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Instant Analysis: Young Rebels have nothing to be ashamed about
Thursday, March 18, 2010 | 6:55 p.m.
UNI Late Three Downs UNLV
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del.icio.usDespite tying the game late, UNLV falls to Northern Iowa, 69-66, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, after Ali Farokhmanesh hits a three with five seconds to play.
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A graphic at the beginning of Thursday's telecast of the UNLV basketball team’s first round NCAA Tournament game against Northern Iowa told the entire story.
The Rebels’ starting lineup was displayed, including three sophomores, one freshman and a junior. The group — junior Tre’Von Willis, sophomores Oscar Bellfield, Brice Massamba and Chace Stanback, and freshman Anthony Marshall — are full of talent and potential.
That is what should make UNLV’s 69-66 loss against Northern Iowa easier to stomach for Rebel fans — obviously not immediately, but once the pain of being eliminated isn’t as painful.
At the beginning of the year, one of the main obstacles facing the Rebels was their inexperience. The roster only featured five who played last year and chemistry issues were surely going to be a problem as players became familiar with each other.
Or so it was thought. Several believed a trip to the tournament was being too optimistic.
But the Rebels played like a veteran team for most of the season, winning 12 of their first 13 games and going 4-2 against top 20 teams.
It took the graphic to spur my memory of how young Lon Kruger’s team is. It’s a graphic that should give Rebel fans hope — this team is going to only get better.
Here are some observations from the game. Like most of you, I watched the back-and-forth affair from my living room in Las Vegas.
Anthony Marshall is a star in the making
Maybe it’s because I covered the kid, and watched him dominate, when he played for Mojave High in North Las Vegas. Or maybe it’s because Marshall is starting to show an elite athletic ability that will make him fun to watch the next three years. Throwing down a pair of contested dunks, including one following a steal in the Northern Iowa backcourt with three minutes to play in the first half, gave us all a glimpse of what to expect in the future from the 6-foot-3 guard. He finished with six points and four steals.
Heart and determination
Trailing by nine points with about seven minutes left, the Rebels could easily have been discouraged. Not this group. They rallied to tie the game at 66-all with under a minute to play before Northern Iowa’s Ali Farokhmanesh drained a deep 3-pointer with five seconds remaining for the decisive points. It’s been the same story all season — the Rebels have overachieved based on their effort. It’s safe to say the players left everything they had on the floor at the Ford Center.
Giving credit to Brice
Speaking of heart, credit Massamba for some courageous play. He bruised his knee while taking a charge at the end of the first half but returned in the second half and was diving on the floor for loose balls. Massamba, who shed roughly 30 pounds during the offseason, is getting better each week. With two years left, it’s not a stretch to think he’s going to transform into one of the Mountain West Conference’s top post players. I know there haven’t been many bright moments, but I know coaches feel the sky is the limit.
Looking ahead
The Rebels only lose two seniors, forward Darris Santee and reserve guard Steve Jones, and should have no problems returning to the tournament next year. They will add Kansas-transfer Quintrell Thomas in the frontcourt and a healthy Derrick Jasper, who hurt his knee two months ago and never returned. Just think how dangerous UNLV would have been down the stretch with the versatile Jasper, a 6-foot-6 guard who can score, rebound and pass.
Discussion: 49 comments so far…
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I think they should be ashamed personally.
Failure is embarrassing. It is part of the growing process. Hopefully they come back stronger next year.
Decent season though.
See ya next year.
Go REBELS!
Right.
Good post Akbballfan. You summed it up pretty well.
Ray, speaking of graphics, UNLV was 19-0 this season after leading at the end of the 1st half.
Make that 19-1....
Massamba 6'10", 0 rebounds in the 1st half and you want sympathy. UNLV needs to upgrade their players. Brice has had every opportunity to shine, yet to me looks exactly the same as a freshman. Santee was total waste of a scholarship, Thank god no more Sorry Jones, and Wallace two years later still can't play D.
I have failed to see improvement from going to the sweet 16. Evidently this is what Vegas wants 6 years of no conference title. Alford 3 years and a title. Were not worthy like New Mexico or our writers and fans so brainwashed they can't see past this? Mediocrity, and if Kruger gets knocked out in the first round it was a young team. I am sorry I watched the game and there was a hell of a lot of walking around out there and everyone seemed lost on D. While SDSU, BYU, and New Mexico go by UNLV, sports writers tell you what a great job Kruger did. Unfortunately, he is stuck here because no one wants him that wants to win. Yeah there are programs who want the squeaky clean image, but winning a tournament will never happen with Kruger. My money says we never see the sweet 16 again. Oh well the Mike Sanford of basketball lives on.
