Departing seniors: Future looks bright for Rebels

Steve Guiremand

Thursday, March 24, 2005 | 9:10 a.m.

The Good

The Bad

The Ugly

Once upon a time, way back in October, the UNLV Rebels were picked to finish in first place in the Mountain West Conference's preseason media/coaches poll.

It seemed realistic at the time. The Rebels returned three all-conference-caliber senior players in hard-working forward Odartey Blaknson, conference assist champ Jerel Blassingame and sharpshooter Romel Beck.

Add to that a new head coach in Lon Kruger, who brought a proven track record of building top-notch NCAA tournament-caliber programs at Illinois, Florida and Kansas State. Who cared that Utah had the best college player in the nation in 7-foot sophomore center Andrew Bogut?

But instead of getting an NCAA tournament invitation for the first time since 2000, the Rebels found themselves in an all-too-familiar spot --- losing early in the NIT.

In fact, after dropping a 77-66 second-round NIT contest at South Carolina on Tuesday night, the Rebels finished the first year of the Kruger era with a 17-14 record. That's worst than last year's 18-13 mark.

So what happened?

One scenario is that many people, including the folks who voted in those preseason polls, underestimated the importance that centers J.K. Edwards and James Peters had on the Rebels a year earlier. And the gutty senior leadership of guard Demetrius Hunter.

"Going back to the beginning, we probably missed those three guys more than people thought we would," Kruger admitted.

Without a true post threat like Edwards inside to keep things honest, it was much easier for opposing teams to focus their defenses on trying to shut down the Killer B's of Blankson, Beck and Blassingame.

In fact, it wasn't until Kruger split up the trio after a disappointing 2-6 start in Mountain West Conference play that the Rebels finally got on track, winning eight of their last 10 games going into the South Carolina loss.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of the season was the fact that the Rebels didn't throw in the towel when they were 9-11 and veterans like Blassingame and Beck lost their starting jobs to junior Ricky Morgan and senior Andy Hannan.

Although Beck had one slight meltdown after getting yanked early in the second half of a conference-ending 76-66 victory at BYU, both senior guards continued to practice hard and openly rooted for their teammates during the games.

And -- this may surprise some folks -- both gave Kruger a ringing endorsement after the final game.

"Coach is a great coach," Blassingame said. "He's one of the best X and O coaches in the game. He knows his stuff. ... I think (UNLV) will be fine."

"I think Lon Kruger is going to do a great job," Beck said. "This wasn't his group of guys. His guys are coming in ... pretty good guys. I hope he's the one who brings this program back to where it should be. I wish nothing but the best for the coach and the coaching staff. I enjoyed my years here."

Any regrets?

"No regrets," Beck replied. "If I could do it again, I'd sign that letter of intent and come to UNLV again."

"I'm really impressed," added Hannan. "I think the program is headed nowhere but up. I'm very impressed with the entire staff. I wish I had another year to play."

Kruger signed a highly rated recruiting class that includes ultra-quick point guard Javon Adams (Houston Gulf Shores Academy), 6-foot-8 forward Davon Jefferson of Lynwood, Calif., who is generally rated one of the top 50 prospects in the nation, versatile 6-7 swingman Joe Darger of Riverton, Utah, and a pair of top-notch junior college forwards --- Wendell White of Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, Calif., and Gaston Essengue (6-8, 225) of Weatherford (Texas) College. He also recently received a non-binding verbal commitment from 6-foot-4 guard Jason Petrimoulx of Dixie State College in St. George, Utah.

However, both Adams and White broke their ankles during this past season and are sidelined until the summer. And Jefferson, always considered a real academic long shot, reportedly may be headed to South Kent Prep School in Connecticut, or may even declare himself eligible for the NBA draft.

The Rebels continue to await word from another recruit, 6-8, 230-pound Jerome Johnson of Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va.

UNLV will return three starters next season --- point guard Ricky Morgan, shooting guard Michael Umeh and center Louis Amundson --- as well as improving backup center Joel Anthony, backup forward Dustin Villepigue and backup guard Curtis Terry.

"I think our starting point is much more advanced (next season) than it was a year ago," Kruger said. "I think the guys coming back ... have all made tremendous progress. I think they'll give us a core of leadership next year that will be great for these new guys coming in."

The key will be how quickly the new players --- the ones who are healthy and academically eligible --- can adapt to their new teammates and Division I basketball.

Blankson, never one to hold back what he really feels, believes the future is bright for UNLV.

"I think it's going to be a great future for UNLV," Blankson said. "I got a chance to watch all the guys he's recruited. They're excellent players. I kind of wish I could play with them. It's going to be an exciting time for UNLV."