UNLV Roster 2023 - 2024

[quickdraw]

On 5/16/2023 at 11:43 AM, Crsmitty04 said:

Go easy on Rebels18, he's one of our good ones.

His humor helps in the long off season.

I'm with you firmly on coaching continuity for the next few years (I will take the lumps and losses that go with that) but I think we need a tough non-con.

Big name programs and exciting tournaments are needed to engage the fanbase.

I think last year's team had false confidence going into conference and then got a rude awakening.

I'd like to see it the other way around this year..

Schedule up and take the tough lessons early. Go into conference pissed and ready to take it out on the MWC.

We definitely need a tougher OOC schedule. Need to be tested and toughened in the OOC to better prepare for conference. Taking that too far and just getting beaten up and demoralized while learning nothing other than how to lose accomplishes nothing. 

And yes we need a better schedule to engage the fan base but going 4-8 OOC doesn’t accomplish that either. There is a balance that needs to happen. Overall winning and doing so with exciting games is the best way to engage UNLV fans.

Once again, how do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

[VincentVegaBond]

On 5/16/2023 at 11:43 AM, Crsmitty04 said:

Go easy on Rebels18, he's one of our good ones.

His humor helps in the long off season.

I'm with you firmly on coaching continuity for the next few years (I will take the lumps and losses that go with that) but I think we need a tough non-con.

Big name programs and exciting tournaments are needed to engage the fanbase.

I think last year's team had false confidence going into conference and then got a rude awakening.

I'd like to see it the other way around this year..

Schedule up and take the tough lessons early. Go into conference pissed and ready to take it out on the MWC.

I think with the coup Kruger Jr pulled this offseason should buy him a little more leeway as he proved to the naysayers (myself included) that he can bring in the horses.  He will likely be far from perfect this year as he continues to learn on the job and take some lumps which is to be expected. But apart from a Rice- esque train wreck of a year, he should have bought himself a 4th season with the guys he brought in.

[qwelish]

I'm not sure any AD would hitch their cart to CKK If he turns in back to back 7th place finishes.

He would look pretty bad finishing that low after this recruiting haul.

 

[quickdraw]

Or if he paid for strippers for players or if players were photographed in a hot tub with a guy named “The Fixer” or if a player brought a gun to a place so his buddy could shoot somebody… oh wait that last one is OK. 

Enough with the absurdity. I guess EH should fire him now and not take a chance. Even Rebel-net is looking like the place where people go to have a sane conversation.

[qwelish]

https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/sports-columns/sam-gordon/gordon-recruiting-win-puts-rebels-back-in-mw-title-hunt-2777754/

 

Gordon: Recruiting win puts Rebels back in MW title hunt

If third-year coach Kevin Kruger and UNLV’s men’s basketball team can beat Arizona, Florida, Gonzaga, Houston and UCLA on a Sunday morning in the middle of May, then surely they can contend with Boise State, San Diego State and Utah State next March in the Mountain West Tournament.

 

The commitment of Liberty four-star junior point guard Dedan Thomas Jr. and signings of fifth-year transfers Kalib (Oklahoma State) and Keylan Boone (Pacific) and Jalen Hill (Oklahoma) have solidified Kruger’s best offseason yet — and given the Rebels a real opportunity to play with the best in the Mountain West.

Thomas hasn’t yet reclassified, but sources with knowledge of his thinking expect him to leave Liberty this spring and play for the Rebels this fall. If and when he does, he’ll join a seasoned squad filled with wings and forwards who can complement his strengths and ease his transition from the Class 5A Southern League to the Mountain West.

“All they needed was a quarterback,” Thomas said Sunday after announcing his commitment. “They’ve got the pieces right now. They just need a point guard to run the show.”

Experience and versatility

With another scholarship still available, UNLV could use another center or more shot creation from the wing. But the roster as presently constructed resembles that of a conference contender that should claw its way into the Mountain West’s top four — and potentially the NCAA Tournament.

Last year’s team lacked the requisite scoring, shooting and ball handling to win when its defense struggled.

This year’s team bolsters the same defensive potential, plus the offensive upside to win when the Rebels don’t reach it.

Sixth-year senior wing Luis Rodriguez (10.5 points, 5.7 rebounds) and fifth-senior senior guard Justin Webster (8.2 points, 38.9 percent 3-point shooting) are reliable returners with differing sets of skills, offering two-way versatility and shooting, respectively.

Standing 6 feet, 9 inches and seasoned in the Big 12, Kalib Boone slashed, rolled and finished his way to 10.6 points per game while shooting 58.4 percent from the floor. His twin brother, Keylan, was also once a Cowboy. But he plays on the perimeter and averaged 13.9 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3-point range during his lone season with Pacific.

Hill at 6-6 averaged 9.7 points and 5.6 rebounds in his final year with the Sooners — bringing untapped offensive potential to UNLV, where he’ll operate as a secondary shot creator with more freedom than he had in Oklahoma.

