College Hoops Top 50

Last Year: 21-13; 12-6, Fourth in the Mountain West, lost in the quarterfinals of the NIT

Head Coach: Kevin Kruger (Fourth Year; 58-40 at UNLV, with no NCAA Tournament appearances)

Projected Starting Lineup

PG Dedan ‘DJ’ Thomas, Jr – 6’1″, 185 Sophomore

G Jailen Bedford – 6’4″, 180 Senior

G Jaden Henley – 6’7″, 215 Junior

F Jalen Hill – 6’6″, 230 5th-year Senior

F/C Isaiah Cottrell – 6’11”, 245 Junior

Experienced Reserves

G Brooklyn Hicks – 6’3″, 190 Sophomore

G Jace Whiting – 6’3″, 190 Junior

G Julian Rishwain – 6’6″, 200 5th-year Senior

F Rob Whaley – 6’7″, 260 Senior

F/C Jeremiah ‘Bear’ Cherry – 6’11”, 280 Junior

Freshmen

W James Evans – 6’6″, 205

F Jacob Bannarbie – 6’9″, 235 (Redshirt)

C Pape N’Diaye – 7’0″, 220

If momentum from the way last year ended counts for anything, UNLV is going to be a pretty dangerous team this season. 

There were times last season where such optimism would have sounded like a bad joke. After all, the Runnin’ Rebels were sitting at .500 near the end of January. The loss that had dropped them to that spot was a 32-point demolition they suffered at the hands of Air Force – and at home, no less. Somehow, it was just what the doctor had ordered. 

From that point on, UNLV would rip off ten wins in their final 12 regular season games. Though San Diego State knocked them out of the Mountain West Conference tournament in an overtime thriller, the Rebs went on to earn a spot in the NIT quarterfinals. From ‘going nowhere’ to looking rather promising, it was a great two-month stretch of basketball. 

Now, head coach Kevin Kruger is hoping that his squad can keep it up. It’s a tall order, especially considering that five of the top seven players that were in his rotation to finish last season have gone. The team’s leading scorer is back, though, and he showed flashes as a rookie of becoming an exceptionally good one. 

Legacy point guard Dedan ‘DJ’ Thomas, Jr, was the straw that stirred UNLV’s drink from the moment he stepped onto the floor. The son of Dedan Thomas, Sr – who twice ranked top-ten in the country in assists per game while playing for the Runnin’ Rebels in the early 1990’s – DJ Thomas has already begun writing his own chapters in program lore. An electrifying talent with great awareness, poise, and advanced skills for his age, Thomas took the keys from Kruger and immediately supercharged the Rebs’ attack. As the team heated up late in the campaign, Thomas was a driving force. Having earned the trust of his coaches and teammates early on, Thomas was looked to in crunch time, and he came through time and again. He went for a then-career-high 25 points to help UNLV knock off red-hot New Mexico at The Pit in mid-February, and then Thomas followed it up by hitting key free throws and a jumper with two minutes on the clock to sneak a road win out of Fresno State. A few weeks later against Top 25 San Diego State, Thomas sank three late shots and provided the winning margin by nailing a cold-blooded jumper with 20 seconds left in the contest. 

“You’re not going to make big shots if you don’t take big shots. The confidence early in the year to take them is, I think is without question paying off at this point,” Kruger reflected late in the season. “At the end of the game, when it comes to handling the ball, decision-making, we’re going to put the ball in his hands and trust that good things happen.”, Making it all even more amazing, Thomas had reclassified and was actually playing for Kruger a year earlier than expected.

A supremely confident player, Thomas made some mistakes as he learned on the job but was never daunted. That he was relied upon to be the team’s primary facilitator and its go-to scoring option was a huge workload, but Thomas generally handled his assignments with great maturity. The MWC’s co-Rookie of the Year finished fifth in the league in assists, and Thomas often showed the presence to involve his teammates early and often even when became clear that he may need to do a lot of the scoring later on. As defenses began trying to deny him opportunities near the rim and collapsed around him on the drive, they still couldn’t stop Thomas. He shot a strong 44.2% on mid-range tries, per Bart Torvik, showing a smooth pull-up up game and the patience to back out and try again when he found extra defenders waiting for him inside. As he adds polish to his game and continues to distill his experiences into new tactics, Thomas looks sure to emerge as a Player of the Year contender in the conference and one of America’s best point guards. 

“At the end of the game, when it comes to handling the ball, decision-making, we’re going to put the ball in his hands and trust that good things happen.”