Really losing to an inferior Northern Iowa team, whom was less than impressive, has shown how the writers protect the coaches at UNLV. UNI looked to be like Utah at best. Kruger can retire anytime he wants, because his coaching is pathetic. His players still don't know you can't call time out while going out of bounds? Oscar if coached properly could have tried to throw the ball in to a Rebel. Every time someone hit a shot they came out of the game. A caller mid season asked Kruger this very question and his answer was welike to play 10 players and of course we leave a player in when their hot. BS. Another disappointing end to a mediocre season.
I do think that Coach has improved the program and we are making strides. My frustration is I wish the progress was quicker. I believe Coach has upgraded the talent but we still do not have the kind of talent that we need to become a top 15 program like we all desire. We have some nice players but collectively as a unit we do not have great players. I appreciate the class that our players and coaches have and they represent the university well. However I would like to see a team on the floor that can compete for final four berths not NCAA tourney berths. To do this we need more firepower and athleticism. I hope that Thomas, Lopez and perhaps either Joseph or Polee can come in and make us a more well rounded, more athletic team. I just think that with the current talent level a 25-9 season and a short stay in the tourney is probably about what we can expect. That is what bugs me.
Heart and determination is usually what people say when teams don't have any athletisism. UNLV surely lacks that. They are over achievers who play above their level, but let's be series, they only have 3 star talent. Massamba is garbage. You'd think he broke his leg the way he was balling after that kid fell on his knee. All the kid does is take up space. Can't rebound, can't score, a 6'10" guy who averages 2.5 rebounds a game, garbage. Can't wait til Lopez comes in next year. I hope he can be the big man UNLV has needed for the last few years. And are we talking about the same Jasper? You said Jasper was a 6'6" guy who could score, rebound and pass. Jasper's #s on the year 6.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, and 2.9 apg. I was quit dissapointed in him this year even before his injury. I would also be careful about saying this team should not have a problem getting to the tournament next year. While I think the Rebels will be better and more experienced all the top MWC teams this year are also returning all their players so the conference is going to be just as tough as it was this year with BYU, NM, and SDSU all getting better. Plus let's not forget the 2008 season when we returned seniors with tourny experience (Adams, Darger, and Rougue) and that team bombed right out of the tourny. I say wait and see how Carlos Lopez develops and hope Thomas can produce better than Jasper did this year.
Disagree with the headline.
There's plenty to be ashamed of. Maybe not for Marshall.
But the rest of the team showed, once again, that they'll fail to show up for 40 minutes on any given night.
Santee can not leave campus fast enough. Look at his combined stats for the MWC championship game and this 1st round game. One word.......SHAMEFULL!
It was an exciting, fun season. Thank you Rebels!
For a rebuilding year the Rebels had another pretty awesome year. It's a mark of how much Coach Kruger has improved UNLV that we're all very disappointed the team didn't go further rather than being elated at appearing in the NCAA's.
A better season next year and pretty soon we'll be calling for Coach K's job when the team doesn't routinely make the final four.
Thanks for another exciting season!
Ok, how do you explain the handle TRUE_FAN? Maybe TRUE_CRITIC fits better?
I'm not lookin for smart remarks, Do you all think we will be better or worse next year?
They have nothing to be ashamed about, you guys are ridiculous. How many tournament games have you all won? Be disappointed with the loss but don't tell these kids that they should be ashamed.
...Unbelievable.
I'm proud of this young team.
And I agree, Ray, Marshall is going to be a STAR.
Smart remarks, unlvrunninrebels?
You've come to the wrong place.
Given how we ended the seasons last year, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Rebs this year. I think we have a good core of players, and the future looks bright for the program.
Good article.
Looking at next year. Will we be any better? Are only chance is if Q. Thomas is a much better rebounder than anybody we have now.
Oscar Bellfield won't improve anymore than what he is now. He lacks the quickness to breakdown any defense.
Tre Willis is already a good player. Hopefully his 3 point shooting will improve.
