Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

REBELS BASKETBALL:

UNLV hoops notebook: Shaw on the rebound from preseason injury

Click to enlarge photo

UNLV forward DeShawn Mitchell loses the ball under pressure from Northern Arizona's Shayar Lee, left, Matt Johnson, center, and Jermaine Calvin during the second half of the Nov. 20 game.

After three weeks back on the practice floor with a reconstructed right knee, junior forward Matt Shaw hasn’t experienced any major setbacks.

Shaw said following Monday's session at the Thomas & Mack Center that his knee is about 85 percent. He hopes it’s between 95 and 100 within two weeks.

Shaw tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee before the team's summer trip to Australia.

"Getting wind back was a struggle," Shaw said. "Now I've got to trust it more, try to stay lower."

He said the knee hasn’t been a mental challenge, as he has dealt well with the reality of how much he has to do to catch up with his teammates in terms of conditioning.

Shaw also said he's weighing in at 245 pounds, which is up from the 230-232 he played at last season.

Team strength and conditioning guru Jason Kabo told Shaw he has a big frame, which allows him to carry more weight than he did in 2007-08. Still, Shaw said he would rather it be lean muscle than fat.

"I've just gotta keep running, watching what I eat," he said. "I try not to eat late, and I've cut back on junk food.

"Gaining muscle is as important as losing body fat. (Last season) I wasn't as strong physically, so I'm trying to concentrate more on that."

Motivating his diet has been senior teammate and roommate René Rougeau, who lightly joked with Shaw during his rehab about the weight he'd added.

Now Shaw's focus at practice is on helping big men Darris Santee and Brice Massamba, who have struggled to provide consistent interior presences this season.

"I've played in the conference before," said Shaw, who averaged 6.9 points and four rebounds as a sophomore. "I try to give a little insight … if I've played against somebody before, what they might like to do. Just try to help them with little bits and pieces, do what I can."

Shot of a lifetime?

Rob Ketchum will forget that Jan. 14 layup against Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colo., in … well, never.

“I’ll remember it forever,” he said. “I worked hard to get there. But it could have been better if we got the victory. It was a bittersweet occasion, though.

“My mom called and said, ‘Good job, honey.’ But she knew. My family’s a bunch of competitors. It’s not about how much you score, it’s about getting the ‘W.’ I’d rather have the victory.”

A 6-foot-5 senior walk-on from Sacramento, Ketchum landed at UNLV in 2007. He got his academics in order by the end of the fall semester, which allowed him to travel with the Rebels.

When the first half at Colorado State wasn’t going so well for UNLV, coach Lon Kruger went to his bench.

That’s how Ketchum was in position to take the fastbreak feed from senior guard Wink Adams and sail in through the left side for his layup.

“Running out, I saw Wink look at me as I crossed halfcourt,” Ketchum said. “I expected the pass. That’s what Wink does. He’ll look at you to make sure you’re there, then he’ll go the other way.

“He kicked it to me. A guard stepped up on me, and I thought I’d put my body into him. I was hoping that wouldn’t be a charge. It went into the bucket.”

It cut the Rebels’ deficit to 24-18 and forced Rams coach Tim Miles to call a timeout. Ketchum’s teammates slapped his hands and celebrated with him for a few seconds.

Then again, UNLV lost the game, 71-69.

“A great moment,” Ketchum said. “Also a bad one. It was a low in our season. As much as I want it to be glorious, it was more about the loss than the points.”

If he doesn’t play again, Ketchum will have a career stat log of two minutes, one-for-one from the field, two points and one personal foul.

Still, a few decades down the line, when he has a grandkid on each knee …

“Oh, I’ll wear it out,” Ketchum said. “Definitely, I’m going with that one.”

Click to enlarge photo

Barack Obama and UNLV's Rob Ketchum.

Isn’t that?

We wrote about Ketchum’s likeness to a certain presidential candidate in the recent past. Since Barack Obama’s inauguration, how has Ketchum’s life changed?

He sighed.

“I’m used to it,” he said. “’Hey Barack!’ I don’t even think people know my name is Rob anymore. That’s how it goes. Sometimes you get a nickname and (others) run with it.

“I’m not complaining. Obama’s a good-looking guy. Being president? That helps, too.”

Climbing

With 1,694 career points, Adams is 10th on UNLV’s all-time scoring chart. He passed Bob Florence (1,674) two games ago.

Next up is Kaspars Kambala, who is ninth at 1,699. Dalron Johnson (1,728, eighth) and Larry Anderson (1,818, seventh) are within Adams’s sight.

Becoming the fifth Rebel to bust the 2,000-point barrier is a possibility for the Houston native. Freddie Banks, at 2,007 points, is fourth on the chart.

Adams figures to remain in third on the school’s all-time steals chart, with 198. Greg Anthony and Stacey Augmon are tied at the top with 275 apiece.

Adams (fourth, 190) and senior power forward Joe Darger (fifth, 178) are tight in career 3-pointers. Anderson Hunt (first, 283), Banks (second, 229) and Gerald Paddio (third, 205) lead that stat.

Free throws

Walk-on guard Todd Hanni missed Wednesday’s practice with a nasty flu bug. Kudos to Hanni’s grandfather Larry, who watched the practice even though his grandson was ill … freshman center Brice Massamba hacked regularly, but he made it through the practice at the Thomas & Mack Center … senior power forward Mo Rutledge has drilled seven of his past 11 3-point attempts (63.6 percent) over a seven-game stretch … omit a six-for-24 effort against New Mexico, and UNLV is shooting 39.1 percent (84-of-215) from the 3-point arc in nine of its past 10 games.

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