UNLV Runnin’ Rebel Roster 2024 - 2025

[quickdraw]

 

[Shaker]

I have never seen Jaden Henley play and only know the little I have read about him and what I have seen from his stats. Looks like he might be a good player off the bench. I am hoping Kruger and company are bringing in 2 quality guys that can shoot the ball and give UNLV a nice outside threat.

[VincentVegaBond]

On 4/15/2024 at 9:58 AM, quickdraw said:

 

I have a soft spot for DePaul as they are my Alma Mater for my bachelor's, but they were historically bad last year, the rare power conference team that probably would have struggled in the likes of the WAC or Big Sky.  Henley looks like a poor shooter and worse defender, I really hope this isn't Kruger's "splash" P5 signing.

[UNLV2001]

 

[UNLV2001]

 

[UNLV2001]

On 4/15/2024 at 2:45 PM, UNLV2001 said:

 

 

[Rebels18]

Solid upgrade over Shane Nowell

[qwelish]

I like Henleys game from what little ive seen. Face up swing. Nice fit and size, length.

Definitely an upgrade over Nowell and maybe a better fit next to DJ than Keylan, who liked to play with his back to the basket a lot.

Too many post scorers last season.

[Rosegreen]

Henley doesn’t move the needle for me. Still waiting for an improvement, replacing a JAG with a JAG (Nowell or LuRod) is pointless, imo.. 
 

The other thing is, nobody from DePaul cares he left, they upgraded their coach with Holtmann and he just got a commitment from a former Louisville forward that can score AND get rebounds. 
 

That being said, CKK is obviously looking to have more spacing in his offense by loading up on shooters which he hopes will do two things, speeds up the tempo and stretch the defense so his star player can thrive.
 

Probably going to get two more shooters and a point guard to round out the roster. 

[B_Lootz]

On 4/16/2024 at 9:53 AM, Rosegreen said:

Henley doesn’t move the needle for me. Still waiting for an improvement, replacing a JAG with a JAG (Nowell or LuRod) is pointless, imo.. 
 

The other thing is, nobody from DePaul cares he left, they upgraded their coach with Holtmann and he just got a commitment from a former Louisville forward that can score AND get rebounds. 
 

That being said, CKK is obviously looking to have more spacing in his offense by loading up on shooters which he hopes will do two things, speeds up the tempo and stretch the defense so his star player can thrive.
 

Probably going to get two more shooters and a point guard to round out the roster. 

It would be great if Henley makes an impact but I think he’s a bench filler and won’t see more than a handful of minutes per game.

I would love it if KK loaded up on shooters but that hasn’t been his approach to roster building and doesn’t appear to be the case again heading into next season. He’s going to load up on big, lengthy, athletic players primarily for defense but aren’t very dependable scorers on the offensive end. 

Put it bluntly, if we don’t recruit some outside shooting to fill out the roster, we’re fvcked. No team will respect our outside shooting and then will only have to bunch around the paint to eliminate drives to the basket and anything down low. 

[Rosegreen]

On 4/16/2024 at 10:21 AM, B_Lootz said:

It would be great if Henley makes an impact but I think he’s a bench filler and won’t see more than a handful of minutes per game.

I would love it if KK loaded up on shooters but that hasn’t been his approach to roster building and doesn’t appear to be the case again heading into next season. He’s going to load up on big, lengthy, athletic players primarily for defense but aren’t very dependable scorers on the offensive end. 

Put it bluntly, if we don’t recruit some outside shooting to fill out the roster, we’re fvcked. No team will respect our outside shooting and then will only have to bunch around the paint to eliminate drives to the basket and anything down low. 

The unofficial unlv recruiting list from various sources indicate to me that CKK is looking for shooters. Whether he lands them or not is a different story. 
 

The other good news is that Peery is staying put at UNLV. BYU hired someone else. 

[UNLV2001]

https://lasvegassun.com/news/2024/apr/15/unlv-lands-portal-commitment-from-depaul-wing-jade/

The UNLV basketball program landed its first commitment from the transfer portal on Monday in veteran wing Jaden Henley. 

Henley, a 6-foot-7 sophomore, averaged 8.6 points per game at DePaul in 2023-24. He made the announcement via Instagram, and UNLV’s official social media accounts posted the news shortly thereafter.

Henley visited UNLV over the weekend and was one of the top recruiting targets of head coach Kevin Kruger. The Ontario, Calif., native was originally a 3-star prospect in the Class of 2022 and rated as the nation's No. 195 player by 247Sports.

He committed to Minnesota out of high school (over an offer from San Diego State) and played his freshman year with the Golden Gophers, starting 18 of 31 games and posting 5.3 points and 2.2 rebounds.

He transferred to DePaul last offseason and saw his numbers increase moderately, as he started 23 of 32 games and averaged 8.6 points and 2.7 rebounds.