Matt Shaw will be the same. Good 3 point option but thats all. He still won't be able to block a shot, get a rebound, or run.
Massamba could improve a little bit, but he's so bad now, he would still be a below average player.
K. Wallace is at his ceiling obviously.
Jasper will never be a good shooter, which is his big weakness, so no improvement from him.
Stanback can get stronger physically and become more mature. So he has some upside.
Marshall has the biggest upside because he can become a better shooter which will open his game to a new level. Too bad he's not 6'8".
Hawkins we don't know much about because he never played enough.
Chop Jones will be gone so that will be a big positive.
Lopez probably isn't any better than Massamba sadly. Him redshirting had nothing to with his weight.
So unless Q. Thomas is a beast down low, I predict another 3rd or 4th place finish in the Mountain West.
Players like Massamba and Wallace aern't going to improve like Joel Anthony and Essengue because they have no athletic ability. People who try to make comparisions obviously are clueless about basketball. Last year we had everbody returning and we sucked. Thats because their athletic ability was very limited and all the other teams in the conference improved.
I would like somebody to tell me why we will finish ahead of New Mexico or San Diego St. next year with everybody having the same players back next year.
Keep your heads up guys....you did well. I am proud of you guys regardless of what some of these supposed fans are saying. It's easy to sit at home and type a bunch of horsesh!t and have never stepped on the court.
For all you fairweather supporters, do us all a favor, save your money and stay the f@ck out of the T&M.
I wouldnt label the year a failure considering our youth but still...you have to beat that team. The Rebels still play down to their comp and it was the same ol sick recipe for their demise: Quick, stupid shots on offense, no inside presence whatsoever on either end, settling for jump shots resulting in only 12 FT attempts (23 for them)....then when you do get there you shoot 58% (87% for them), and of course, getting punk'd on the interior as we get outrebounded (again) and Hawkins & Bellfield have our only blocked shots. Not a bad year but it shouldnt have ended today. Weak.
Too young, too inexperienced...should count luck to have even got the invitation!
Thank you phurn, I think fair-weather fans aren't just those that show up when we're winning, they're those that don't look at the positive when there's obviously good stuff going on.
How can anyone say that the team won't improve when they are so young. That's ignorance. Fantastic season for a rebuilding year and a very young team. The sky is the limit for at least the next 2 years. Great games, and exciting season, I did not expect to end up with as many wins as we did, and it was not mediocre in the least bit for me.
I spent the first 57 yrs. of my life 80 miles from Cedar Falls and the last 4 yrs. in LV so I found the game to be enjoyable as either team winning was ok.
The biggest problem that I see with UNLV's game is that they don't play as a 5 man team.. too many times they have lapses that expose their play like not switching off on coverage or not getting back on defense ... not enough motion to get a man open for a good shot or not making the extra pass .... all caused [IMO] by not having good team chemistry...BUT I think that coach Kruger will solve this problem and next yr. the rebel will be even better than this yrs. 4 and 2 record against top 20 teams ... after all how many other colleges would be very very happy with a 25 and 9 record? IOWA?
A bunch of haters poppin' off about things they have no clue about. You should take all reference to the Rebels out of your name.
Good season Rebels! Put in work this offseason and let's get in 2011.
I was in San Jose watching the games yesterday- New Mexico is AWFUL. This tells me the Rebs I saw play Santa Clara are the real Rebs. I'm sorry to say this league is WAY over-rated. Of course so are many of the BCS leagues.
Unless Q Thomas turns out to be a beast, this team will be another average, maybe barely an NCAA team next year.
Oh yeah, where was Jasper yesterday- cheerleading again. Yup, he's a real gamer, isn't he??
You are not fans if you watched that game and say the players should be ashamed. You FN internet tuff guys who have never acomplished anything in your life. Get a clue.
Jerrawayne, give us a decent take on why we will be better than New Mexico or San Diego St. next year. Give us a reason for hope that we will win our conference next year. Stop whining about so called, "haters", and so called people who, "have no clue". For once give us a take that has a little substance outside your myopic view. "Put in good work" is all you can come up with? If only thats all it took, we'd never lose a game. Give us something man because you're the one who sounds like he doesn't have a clue.
Thank you Patticcus- you are exactly right. And don't forget BYU- with Fredette and Lloyd coming back they will be very very good.
I'll continue to whine about haters, because it's the easiest thing in the world to find something wrong about a team or focus on something they could improve on.
