2026-2027 UNLV Runnin Rebels

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Now that our season has come to an end I expect that the Coach/Player year end interviews have started. Tyrin Jones announced that he is returning to the team for next year…. So it has begun.

Pastner has shown himself to be a players coach”players coach”. Last season he wasn’t even hired until the portal was closed whereas this year he and his staff are getting a normal start to the recruiting period. He did a fair job cobbling together a team out of the leftovers. I expect to see a much more complete team this year. So based on who is still available from our existing squad I’ll start a roster list and keep it updated here. So I’ll start with 

Tyrin Jones                        So.    F

Issac Williamson             So    G 

Jalen Cunningham          Fr    G 

Xavier Brumfield             Fr     G 

updated 4/7

 

 

 

 

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UNLV and the NBA in Vegas

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver talked about Las Vegas basketball and its history. Of it being a major reason the league’s Board Of Governors this week voted to explore expansion in Southern Nevada.

And you can’t debate such without UNLV being a major part of the narrative.

The Hardway Eight. The Final Four appearances. The magical time of 1990. All the great players. Jerry Tarkanian.

But such success has for a while now fallen on hard times. The Rebels haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2013 and a majority of its fan base can best be described as apathetic.

 

It makes you wonder: Should the NBA indeed arrive here with an expansion franchise, would that make Rebels basketball even more of an afterthought for many?

Would some who still follow UNLV with the hope that things will soon be better become more interested in a local professional franchise?

It’s debatable. If finances play any part in such a decision, NBA games are going to set you back far more than what you might find upstairs at the Thomas & Mack.

But the mere question returns us to an obvious point: No matter how much interest an NBA team might take from UNLV, the Rebels are still struggling to regain a footprint in a town where major league sports seemingly adds another team by the hour.

Josh Pastner likes the idea of Las Vegas and the NBA. A lot.

The coach who just concluded his first season directing the UNLV program sees nothing but positives about it.

“Absolutely,” Pastner said. “We’re already the Sports Capital of the World and we’re also the Basketball Capital of the World. You have Summer League and USA Basketball and pros coming here to train. I think this would add even more positivity to the community, to the city, to basketball recruiting.

“We would absolutely include (an NBA team) in our recruiting pitch. Every player that comes here or anywhere in the world — their ultimate goal is to play in the NBA. I think it would open up more opportunities in recruiting and to be involved with more players and more connections and more contacts and more foot traffic coming through here. It would be significant.

 

Engagement has been lacking for some time. There is little student section to speak of, certainly not when compared to some other conference schools. Pastner believes UNLV needs to think outside the box when it comes to in-game entertainment.

That energy within the area needs to match that of his team.

That the market can handle all these teams. That certain variables — ones we have heard about often — will translate into support.

“Getting the Thomas & Mack full again comes with winning and being successful,” Pastner said. “I think it just comes down to — and I’ve said this — that we have to win and be playing meaningful games in February. That means you’re competing for a league championship or you’re trying to make the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team.

 

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UNLV Retention

UNLV basketball coach Josh Pastner said retention would be his first priority this offseason. Although he’s off to a strong start, the verdict is still out on his top player.

Standout freshman forward Tyrin Jones announced his plans to return to UNLVvia Instagram on Friday, writing “I’m backkk!!” as the caption for a post that featured highlights from this past season and an official UNLV graphic that said “re-signed.”

Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, who led the Rebels and the Mountain West in scoring with 20.7 points per game this past season, shared his own Instagram post hours later.

“Dra has not made any decision on whether he is returning or not. He is still going through the process to make a decision,” Pastner told the Review-Journal.

The 6-foot-1 guard from Lafayette, Indiana, certainly maximized his value in the transfer portal. Gibbs-Lawhorn recorded one of the best seasons UNLV has seen in years, all while playing out of position. UC Irvine transfer Myles Che was the intended point guard as Pastner restarted the roster, but Che sustained a foot injury during the offseason that sidelined him for the entire year.

For Gibbs-Lawhorn, it’s clear the increased opportunities after his stellar junior campaign are too good not to consider.

Pastner emphasized after the team’s season ended in a loss to Tulsa in the second round of the NIT that fundraising would be his top priority in hopes to have a chance to compete with coaches at programs with higher NIL budgets.

Money clearly wasn’t the top priority for Jones, a 6-foot-9 Las Vegas native who likely would have garnered plenty of interest in the portal as well.

“Tyrin loves the program, the system we play, our player development with him, and the city,” Pastner said.

[Rosegreen]

Wonder if Dedan would come back? Didn’t lead LSU anywhere but got a nice payday. Not sure if he’ll get a similar paycheck like he had the previous 3 seasons. 

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On 3/30/2026 at 1:33 PM, Rosegreen said:

Wonder if Dedan would come back? Didn’t lead LSU anywhere but got a nice payday. Not sure if he’ll get a similar paycheck like he had the previous 3 seasons. 

Dedan with Tyrin Jones. 2 good Vegas boys would be fun. I was thinking the same thing when I saw him in the portal. With this being his last year I have zero guesses where his head is at.

As much as I would welcome him back he already gave 2 years to us. I hope whatever he does is what’s best for him. Evidently LSU wasn’t.

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So Naas Cunningham and Gibbs-Lawhorn are both in the portal.

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No rumblings about Issac Williamson yet going into the portal which is great news. This kid is a solid mature player. He will have a much bigger role next year. As of right now he is the last remaining PG we have.

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Bannarbie and Abbatan both in the portal. I was hoping to keep Bannarbie but he got some run last year so his agent was probably in his ear about making more money.

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UNLV now down to 2 returning players from last year and 2 practice players. So it will be yet another complete rebuild. Rinse and repeat…

See the OP

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UNLV aims to be in the top of the G6  

NCAA revenue sharing programs are capped at $20.5 million, but Harper doesn’t think any school outside of a Power 4 conference will get near that total.

UNLV last month released its NIL and revenue sharing totals in its annual athletic department financial report, which showed the university expects to have $10.75 million in revenue sharing funds available for the 2026-27 academic year. That is up from the $7.5 million in NIL and revenue sharing for the 2025-26 academic year and way up from the $1.2 million in NIL seen in 2024-25.