Once they ached to be noticed, now they just ache

Adam Candee

Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2004 | 9:46 a.m.

Bearing the weight of national expectations could get a little tricky for the UNLV Lady Rebels if they cannot keep a few healthy legs on the court.

Already without All-Mountain West Conference forward Sherry McCracklin until December, UNLV could lose fellow returning starter Nikki Hitchens for a significant length of time as well. Hitchens, a junior guard-forward from Silverado High, underwent an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of a knee injury suffered in practice Friday and results are expected today.

The way the injuries keep piling up in concert with preseason accolades, UNLV coach Regina Miller might be ready to give back the nods coming to her team.

Right before UNLV was ranked No. 22 by Street and Smith's magazine, McCracklin went down with a partially torn right Achilles' tendon.

Now, Hitchens' injury coincides with the Rebels being named the preseason favorite by both media members and coaches in the Mountain West. Miller made the best of it after Monday's practice, saying she hopes her team will harden from dealing with these injuries during a difficult early schedule.

"We're dealing with a little bit of adversity, but success is determined by how well you handle that," Miller said. "We've got to stare it in the face and keep moving forward."

McCracklin averaged 12.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game last season. She also led the Lady Rebels in steals (64) and blocked shots (49). Hitchens, who started every game along with McCracklin, averaged 5.5 points and 3.8 rebounds.

Senior forward RanDee Henry, named to the preseason All-MWC first team along with McCracklin, said that playing without her frontcourt partner feels unusual.

"It's different because you're kind of used to certain ways you can play to complement those people around you," Henry said. "You have to kind of change things when you play with different people. It's just an adjustment for all of us."

Three weeks still remain before UNLV's road opener against Minnesota, a Final Four team in 2003-04. Down two returning starters, Miller is experimenting with different lineup combinations in practice.

"It's provided a lot of practice time for the new kids, for the inexperienced players," Miller said. "From that standpoint, I try to see it as the glass always half-full instead of half-empty."

There will be plenty in the glass by the time the Lady Rebels return to health before conference season, where they are expected to battle with Utah and New Mexico for the top spot. Coaches voted the Rebels as the conference's best (134 points), but gave them less first-place votes (five) than the Lobos (eight) and Utes (seven).

New Mexico and Utah tied for second place in the preseason voting at 131 points apiece.

UNLV proved its mettle in the postseason last year, advancing to the final of the Women's National Invitational Tournament.

After winning at Iowa State in a semifinals, the Lady Rebels lost to Creighton in the final, but still earned respect for the conference.

"I enjoy being in that position because I feel like we worked very hard last year," Henry said. "There's nothing wrong with getting a little respect for what you did last year."

The praise from peers is a welcome change for a veteran group used to being picked in the middle of the pack.

"To finally get some preseason recognition, it's definitely a good thing," UNLV junior guard Sheena Moore. "We're happy about it and we take it as a challenge. We're just trying to (keep) getting attention so when the NCAA tournament comes around, we're getting looks."

Returning four starters from a 26-8 squad, Miller anticipated some recognition, but the first-place nod from league coaches still surprised her a bit.

"For this team, since I've been here, it's a little foreign," Miller said. "Of course it's a little bit of an adjustment, but we're up for the challenge.

"I firmly believe that you prepare all along as you're trying to prove people wrong (to get to) this time. Now that we're in this time, hopefully we're ready to meet the challenge."

"I would hope and think that, outside of the injuries that we've had, that we're prepared."