I'd bet money that most, if not all, of the haters aren't old enough to remember any of Tark's teams. You sound like spoiled, whiny-brat kids that want 1990 to come back because you've only read about how great we were for those 2 years.
If you had grown up watching Tark's teams through the 80's, you'd recognize similar signs of life in Kruger's program that Tark had. We have positive momentum. It took Tark 20 years to get us to that point.
This year we went 11-5 in conference with a brand new team. We were 1-1 against top 10 UNM, 2-1 against top 20 BYU, and received an at large bid without winning either the the reg season or the tourney. We are a legit tourney team (we're 6-6 against the field of 65).
Our matchup problems against Utah were corrected in the MWC tournament and I feel like we will be even tougher to matchup against next year. We get our same core, plus an improved front court with Lopez and Thomas.
Adding Glaze to class of 2011 is something to look forward to.
Kruger is miles away from controversy (have you read the news about Gallon and Sidney?) and runs a quality program.
You have your right to b**** about UNLV all you want. But, that doesn't mean that true UNLV fans have to like it, give you a pass, or don't also have the right to call out your sorry a** for being a little b**** and always finding something to complain about. It's annoying.
It didn't take Tark 20 years. He made the final four after 4. His 1983 team was ranked #1 in the country near the end of the year. Almost all of his mid 80's teams made sweet 16s-minimum.
Kruger is an upgrade over the previous guys- but he needs a big time recruit like Joseph to take this program to the next level.
In 1983 you'd have posted on this board that Tark will never be able to win when it counts.
Agreed we need to up the recruiting. If 4 years from now, we're still a bubble Top 25 team and not making it past S16, then perhaps it will be time for a change.
However, given how long our drought has been and where we are now, I'm willing to enjoy our success and am hopeful we'll do even better next year.
BYU, New Mexico St., and San Diego St. had brand new teams this year. Last year we had everybody coming back and we were picked to win the conference. What happened? We sucked! What's your excuse now? Excuses are for losers.
I've been going to Rebels games since we played at the convention center. I am a true fan, and I can proudly say I'm not happy losing to a team like Northern Iowa. What I want to know is how are we going to get to the next level?
Enjoy the ride more. This year was an upgrade over last. We have all key positions and backups back plus upgrades in frontcourt.
We just got a verbal from a 4 star recruit.
You should enjoy the ride more.
Asking me to give you anything is ridiculous, as you haven't contributed anything worthwhile all season.
FACT: This is a young team. We started 1 freshman, three sophomores, and a junior last night.
FACT: Our defense is one of the best in the nation at producing turnovers. If you didn't watch the game last night UNI has a reputation for protecting the ball and we forced 16 turnovers.
FACT: We protect the ball well. Our Assist to Turnover ratio is tied for 8th in the country with BYU.
FACT: I am a fan of the Runnin' Rebels. I don't pretend to be a basketball savant like some of you "geniuses". it's not what I get paid to do. I get paid to create and perform music.
If you can't see the other subjective and more opinion-based reasons of why we'll be better. i.e. the emergence of Marshall (who will continue to develop his outside shot and free throw percentage), the continued improvement of Massamba (who has the base to battle any of the bigs in the conference), and the senior leadership that will be present next year (calling Darger or Wink a Leader last year is a serious stretch), the addition of 6-8 power forward with some size and 6-11 center/power forward with a shooters touch then you're an idiot plain and simple. Keep on whining and complaining about a team and a coach that puts out a better product than UNLV has had in the past 17 years. Keep bagging on a coach and a team that our opponents continually say is one of the best they've faced. Keep pretending to be a Rebel fan.
I'm just amazed at how many people were waiting for the Rebels to lose and now post about how bad we were? This team lost a lot from last years team and finished 24-9. amazing. they have everybody back except jones and santee. Were were beat by a team of Jones for those of you bagging on him. Northern Iowa is a team with no athletes just hard workers. I seen both unlv and Northern in person twice this year. They work hard. Both defenses were ranked in the top 5 I believe. Just we didn't have the scores to beat them or depth. Next year is the Rebels year. this was a year to get experience for the youth.
Jerra, finally a little substance instead of whining about people who are a little bit critical. If this was Kentucky, there would be over a thousand posts by now 10 times more critical than what you see here. Maybe being critical gets results. Last year Kentucky was Nit. This year its Final Four or National Chamionship.