– Kevin Kruger on DJ Thomas

With so much veteran productivity gone from last year, the few guys who are coming back and got to know Thomas as he found his way will be of vital importance. One is still rehabilitating from injury, but it’s hoped that once he is cleared to play, Jalen Hill will be among the Rebs’ best players. 

A Kruger guy going back to their time together at Oklahoma when UNLV’s coach was still an assistant there, Hill has never put up huge numbers but always seems to be doing helpful things. Though he doesn’t have prototype size, Hill plays a very effective power forward role and doesn’t get pushed around in the post. His reliability had earned Hill a starting job for the Sooners towards the end of the 2020-21 season, and across his junior and senior seasons at OU, Hill had averaged nearly 32 minutes combined per game. Unfortunately, he was particularly snakebitten last year after returning to his home city. A wrist injury limited Hill to start last year, and then a torn ACL ended his homecoming after just seven games. When healthy, Hill is a physical and highly aware forward who doesn’t waste possessions and battles on the glass. He can step out and hit three’s, but Hill has never been particularly consistent from deep. He can get into rhythm with his back to the basket, though, and Hill is patient and decisive in the lane.

Back for his second season in Las Vegas is explosive forward Rob Whaley, Jr. A special project that assistant coach Barret Peery brought in last fall, Whaley began to blossom late last year. Once an overweight youngster who lost the attention of Division I programs, Whaley has worked his way into a prominent role and become one of the MWC’s genuine x-factors. Though it took him a couple of months to fully adjust to things last year, Whaley’s debut ended very positively.

He moved unto the starting lineup following the Air Force debacle, and over UNLV’s final 16 contests, Whaley averaged 9.7 points on 62.2% shooting from the floor. He was excellent in a win over Princeton to begin the NIT, going for 21 points and nine boards while making all eight of his shots, and Whaley just seems to make momentum-turning plays when his team needs a boost. Though he’s a bit short deep in the post, Whaley is powerful even compared to bigger guys, and he plays a vertical game despite his wide frame. People tend to remember when they run into Whaley’s rock-solid screens, and he’s adept at rolling towards the rim with bad intentions. With further improvements defensively and a year’s experience playing with Thomas, Whaley is going to be stuffing a steady diet of two-point baskets this winter. 

Kruger has added two new scorers to the perimeter, and the hope is that both are on the cusp of bigger things. Another JuCo product, Jailen Bedford made good at Oral Roberts last year and caught the attention of UNLV’s staff. Now, he’ll get the chance to run with Thomas. A quality shooter who does excellent work on the glass for his size, Bedford is a shooter who naturally shows up all over the floor. A solid defender, Bedford is a high-effort player and gravitates towards the lane when he isn’t open on the outside. Wiry-strong and longer than his 6’4″ frame might suggest, Bedford doesn’t shy away from tussles for a loose ball, and he should find plenty of feeds coming his way after he cuts hard to the goal.  He also made 66 triples last year at a 37.3% rate, and both of those figures would have led the Rebs. 

Larger, longer, and offering a high major pedigree, Jaden Henley is looking to play and to win. He arrives fresh from the 3-29 disaster that DePaul became last year, and had been at 9-22 Minnesota the year before. He’s got the makings of a three-level scoring game and could become an imposing scorer given his size. He can shoot the rock, but has been quite streaky thus far. Henley attacks the basket effectively, and will score creatively on runners or tough layups using his reach a good sense for putting some English on the ball as he releases it. Though the Blue Demons couldn’t do much right last winter, Henley played his best ball down the stretch. He averaged 11.9 points on 49.5% shooting over DePaul’s final 11 games without great support around him and against serious Big East competition. If that version of Henley shows up from the start in Las Vegas, Kruger & Co may have things rather sorted on the wing. 

There could be real competition, too, because also new to the wing is 3-star freshman James Evans. He might be one of those prospects we all look back at in a couple of years and say ‘how come they didn’t rate him higher?’. He’s got the frame, game, and attitude to make a real impact real quick at the college level, and Evans will get opportunities in Las Vegas. With a strong, pro-style body and legit athleticism, Evans has flashed the skill to hit perimeter shots, slash to the rim and convert among the trees, and play physical, consistently impactful minutes defensively. As he refines his shot and becomes more comfortable handling the ball under pressure, Evans could be a major threat coming out of ball screens when Thomas is not, and give the Rebs a different look with his powerful downhill drive game. 

Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks)

45.9% – Team Field Goal Percentage (75th)

33.7%- Team 3FG Percentage (192nd)

12.4 – Assists Per Game (207th)

14.8 – Opponent Assists Per Game (315th)

70.9% Defensive Rebounding Percentage (278th)

The Runnin’ Rebels are hoping to get additional perimeter production – and hopefully some steady shooting – from a grab bag of more traditional guards, too. Julian Rishwain barely played last season at Florida while coming back from a knee injury, but had been a reliable part of two different programs’ rotations before that. He a pure marksman with the good size, length, and repeatable shooting form to come in and start launching triples at any time. If Rishwain can regain his previous form, he’ll be an asset for Thomas to find on the wing. A Mountain West veteran already, Jace Whiting spent a couple of years as a reserve at Boise State before coming to Las Vegas. He passes well in addition to his own reputation as a shooter, and made half of his 30 deep heaves last winter. With his change of address, Whiting is hoping to have more opportunities to show off his range. 

Back after playing a small role as a freshman, Brooklyn Hicks will hope to battle it out with the new guards for more run this winter. Fast with or without the ball in his hands, Hicks pushes the ball wherever possible and can score around the basket after bursting into the lane. 

“He wants to get out and run. Get to the basket. Put pressure and attack,” former UNLV big man Kalib Boone described Hicks last year. Hicks made some big three-balls as a rookie, too, but isn’t yet a consistent shooter. If he can add that element on a game-to-game basis, Hicks could become a much bigger part of what UNLV does as a sophomore. 

At the biggest spot, Kruger and his staff have a few different options. The guy they are most familiar with up to this point is Isaiah Cottrell, who played 27 games last season for the Rebs. It marked a big improvement after Cottrell managed to play in just a single game two years ago due to a couple of different foot injuries. A former West Virginia transfer, Cottrell was once a 4-star recruit, and he retains the high-end size and skillset which had scouts expecting big things to come. His playing time over UNLV’s stretch run was sporadic, but if Cottrell can stay healthy this season, he can provide classic post skills and rim protection. 

Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on

@ Creighton – December 7

N Mississippi State – November 28

vs Memphis – November 9

N Northwestern/Butler – November 29

@ Dayton – December 17

Kruger has had a great deal of success with JuCo guys, and hopes to have found another good one in Jeremiah ‘Bear’ Cherry. A huge player, Cherry is an unmissable presence near the rim. He is big, long, and powerful, and Cherry plays an old-school post game. At UNLV, where they run, he will need to get into a bit better shape, and Cherry had been working hard this summer to prepare for Mountain West action. He’s not a particularly above-the-rim guy, but Cherry will slam home two points when he gets the chance and can block shots without hardly leaving his feet. He’s unrefined at this point, but Cherry has a lot of tools to work with. 

As a contrast to the burly Cherry, Pape N’Diaye is also huge, but the seven foot freshman is quite thin for his new league. The rookie is considered one of the best rim protectors of the 2024 class, and projects as a hugely important defender. The scouts expect that he can play now, but N’Diaye must add strength or he will simply be moved against his will by the MWC’s grown dudes. As he acclimated to the college game, N’Diaye should emerge as a fantastic lob threat and the type of deterrent against dribble-drive scorers that every team wants near the goal. Redshirt rookie Jacob Bannarbie has gained noticeable strength during his year off, and at a bouncy 6’9″, he could help out starting this fall. Bannarbie has real potential around the rim at both ends, and seems to bring a great deal of energy to the floor.

The Runnin’ Rebels had four players who averaged double figures over at least 20+ games played last season. They only really got rolling late when Whaley and graduated guard Justin Webster heated up and provided added scoring depth and, in Webster’s case, outside shooting. For a UNLV team that did not shoot the ball well from three and constantly needed to get Thomas sufficient support, the blueprint for success is clear. 

So…has Kruger found enough shooting and secondary scoring this offseason? It’s certainly possible. The veteran guards who are coming in can shoot, but none has ever been a #2 option in as strong a league as the Mountain West is. Can they combine to get the job done, or will a standout step forward? Will Cottrell play a full, effective season, or will it be up to Whaley and Hill as undersized posts to take care of things inside? The Runnin’ Rebs are going to face a very difficult non-conference slate, amd it will show who this team is by the new year. With a potential superstar in Thomas, UNLV has big-time potential. How well the guys around him fit and how quickly they hit their collective stride will determine this team’s success.