Then there’s Thomas, the prototypical point guard tasked with bringing the best out of his soon-to-be teammates as the program’s most consequential commit in a decade or more.

Poise at the point

A natural facilitator, Thomas hunts great shots for his teammates by manipulating and exploiting favorable matchups. At 6-1, he mans the point with precocious poise in the most stressful of situations, beating defenses with his savvy as often as his skill.

His offensive arsenal is filled with floaters, fakes and unconventional finishes as his 3-point shooting continues to improve.

But Thomas shouldn’t need to shoot a lot for this team to succeed, considering the two-way versatility and experience with which he’ll be surrounded. Like some of the other players who left Power Five programs to play for Kruger, this latest round of newcomers should see an uptick in production.

An uptick in victories also should accompany the most talented team he’s yet assembled.

“I really like the group we’ve got coming in. I really like the group we’ve got returning,” said Kruger, who can’t comment publicly about Thomas until he signs a national letter of intent.

“We’ve got a group of guys that want to compete and want to win. I’m really excited about our starting point for the 2023-24 season.”

As he should be.

[qwelish]

Seems like the press is also saying the talent requires a top mwc finish and postseason.

In the world of high revenue athletics, accountability is a thing and when you run the show, you must produce results. 

Others are noticing, so i doubt its lost on the AD that this is a make or break season for CKK. 

No matter how much belief anyone has, we need CKK to show us this season, that he is the man to run the show at UNLV. 

I think he's got the chops. Now is the time.

 

[VincentVegaBond]

On 5/16/2023 at 3:43 PM, qwelish said:

Seems like the press is also saying the talent requires a top mwc finish and postseason.

In the world of high revenue athletics, accountability is a thing and when you run the show, you must produce results. 

Others are noticing, so i doubt its lost on the AD that this is a make or break season for CKK. 

No matter how much belief anyone has, we need CKK to show us this season, that he is the man to run the show at UNLV. 

I think he's got the chops. Now is the time.

 

He definitely should be substantially better than last season, and hopefully they will improve as the season goes along rather than regress. I think mistakes will be made and we will go through some rough patches, can't reasonably expect them to win the MW, but top 4 should definitely be expected.

[VincentVegaBond]

On 5/16/2023 at 4:02 PM, VincentVegaBond said:

He definitely should be substantially better than last season, and hopefully they will improve as the season goes along rather than regress. I think mistakes will be made and we will go through some rough patches, can't reasonably expect them to win the MW, but top 4 should definitely be expected.

Note: I'm not saying we CAN'T win the conference. If all goes perfectly (good chemistry, all players settling into their roles as intended, Kruger shows significant growth in coaching, no major injuries, etc.) We certainly could. But as we know too well things rarely go perfectly.

But judging by the past (only 1 MW title in our history despite having the most talented roster on paper many times, etc) along with the fact Kruger is still learning, it just shouldn't be expected IMO.

[toonkee]

I'm not convinced that a reclassified freshman is going to bring it all together. 

Predict with trepidation. 

 

[Rosegreen]

On 5/16/2023 at 4:11 PM, toonkee said:

I'm not convinced that a reclassified freshman is going to bring it all together. 

Predict with trepidation. 

 

A freshman isn’t going to be required to do it all. We got so many upgrades in talent, experience. The cohesion and chemistry is going to be off the charts. Jalen Hill is the Derek Jeter of this club, he is going to push everyone in the right direction.
 

The focus is going to be on winning, these guys didn’t commit to win 17 games. No, these guys came in to revitalize unlv and bring it back. That’s the vision CKK sold them on and that’s what they are going to do. They all strike me as serious ball players and they set the bar high. 
 

Same people trying to tamp down recruiting expectations a month ago are doing the same thing by tamping down expectations on the court. High expectations isn’t a bad thing and it isn’t something this talented team should be afraid of. 
 

Tell me this lineup can’t contend with anyone: 

1. Dedan 

2. LuRod

3. Hill/Boone

4. Boone/Hill 

5. Boone

 

Not to mention this team will be at least 10 deep. We shouldn’t run out of gas in Conference play. 

[quickdraw]

On 5/16/2023 at 4:11 PM, toonkee said:

I'm not convinced that a reclassified freshman is going to bring it all together. 

Predict with trepidation. 

 

DJ will basically be a high school senior playing his first year as the starting PG in the 5th best conference in Division I basketball.

Reread the article. He states with this roster  “can contend with Boise State, San Diego State and Utah State next March in the Mountain West Tournament”. Nothing is being said about #1 in conference. He also states “that should claw its way into the Mountain West’s top four — and potentially the NCAA Tournament.” Top 4 in conference also seems like a reasonable assessment.

I’m not saying it can’t be done but I’m also not jumping on the just hang the banner now and save time bandwagon. 

[RebelRobert]

On 5/16/2023 at 6:31 PM, Rosegreen said:

A freshman isn’t going to be required to do it all. We got so many upgrades in talent, experience. The cohesion and chemistry is going to be off the charts. Jalen Hill is the Derek Jeter of this club, he is going to push everyone in the right direction.
 

