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Shaw earns starting role with production, voice
Junior forward will start again as Rebels host Weber State
Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun
UNLV’s Steve Jones, left, and Matt Shaw cheer with the rest of the bench as the Rebels pull away from Louisville during the second half of a Nov. 28 game at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Rebels upset the 16th-ranked Cardinals, 76-71.
Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009 | 2:30 a.m.
UNLV vs. Weber State
No. 18 UNLV Rebels (8-1) vs. Weber State Wildcats (5-4)
Where: Thomas & Mack Center
When: 7 p.m.
Coaches: Lon Kruger is 120-54 in his six seasons at UNLV and 438-287 in 24 overall seasons; Randy Rahe is 61-40 in his third season at WSU, which is his first head coaching job.
Series: WSU leads, 2-1
Last time: The Rebels won, 82-64, in Las Vegas on Nov. 24, 1998
Line: UNLV by 16
TV/Radio: None/ESPN Radio 1100-AM
THE REBELS
G Oscar Bellfield (6-2, 180) 10.9 ppg, 3.6 apg, 3.4 rpg
G Derrick Jasper (6-6, 215) 7.0 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.4 apg
G Kendall Wallace (6-4, 190) 6.4 ppg, 2.3 rpg
F Chace Stanback (6-8, 210) 8.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg
F Matt Shaw (6-8, 240) 5.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg
Bench: G Tre'Von Willis (6-4, 195) 16.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.7 apg; F Darris Santee (6-8, 225) 6.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg; G Justin Hawkins (6-3, 190) 4.6 ppg; F Brice Massamba (6-10, 240) 5.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg; G Anthony Marshall (6-3, 200) 5.4 ppg; G Steve Jones (6-1, 220) 2.1 ppg.
What to watch: The Rebels apparently got rid of the bitter taste from their first loss in the second half at Southern Utah. Still, Lon Kruger wants to see more bite out of his team in the first half of games. No better time than the present, right?
THE WILDCATS
G Damian Lillard (6-2, 185) 19.6 ppg, 3.8 apg, 3.7 rpg
G Nick Hansen (6-4, 200) 9.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg
G Franklin Session (6-2, 175) 10.0 ppg, 6.4 rpg
F Kyle Bullinger (6-6, 215) 8.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg
F Steve Panos (6-8, 240) 11.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg
Bench: G Lindsey Hughey (6-3, 200) 6.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg; F Trevor Morris (6-9, 240) 4.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg; F Matt Washington (6-7, 210) 4.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg; F Darin Mahoney (6-8, 225) 2.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg.
What to watch: The Wildcats certainly won't be opposed to turning this one into a shootout. They average just over 75 points per game, and surrender almost as many. Steve Panos will be a true challenge inside, too, for the Rebels.
A number of UNLV players have cited a lack of communication as a reason the team has gotten off to a lot of slow starts this season.
It's no surprise, then, that UNLV coach Lon Kruger has thrust junior forward Matt Shaw into a starting role.
"He's probably one of the better talkers on the team," Kruger said.
Shaw made his first start of the season in Tuesday's 77-59 victory over Southern Utah, and Kruger said he would be back in the lineup when UNLV takes on Weber State at 7 p.m. tonight at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Following the National Finals Rodeo departing the Mack, this will be UNLV's first game back on its home floor since a Nov. 28 victory against Louisville.
Kruger said he was pleased with how Shaw played against the Thunderbirds. In 17 minutes of action, Shaw scored eight points with five rebounds and a block.
"I played all right," Shaw said. "I took a nice step. I need to concentrate on rebounding, more defensive rebounding and stronger post moves."
Shaw helped the Rebels prolong a few possessions against the Thunderbirds with three offensive rebounds. He also stood his ground defensively as Southern Utah only scored 12 points in the paint.
Kruger said Shaw's jump-shooting ability and defensive awareness were what separated him from the other Rebels big men. Tuesday's game was the first time this season that sophomore center Brice Massamba came off of the bench.
Kruger said he had seen Shaw progress more than Massamba over the first month of the season.
"Brice, I think at times, has been productive," Kruger said. "But we need more good possessions from him."
Statistically, senior forward Darris Santee has been the most productive Rebel big man. He's averaging nearly five rebounds and seven points per game.
But Kruger said that he liked the spark Santee had provided off of the bench, so it made sense to have Shaw in games at the beginning.
"I think (Santee) has been the most consistent of the big guys," Kruger said. "We could throw him in there to start, but why change what has been a good thing for him?"
Shaw said he was fine with whatever role Kruger wanted him in. He said he feels well enough to play as many minutes as needed.
Shaw sat out all of last season while he recovered from knee surgery. But he said he hasn't felt any soreness in his knee this year.
In fact, Shaw said he thinks this might be the best he's felt in a long time.
"I'm just ready to go," Shaw said. "I feel comfortable starting or coming off of the bench; it doesn't matter. But when I start, I feel like we get the talking going earlier on the floor."
One player who won't be starting against Weber State is junior guard Tre'Von Willis, who sat out most of Tuesday's practice with a sore back. Although Willis will play, his minutes may be limited.
If Willis plays less than normal, look for other Rebels to pick up the slack in the scoring department. Maybe even Shaw.
Shaw said he more consistently has had solid practices lately and was constantly improving. Like Kruger, Shaw thinks he's valuable to the team as a starter because he makes sure the talking starts immediately.
"That way, we can get an early jump on things instead of waiting to get popped and having to respond to it," Shaw said. "When we're out there talking early, we can pick up things earlier instead of waiting until later on."
Discussion: 8 comments so far…
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Good call coach. This starting behind the eight ball will be our obituary at the Pit. Let's be the ones to come flying out of the gate. Go Rebels!
stay positive rebels, we got this...we are a top 25 team and if we ever start "gellin" we are gonna be real nasty...Mountain West is ours!! If we lose no more than 5 games the rest of the year we will be dancing come March!!!(Shooting is contagious) Don't stop!! refuse to lose!!
Shaw in the starting line up is a positive. He has alot of big game experience. I do wonder what Massamba's production would be if he received more touches in the post. In this offense post up play does not seem to be a priority. Coach prefers big men to do almost exclusively pick and roll(perfect for Santee) or pick and pop(perfect for Shaw). Brice does seem to have some good footwork and moves with his back to the basket. I remember the Louisville game he got a touch early in the second half and schooled Samuels on a spin move across the middle for an easy lay in. We just do not get to see it much. Runnin' Rebels!
Brice is only a sophmore, I'm sure we will see that spin move plenty of times in the coming years!
Out of the 3, I like Santee the most over the season's progression. He has shown a lot of skill and poise. Kruger has made a good decision in benching Willis a little to get some back rest, I think we have enough depth to cover.
I think that Brice has a lot of potential. I know we are in the middle of a season, but if Brice can work on his vertical in the offseason and just improve it by 5 inches, he would be a beast, and dominate the post. Kruger should concentrate on that and that alone for Brice. Santee has been doing great, and I hope all of them can start rebounding better. Rebounds are so key. We need to start winning in that stat.
brice thinks he's a guard, gets lost defensively on switches and on the pick and roll and his hands arent nearly as fast as i thought they were. I think the 3 headed monster is going to slim down to 2 heads. Santee has been playing with a chip on his shoulder... kinda... and shaw is improving as well.
I hope Hawkins gets the start tonight. He was playing great in the first few games and then kind of got lost in the rotation. He needs to be given the chance to get his footing again.
Start:
Oscar, Hawkins, Jasper, Stanback, SHAW! (haha Sufferin)
and then hopefully Hawkins can reassert himself because that kid is going to be a great PG for us when Oscar is gone.