Darger to pick up relief in the post

By Rob Miech

Monday, Oct. 27, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Leila Navidi

Mareceo Rutledge, bottom, tries to rush past teammate Joe Darger during a scrimmage exhibition at the UNLV basketball team's first practice at the Thomas & Mack Center.

It might have been a forearm or a well-placed elbow. Whatever it was, UNLV forward Joe Darger felt the blow from Minnesota center Spencer Tollackson for a month.

“He was definitely a big guy,” Rebels forward Rene Rougeau said of the 6-foot-9, 260-pound Tollackson. “I definitely wouldn’t want to take a charge on him.”

Whether it was on a rebound or a box-out, Darger couldn’t remember. A pain in his chest reminded him of Tollackson for weeks after playing the Golden Gophers on Dec. 30.

Tollackson had left his mark on the 6-7, 225-pound Darger.

“He was a pretty big guy, real stocky,” Darger said. “He gave me a blow that took me a while to recover from. That was probably the biggest blow I got. It was fun, though.”

Darger, a man of few words and even fewer emotions, does what is asked of him. Last season, he turned a daunting challenge into an enjoyable task and prospered.

At the very least, he became a symbol of a program that defends with every ounce of its soul.

Assistant coach Lew Hill used another organ to describe Darger.

“Heart,” Hill said. “Heart and toughness. Everybody knew he’d go down there and be a warrior. He’s no less than that. I don’t think he got his butt beat but a few times.”

What endeared Darger to Kruger the most was the way the 3-point ace adapted to a blue-collar, bruising role and never complained, moped or whined.

“That’s a great compliment from coach,” said Darger, 22. “I appreciate it. It shows I was there to do anything I could to win, to give it all. If I had to guard the post for 20 minutes a game, or 40, I’d do it.

“Whatever it takes to win. Hopefully, I’ll do that again this year.”

He likely won’t need to police the pit as frequently, as Darris Santee, Beas Hamga and Brice Massamba are on board this season to tilt the center scales in UNLV’s favor.

If it seems obvious that Darger must be the happiest Rebel, since the program now has some legitimate interior players, he doesn’t show it or say it.

Then again, he has never said a peep about so regularly being a UNLV punching bag in the post last season.

Darger led the team in rebounding six times, including when he nabbed 13 in a 20-point defeat to Louisville.

As he tried to be a pest in the post, Rougeau was able to float around as a power forward and led the Rebels in rebounds in 11 games.

UNLV lost the battle on the boards in its first game, a victory over Montana State, and in its final game, a second-round loss to eventual national-champion Kansas in the NCAA tournament.

“Joe was definitely pretty quiet,” Rougeau said. “You don’t want to sound too much like a sissy, know what I mean? Coach doesn’t want to hear that, either. You have to suck it up.

“We didn’t have any time to pout about anything. We definitely had to suck it up.”

Kruger was forced to use underdogs under the rim when he booted 6-10 center Emmanuel Adeife off the team for an array of indiscretions after the first game.

The tallest Rebel, 6-8 Matt Shaw, became the power player. Soon enough, Kruger benched Shaw in favor of Darger.

Shaw and the 6-7 Rougeau spelled Darger in the middle, but Darger mostly fended for himself.

In the Mountain West Conference, that meant contending with 6-11 Trent Plaisted of BYU and 7-1 Luke Nevill of Utah.

Playing non-conference squads Minnesota, Arizona and Louisville were invaluable to Darger, Rougeau and Shaw.

“They were eye-openers for us,” Rougeau said. “We knew what was at stake during league games. We were ready for Plaisted and Nevill, Kevin Langford of TCU, and Ryan Amoroso and Billy White of San Diego State.”

UNLV reserve guard Scott Hoffman, like his teammates and Kruger’s assistants, never heard a negative word out of Darger.

“He never complained,” Hoffman said. “That’s why unselfish is the word to describe him. It was a position he wasn’t used to and he did a heck of a job. No one could ask more of him, being undersized and playing against 7-footers.

“He helped our team so much. Helped himself, too.”

Darger figures to be a handful this season as a lethal power forward who can sting bigger foes out on the perimeter and punish similar-sized, or smaller, defenders with his grit around the rim.

Friday, Darger needed a couple shots to cure a tight back. He sat out two practices Saturday. But Kruger expects Darger to be at full strength when UNLV opens the season Nov. 15 at home against San Diego.

Darger, expressionless as usual, talked about the key to the game.

“Whoever has more heart will win,” he said. “Whoever tries the hardest, for the most part, will win the battle. You have to play smarter, not stronger.”