Funny thing is I haven't printed one critical thing about Kruger. Do you think Kruger is as happy as you are today? Do you think Steve Henson goes home and contemplates what a great season its been coming in tied for third in conference? Do you think that Henson doesn't say behind closed doors that, "Massamba sucks and can't get a rebound?", because I've heard him same something very close to that publicly last year getting off a bus. Don't get mad at the true fans for saying what the coaches already
believe.
Hey go_rebels.....
go_away
go_be a fan of Kansas
go_be a fan of Kentucky
go_be a fan of Kobe
just
go_anywhere just
go_away!
As usual, pathetic coverage and nothing but excuses from Ray and Ryan. You guys wouldn't last 2 days covering a fan base like Kentucky basketball or Alabama football. Everything is perfectly fine? Nothing to be ashamed of? Give me a break. We lost to a school that 200 million Americans probably don't even know where it's located. Northern Iowa? Really? Shameful.
Why don't you guys for once admit that your boss, Lon Kruger, reached his ceiling 3 yrs ago and that he was outcoached? At least we get addition by subtraction by Jones and Santee leaving. I wish Massamba would take his 4 pts and 2 rebs with him and transfer somewhere, too.
Why don't you guys address the softest player ever AKA Jasper and how he's been cleared to play for about 2 weeks? The guy is so soft and so mentally weak that he rather go to the club 3 times a week and sit on the bench instead. No mention of this anywhere? Everyone knows the guy is soft as hell. He's not even injured anymore.
I don't think any of the critics are saying the Rebels will not be good next year. They are just saying UNLV can't and shouldn't be losing to a team like NIU, a team's whose last tournament victory was 20 years ago. This team had problems even bringing the ball up the floor when UNLV pressed. We should have won this one 20+. We need chase taking the ball into the paint for 10' instead of shooting all those threes.
I feel we need players that play above the rim. Players who see a big dopey 7 footer like NIU had and wait for him to go for a shot so they can send it back with a message. When Jimmer brings that pathetic scoop to the hoop, we have the back side player who sends it back in his face so he doesn't try that stupid shot ever again against the Rebels. Players who can elevate to shoot a three without worrying about getting the shot blocked. Or who will take it down the lane looking for contact because they know the bigs at BYU, NM are too slow to block their shots consistently.
I like our guards. I think they will be much much better once the burden of being a key component is removed. Imagine how good we will think Oscar and AM will be slashing to the hole, with the defense not able to leave their man because they know AM or OB will drop the ball off for a thunderous dunk. That wasn't there with Massamba, Shaw or Santee. Thats what Tark teams did long before there was Johnson, Aumon and Hunt. Tark always tells the story how coaches would always tell him his teams were the hardest working teams they played. And Tark said thats how they practice. Remember how Tark used to have the Bigs pressure the ball up the floor so his guards could play centerfield and pick off passes. It does no good for stanback and Marshall to trap, if that CF guy is not fast enough to cheat and pick off passes. When we are legit, the MWC will be much like the Big West/ PCAA was a few years ago for us. Right now, we are the most athletic team in a weak conference.
Wow, really! I sure as hell rather lose in the first round of the NCAA than be back in the NIT again.
Honestly, Kruger did the best he could given the players he had on this young team. Lets face this season was better than we ALL expected. Yet, you will find the people who complain that its not good enough. Even If we beat UNI, the criticism still would have come after losing to Kansas. If UNI pulls off the victory against Kansas (long shot I know), then will all the haters shut up then? Yeah right.
This should be a spring board for things to come. We will compete with the top teams in the conference next year, and will probably have 4 teams from the MWC in the tournament again next year, only to romp all the competition. Sure, we could have got "ONE MORE" win this season and it would have been "SOOO" much better. It was a great season, and gives me a reason to be excited for next year.
Get over the loss and get ready for the Football team to have a great bowl year with our new coach- Hauck. Basketball will be back around before you know it.
Go Rebels!
By the way Jasper said he was ready to play, it was Kruger's decision to keep him out. When you sit out that long it can mess with your teams chemistry, especially in a high pressure situation like the NCAA tournament. He might have also been out of shape and unable to keep up. UNLV is a high-pressure, high-stamina team, and if your unable to go at game speed for 20 minutes then you may only be hurting the team not helping.