Henley has two years of eligibility remaining and will likely be able to suit up immediately for UNLV in 2024-25.

 

[UNLV2001]

https://lasvegassun.com/news/2024/apr/16/kruger-unlv-diving-into-transfer-portal-for-reinfo/

“Visits happen immediately, and a lot of decisions are made on visits,” Kruger said. “It’s not like recruiting a high-school kid, where you may have multiple years in terms of building relationships. You’re calling and talking and gauging interest, and you’re doing it very quickly.”

 

Another area where UNLV will be active in the portal is big men. A reliable starting center is a need with Kalib Boone graduating and taking his 11.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game with him.

Kruger said Boone’s post-up skill set will be difficult to replicate, and the staff isn’t locked into replacing him with another back-to-the basket big.

“Kalib was very unique, and there’s not a lot of players in college basketball like him,” Kruger said. “If you can get a guy like that, it’s something you’d love to have, but we’re definitely open to different styles.”

A center with some face-up skills or pick-and-roll ability would open up the floor for Thomas, something Kruger is making a priority heading into next year.

“We’ve got D.J. returning, and we want to have more possessions. That’s something we got away from last year, with injuries and some guys being asked to do things they were maybe not necessarily used to doing, it slowed our pace a little bit. We were a little slower than we wanted to be. We would definitely be open to a situation where we could have more possessions and get the ball in transition.”

Those are some pretty big changes, but that’s the nature of the portal. The transfer window closes on May 1, and there’s a good chance UNLV will look very different by then.

Hill progressing on road to recovery

Jalen Hill was projected to be a major contributor last season, but a wrist injury kept him out for the final four weeks of non-conference play, and when he returned, he managed just 14 minutes against San Diego State on Jan. 6 before a torn ACL sidelined him for the rest of the year.

All told, Hill appeared in seven games and totaled 75 points and 43 rebounds on the season.

Kruger said Hill plans to petition the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility, and the team expects that to be granted.

Hill will be about 11 months out from surgery when the 2024-25 season begins. According to Kruger, his rehab is going well and Hill should be up to speed by opening night.

“He’s doing great,” Kruger said. “He’s in a good situation because he’s ahead of schedule, but at the same time, with the date of the injury there’s not necessarily a rush. There’s nothing but positive to be where he’s at. He’s got a lot of optimism that he’s going to have a good amount of time so he can be at full strength when he is finally cleared to go.”

[bsu_alum9]

Boise —>>>UNLV

[rebelcuff]

On 4/16/2024 at 7:57 PM, bsu_alum9 said:

Boise —>>>UNLV

Interesting. Didn't think he would transfer in conference. Is he any good?

[qwelish]

No way to really know. 

Two pretty uninspiring signings. 

Not the level of talent I was hoping for.

A spot up and a hucker from a losing program.

I like the fit. Just not sure about talent/skill level.

[bsu_alum9]

On 4/16/2024 at 5:26 PM, rebelcuff said:

Interesting. Didn't think he would transfer in conference. Is he any good?

Played 15 mpg last two seasons in Boise (11 starts). Never moved the needle a ton but solid role player and 40% from three over career (only takes wideopen looks). Struggled against press and on defense at times. 

[TrueAg]

On 4/16/2024 at 4:57 PM, bsu_alum9 said:

 

Huh?...

I'm sorry, isn't this where Rebel fans say we should all grab the lube and prepare our anii?

[jdgaucho]

On 4/16/2024 at 8:53 AM, Rosegreen said:

Henley doesn’t move the needle for me. Still waiting for an improvement, replacing a JAG with a JAG (Nowell or LuRod) is pointless, imo.. 
 

The other thing is, nobody from DePaul cares he left, they upgraded their coach with Holtmann and he just got a commitment from a former Louisville forward that can score AND get rebounds. 
 

That being said, CKK is obviously looking to have more spacing in his offense by loading up on shooters which he hopes will do two things, speeds up the tempo and stretch the defense so his star player can thrive.
 

Probably going to get two more shooters and a point guard to round out the roster. 

 

Henley was good enough to start in the Big East, even if it was DePaul.  So he has experience playing in a tough league.  Methinks he'll hold his own here.

As an aside @VincentVegaBond, I remember my school getting a two year starter from a poor DePaul team that also had Max Strus.  Brandon Cyrus didn't move the needle, but he fit our team well.

[qwelish]

On 4/16/2024 at 6:26 PM, jdgaucho said:

 

Henley was good enough to start in the Big East, even if it was DePaul.  So he has experience playing in a tough league.  Methinks he'll hold his own here.

As an aside @VincentVegaBond, I remember my school getting a two year starter from a poor DePaul team that also had Max Strus.  Brandon Cyrus didn't move the needle, but he fit our team well.

Fit is the key. These guys fit, so I won't poo poo the signings.

But the overall talent level of these signings is underwhelming, to say the least.

Need offensive firepower with shot creating & making ability.