The focus is going to be on winning, these guys didn’t commit to win 17 games. No, these guys came in to revitalize unlv and bring it back. That’s the vision CKK sold them on and that’s what they are going to do. They all strike me as serious ball players and they set the bar high. 
 

Same people trying to tamp down recruiting expectations a month ago are doing the same thing by tamping down expectations on the court. High expectations isn’t a bad thing and it isn’t something this talented team should be afraid of. 
 

Tell me this lineup can’t contend with anyone: 

1. Dedan 

2. LuRod

3. Hill/Boone

4. Boone/Hill 

5. Boone

 

Not to mention this team will be at least 10 deep. We shouldn’t run out of gas in Conference play. 

The Top 20 (RPI, NET Rankings, AP, Coaches) lineup will be:

1. Dedan/JJIII

2. Keylan Boone/Webster/Hicks

3. Rodriguez/Nowell

4. Hill/Whaley Jr.

5. Kalib Boone/Cottrell

UNLV is back and NCAA Tournament ready!

 

[PrimeReb]

Top 4? Why not? In fact, in Menzies last year he went 11-7 and tied for 4th place with SDSU with Clyburn-Sr, Hardy-So, Ntwambe-Fr, Diong-So and Robotham-Sr as his starting 5. The current roster is much deeper and more talented.
 

As a side note, I know some didn’t like Menzies. I had no problem with him and he could recruit and had strong ties to international players from Africa. Menzies had Joel Ntwambe’s brother Jonathan Kuminga pretty much locked up. I would have much rather watched Menzies and a roster with Ntwambe, Kuminga, Bryce Hamilton, JTT and Mbacke and some of the other players he was bringing instead of the weak sauce offered by TJ. 
 

 

[VincentVegaBond]

On 5/16/2023 at 5:22 PM, PrimeReb said:

Top 4? Why not? In fact, in Menzies last year he went 11-7 and tied for 4th place with SDSU with Clyburn-Sr, Hardy-So, Ntwambe-Fr, Diong-So and Robotham-Sr as his starting 5. The current roster is much deeper and more talented.
 

As a side note, I know some didn’t like Menzies. I had no problem with him and he could recruit and had strong ties to international players from Africa. Menzies had Joel Ntwambe’s brother Jonathan Kuminga pretty much locked up. I would have much rather watched Menzies and a roster with Ntwambe, Kuminga, Bryce Hamilton, JTT and Mbacke and some of the other players he was bringing instead of the weak sauce offered by TJ. 
 

 

I wasn't a fan of Marv but have warmed on him since his ouster. But one thing that should be mentioned is the MW he finished 4th in was infinitely weaker than the current iteration of the MW. Last year's team might have finished 4th in the 2018-19 MW.

[Rebels18]

On 5/16/2023 at 2:37 PM, quickdraw said:

Jump up and down, thump your chest and rant your  NATTYLESS BS to the rubes.

 No one is saying that we are shooting at #4 in conference. Take it however you want. Make bets about if we don’t do something or the other you’ll leave forever. See how far all of that gets you. We are still in the building stage and building takes continuity. This recruiting class has only come about because of the continuity that you and ph wanted to throw away yet again to start over. 

Remember now to use ALL CAPITALS and a bunch of !!!!! to win your internet argument.

you're such a little bitch, you don't like it when we criticize Kruger for fking up, you chastise us even when we actually do give props to Kruger for doing his job right---and any constructive criticism in-between you gatekeep what proper support is. 

you're a drag

[ph90702]

According to lobbybuu on Rebel-Net, we’re likely getting a road game against an upper end WCC team (sounds like St. Mary’s) and a home game against a Texas school (sounds like Texas A&M).  If these happen, they could get one more top 100 team and then just backfill cohesion games.

[Ernie Baer]

On 5/16/2023 at 7:31 PM, Rosegreen said:

The cohesion and chemistry is going to be off the charts.

Agree that the improved depth should be beneficial, but waaaayyyy too soon to proclaim the upcoming team's chemistry is going to be great.  No way of knowing until they start keeping the score for real and in particular some adversity appears.  That is when everyone will find out about that important aspect.  

[qwelish]

I like Kruger a lot. He swept reno.

 

[qwelish]

I'm not worried about Dedan Jr. at all.

I expect him to be one of the best players on the team immediately.

I think he's much better than Keshon Gilbert on day one.

[quickdraw]

On 5/16/2023 at 5:51 PM, Rebels18 said:

you're such a little bitch, you don't like it when we criticize Kruger for fking up, you chastise us even when we actually do give props to Kruger for doing his job right---and any constructive criticism in-between you gatekeep what proper support is. 

you're a drag

You never criticize or compliment without having your own little angle to setup the next tear it all down agenda. You stir the shit with an oar and can’t handle someone actually calling you out on it. Cool you and your puppy dog ph have staked out your position. Live with it.