Can't wait for the negative comments come football season. I can already hear it "OMG coach Hauck is terrible, what kind of play call is that, why can't we get to the bowl game, etc, etc. Many of you are no fans at all, unless we win the entire tournament, and even then I can see comments like "should have blown them out by 30 like we did before any player we have was born."
Good job everyone at the sun, Ryan, you are doing a great job. Don't worry about the complainers.
Great season Rebs, I really enjoyed the season as I'll say over again. Very exciting.
"BYU, New Mexico St., and San Diego St. had brand new teams this year."
This made me laugh for two reasons. First, BYU lost one player who played significant minutes from last year's team (Lee Cummard). Fredette, Emery, Miles, and Tavernari were all a huge part of their team last year.
Second, I'll admit that I don't know much about New Mexico State. I don't really follow the WAC.
It sucks that we lost. It was very disappointing, but the Rebels played well against a very good team.
There is no reason to expect anything less than a fanastic season next year. I'd bet good money that Hobson will be gone. Take Hobson and Martinez away and the Lobos will slip back into the pack.
BYU will be tough. Unless Jimmer has a crazy run through the tournament, he'll be back next year. They'll also lose Tavernari, which is probably addition by subtraction.
Overall, a very good season. They overachieved this year, provided some great moments and memories, and are poised to have an even better run next year.
As a parting thought, I wouldn't trade Kruger for Alford in a million years. One of them consistently chokes in the postseason, and it isn't Kruger. Keep an eye New Mexico/Washington tomorrow.
Agree that Kruger is a superior coach to Alford. With the talent that Alford has over there, they should not be sweating out first round games against Montana.
Look for an improved UNLV team next year. With Quintrell Thomas, you have an impact player that can rebound and score inside. Also everyone seems to know about the potential of redshirt frosh Lopez. Add possibly Polee, Okonji, or (dare we hope) Cory Joseph as a true freshman, I have to say next season should be as fun if not more so than this season.
UNI was a very difficult loss, and I do have a problem with Kruger pulling Shaw in favor of Massamba in the second half (seriously?) I think coach was thinking defense but really Massamba is only slightly better on d than Shaw, and in my humble opinion not worth the tradeoff on o. Then again, if we hit our FTs it's all academic and we win easy.
thanks for the season and I look forward to 2010...
Ok, I'm sure everyone is done posting here and probably won't read this, but I had to post after reading some of the garbage I've read above.
First - Patticus saying that being critical get results and maybe thats why Kentucky is playing for a national championship and not the NIT this year. Well, maybe that and hiring a well-known coach who brought 2 of the top 3 college players with him that he recruited. Very convenient to leave out the fact that Calipari also is known for not exactly doing things by the book, hence leaving scandal in his wake every time he leaves a school (ex. Memphis forfeiting a final four run). Lets not pick and choose the "facts" we bring up.
Second - This was a huge disappointment. Yes, losing in the first round to Northern Iowa was very disappointing. However, they just knocked off Kansas, so they obviously aren't as bad as everyone bashing UNLV likes to think they are. Think back to the beginning of the season: what did you expect of the Rebels? I expected an NIT bid because this was obviously a rebuilding year. Instead, we get a team ranked in the top 25 for more weeks than any Rebel team since 1993 (I believe). I would say this team greatly over-achieved to be where they were. There's an expression called "coaching a team up." If our players are so bad, yet we're winning 20+ games and beating Top 25 teams, maybe Kruger knows what he is doing.
Third - Next year's team will be improved for a number of reasons. The main thing is experience. It was obvious that at the beginning of the game against UNI that some of the first timers were pressing and showing a lot of nerves. Now that they have a taste of NCAA Tourney experience, it won't be the same next year. Remember, one thing every expert says about NCAA tourney teams that do well is except for the elite teams, those with senior-laden starting line-ups. We started 1 Freshman, 3 Sophomores and a Junior. They will all be back next year.
We are losing Chop and Santee, two players who were not huge parts of the team's success. We're replacing Santee with 2 players who are bigger/taller and will probably contribute more right away. From seeing him practice, QT looks like a brawler, who will definitely improve the rebounding. And yes, having Jasper back will help with rebounding as well. The best rebounders aren't always the tallest players (i.e. Dennis Rodman). And while I was disappointed that Jasper didn't get into a game during the MWC tournament, let alone the NCAA tournament, I'm sure it wasn't his call.
