferred to Rice and UNLV. He’ll sit this year out under transfer rules. USC has a very young team.
SDSU | ESPN | SCOUT GR | AVG | |
GARRET GREEN - C | SR | 85 | 93 | |
JAMAAL FRANKLIN - G | SO | - | 90 | |
LABRADFORD FRANKLIN - G | SO | - | 90 | |
XAVIER THAMES - G | SO | - | 88 | |
ALEC WILIAMS - F | JR | - | 88 | |
CHASE TAPLEY - G | JR | - | 85 | |
TIM SHELTON - F | SR | - | 81 | |
JAMES RAHON - G | JR | - | 80 | 86.9 |
Notes: SDSU lost several key players… Kawhi Leonard, Billy White, DJ Gay, and Malcom Thomas. They are filling holes and landed two transfers of UNLV interest, J.J. O’Brien and Dwayne Polee Jr. O’Brien chose SDSU over UNLV when Brice Jones committed, and Polee, while interested, never received a hard offer from Rice, even though he was originally recruited by UNLV under Kruger.
NEW MEXICO | ESPN | SCOUT GR | AVG | |
PHILIP MCDONALD - SG | JR | 42 | 96 | |
ALEX KIRK - C | FR | 99 | 93 | |
TONY SNELL- SF | FR | - | 92 | |
DEMETRIUS WALKER | SO | 74 | 92 | |
KENDALL WILLIAMS - PG | FR | - | 91 | |
DOMINIQUE DUNNING - G | FR | - | 90 | |
JAMAL FENTON - PG | SO | - | 88 | |
A.J. HARDEMAN - PF | JR | - | 87 | 91.1 |
Notes: The Lobos have 3 Top 100’s, and follow them up with a lot of “close behind” talent. Look for them to have a very good year and challenge for the MWC title.
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Notes: Wow! Every single one of their top 8 are Top 100 players! No wonder Chase and Mike felt a bit crowed. UCLA didn’t have a great year in 2010. If they don’t do better this year…
UNC | ESPN | SCOUT GR | AVG | |
JOHN HENSON - F | JR | 6 | 98 | |
HARRISON BARNES - F | SO | 1 | 98 | |
JAMES MCADOO - F | FR | 6 | 98 | |
P.J. HARISTON - G | FR | 13 | 97 | |
REGGIE BULLOCK - G | SO | 18 | 96 | |
TYLER ZELLER - F | SR | 7 | 96 | |
DEXTER STRICKLAND G | JR | 27 | 95 | |
LESLIE MCDONALD - G | JR | 32 | 95 | 96.6 |
Notes: Give witness to a perennial powerhouse. The ninth UNC player is #22 on the Top 100. The average grade for this group classifies each of them as likely early-outs, headed for the NBA. Roscoe Allen, the 55th top recruit and with a Score of 94, is high on UNLV’s list for 2012, and has narrowed his list to UNC, Stanford, and UNLV. He’ll feel very crowded at UNC, and may not see any playing time right away there. He would be the lowest rated of all the Top 100 recruits.
Now, before reading below, take a guess where UNLV falls.
Wait for it…
UNLV | ESPN | SCOUT GR | AVG | |
CHACE STANBACK | Sr | 52 | 96 | |
QUINTRELL THOMAS | Jr | 56 | 95 | |
MIKE MOSER | So | 55 | 92 | |
ANTHONY MARSHALL | Jr | 85 | 91 | |
REGGIE SMITH | So | - | 90 | |
CARLOS LOPEZ | So | - | 89 | |
KENDALL WALLACE | Sr | - | 81 | |
JUSTIN HAWKINS | Jr | - | 80 | 89.3 |
Notes: Notice Bellfield didn’t even make the list. He scored a 66, which means he isn’t even assessed to play division 1 basketball. It shows ESPN doesn’t know everything, as Bellfield played more minutes than any other Rebel last year, and continues to develop. Brice Jones is not on the list because he has to wait until next year to play. Massamba and Mashour didn’t have scores, due to a lack of review by ESPN.
UNLV has 4 Top 100’s, which is more than New Mexico, but the Lobos have a stronger supporting cast according to ESPN, giving them a higher average Scouting Grade.
UNC has staggering amounts of talent. Looking a bit deeper, of the Top 100’s on the team, the worst was 32nd in the nation… Taking the average, it is like saying UNC has been able to land 9 players, each one being the 14th best recruit in the nation. Amazing!
Rebel fans can be proud of recruiting efforts, but it is hard to make a case, based solely on recruited talent, that UNLV will return to the absolute top of the heap with immediacy.
Where are the Rebels headed? Rice has done a great job so far. We’ll lose Stanback, Wallace, Massamba, and Bellfield at the end of this year. Two scholarships remain unfilled at this moment for 2012, and as it sits now, we gain 2.5 AVG points:
2012 | TOP 100 | SCOUT GR | AVG | |
QUINTRELL THOMAS | SR | 56 | 95 | |
KATIN REINHARDT | FR | 60 | 94 | |
BRICE JONES | SO | 69 | 94 | |
MIKE MOSER | JR | 55 | 92 | |
ANTHONY MARSHALL | SR | 85 | 91 | |
REGGIE SMITH | JR | - | 90 | |
CARLOS LOPEZ | JR | - | 89 | |
DEMETRIUS MORANT | FR | - | 89 | 91.8 |
DEQUAN COOK | FR | - | 87 | |
JUSTIN HAWKINS | SR | - | 80 | |
KARAM MASHOUR | JR | NR | NR |
If the Rebels are able to land Roscoe Allen (55, 94), the score would change to 92.4.
Assuming no additional recruits at the minute, 2013 lands an average score of 91.4 after losing Marshall and Thomas, but adding Christian Wood (34,96). Dantley Walker, Nevada’s all time leading scorer, has not been rated, so he doesn’t affect the average.
An additional strong recruit suddenly puts us right up near UCLA’s score for this year. That, however, assumes an incredible feat for Rice and Co.
The bottom line is that the Rebels are definitely headed in the right direction as far as talent is assessed. If a few more recruits fall the right way, the Rebels could legitimately see 7 Top 100 recruits running the floor within 2 years. That would put the team in some pretty elite company.
Keep your fingers crossed, and show up. Fans matter!
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