As far as players coming back and the "issues" most people have with them, let's start with Bellfield. He may not be an elite talent there, but I don't buy the "he'll never be fast enough to break down defenses" claim. He was hobbled by a leg injury for almost the entire season and it showed. Last season, when he was healthy, he broke down defenders and got to the rim. There's nothing to suggest he won't get back to that will a whole off-season to recover. He also had an outstanding turnover-to-assist ratio and makes good decisions; which is something I want out of my point guard. And contrary to "popular" belief, I think Massamba will be a quality big guy next season. While he is not the most athletic (understatement), he showed flashes during the year that showed he can be an effective force on offense and defense. Consider the BYU game in the MWC semis. Massamba was awesome; he blocked and altered some shots, scored in the double digits and pull down 6 or 7 rebounds. I'm sorry he grew up in Sweden and not in some ghetto in the U.S., but he hasn't been playing basketball as long as 98% of the NCAA players. He'll have the whole summer to work on basketball, not losing weight, and I think he'll show a good bit of improvement next year. He was inconsistent this year, but he showed that the ability is there. Stanback will probably be better next year with a full season under his belt. Anthony Marshall is going to be a STUD next year. Remember how frustrated we all got with Tre'von Willis his first year because he made great plays, but too many stupid mistakes? That sounds a lot like Marshall this year, and he already showed at the end of the season that he was starting to get it together.
Fourth - The recruiting issue and the idea that Kruger is a mediocre coach. There is a reason he is mentioned every off season as a possible candidate for some bigger school's coaching vacancy, and it isn't because he is no good. He wins games consistently and he doesn't bring controversy to the schools he is at. And while he isn't bringing in any of the 5-star talent, when was the last time and 5-star player was even considering coming to UNLV (without something shady going on)? The fact that Cory Joseph even has us listed on his top 5 choices is proof that we are heading in the right direction as far as recruiting goes. Also consider that we have a verbal commitment from a HS JUNIOR who is listed as a Top-100 recruit for his class. Sure, he is an undersized PF, but his excels at rebounding, which is what we have been lacking. Sounds like a pretty good start to a recruiting class that will have a huge impact on UNLVs future. Anthony Marshall was also the top high school player in the state and Kruger got him to come to UNLV. That did not happen too often either before Kruger.
The bottom line is that this season was a success. We reached the NCAA tournament and even though we put forth a less-than-stellar effort against UNI, it still took a 25-foot shot with 1 second on the clock to knock us out. And, again, UNI just knocked out Kansas, so they can't be that bad. Are we an elite college basketball program, obviously not, but we are in much better shape now than we were during the whole decade between Tark and Kruger. We have all of the our key players returning with tournament experience under their belts and we have some players coming in next year who should improve our inside play and rebounding. Are we a national title contender next year? Probably not, but I bet we're in the top 25 more next year than we were this year and I bet we win a tournament game next year. And if Cory Joseph decides to come to UNLV (which he probably won't), there's no telling what could happen.
Will we finish ahead of all or any of the top MWC teams next year? Who knows. New Mexico will probably be the favorite to win the conference and rightly so. They're a great team and have a good recruiting class coming in, but they good struggle to replace Roman Martinez and everything he brought to their team. SDSU will probably be the same story as every year; the most athletic team in the conference but too inconsistent because of their style of play. Jimmer Fredette will be back, so BYU will be a great team too. Regardless of what the anti-BYU feelings are, losing Tavernari will hurt them a bit, but I have newfound respect for Jimmer after watching him carry BYU past FSU to finally with an NCAA game. Of course, the fact that most of their players are in their 20's helps as well. My guess is we'll probably finish 2nd or 3rd in the conference and either win the conference tournament or get an at-large bid to the tourney next year. And maybe I'm brainwashed and maybe I'm settling for mediocrity. Or maybe I'm just being realistic and maybe I'm happy to be competing for the conference title on a regular basis rather than competing for the 5 or 6 spot in the conference.
I liked your posts MikeLange, but it was Florida, not FSU that Fredette helped BYU defeat.
Good GOD Mike, I think your posts are 3x longer than Ryan's article ROFL.
But you're right about a lot of things, for sure.
You're right youngrebelfan. My mistake. Guess I got a little carried away during my 3-post rant and missed it.