Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

UNLV BASKETBALL:

After opting against redshirt, UNLV’s Karam Mashour ready to fight for minutes

Freshman swingman talked to coaches and teammates alike before deciding to play in 2010-11

Karam Mashour

Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun

UNLV freshman wing Karam Mashour sits on the bench next to head coach Lon Kruger during the Rebels’ season opener against UC Riverside Friday, November 12, 2010 at the Thomas & Mack Center. Mashour has decided not to redshirt his freshman season.

UNLV vs. Southeastern Louisiana

  • UNLV Rebels (1-0) vs. Southeastern Louisiana Lions (1-0)

  • Where: Thomas & Mack Center (18,500)

  • When: 7:00 p.m.

  • Coaches: Lon Kruger is 138-62 in his seven seasons at UNLV and 456-295 in 25 overall seasons; Jim Yarbrough is 82-68 in his six seasons at Southeastern Louisiana and 179-110 in 11 overall seasons.

  • Series:First meeting.

  • Last time: N/A

  • Line: N/A

  • TV/Radio:None/ESPN Radio 1100-AM

  • THE REBELS

  • G Oscar Bellfield (6-2, 185, Jr.)

  • G Anthony Marshall (6-3, 200, So.)

  • G Derrick Jasper (6-6, 215, Sr.)

  • F Chace Stanback (6-8, 210, Jr.)

  • F Quintrell Thomas (6-8, 245, So.)

  • Bench: F Brice Massamba (6-10, 240, Jr.); G Justin Hawkins (6-3, 190, So.); F Carlos Lopez (6-11, 215, Fr.); F Karam Mashour (6-6, 200, Fr.).

  • What to watch: Freshman wing Karam Mashour will likely make his official UNLV debut at some point in the first half of Wednesday's first half, adding depth and athleticism to the perimeter rotation now that he's decided not to redshirt.

  • THE LIONS

  • G Trent Hutchin (6-1, 180, Sr.)

  • G Rodney Jones (6-4, 190, Sr.)

  • G Brandon Fortenberry (6-3, 185, Jr.)

  • F Jason Marks (6-6, 205, Sr.)

  • C David Ndoumba (6-7, 215, Sr.)

  • Bench: G Gary Dixon (6-3, 170, Sr.); F DeShawn Patterson (6-4, 220, Jr.); F Roosevelt Johnson (6-6, 225, So.); G Michael Harrel (5-10, 175, Fr.); F Josh Lockett (6-8, 250, Jr.).

  • What to watch: Trent Hutchin averaged 10.7 points per game last season after transfering from Copiah-Lincoln Community College, and got his 2010-11 season started off with a bang, scoring 21 points in a 91-45 victory over Division-II Millsaps. In that game, he hit six of nine 3-point attempts.

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Lots of factors went into UNLV freshman swingman Karam Mashour ultimately deciding he didn't want to take a redshirt in his first season on campus.

At the end of the day, it remained his decision, and after informing coach Lon Kruger over the weekend that he'd rather play than sit in 2010-11, the team now moves on with added depth and athleticism to throw at opponents.

"Karam can play, and it's not like he won't be in games," the seventh-year Rebels coach said. "(Redshirting is) not for everyone. That's why we always say it's only healthy if the player is really excited about doing it."

Mashour, a 6-foot-6 Israeli who has only been in the country since last spring, along with his uncle, met with Kruger on Thursday to discuss his options for the season. He then didn't play in UNLV's 85-41 season-opening victory over UC Riverside on Friday night, as the situation was still in limbo.

Over the weekend, though, Mashour weighed the pros and cons, then came to a final verdict.

"I feel that I can be a benefit to the team and everything," he said. "I worked hard for three or four months (after coming to the U.S.) and got better every day. I'm still getting better, and I'll keep working hard."

On top of talks with his family and coaches, Mashour sought the counsel of some of his teammates over the past few weeks. In particular, his three roommates — sophomore guards Anthony Marshall and Justin Hawkins, and freshman forward Carlos Lopez, who took a redshirt last season.

"I basically told him that when I came in, I wasn't ready and I knew I wasn't ready," Lopez said. "I talked to the coaches and knew I wasn't going to get a lot of minutes, so instead of wasting a year, playing five-to-seven minutes a game, I took my time with the redshirt, I got bigger. I got better with the language and all of that. I told him that, he said he understood and he made his decision.

"He's really athletic, he can really shoot the ball, he's tough, he'll give you everything he has. He's not going to go out there and play soft."

No one will argue the immense value Lopez received from redshirting a year ago. He packed on roughly 20 pounds of muscle while trimming body fat, adding confidence and refining his skill-set in the process.

But the differences between his and Mashour's situations coming into the program also factored into the decision.

When Lopez came to UNLV last summer, he'd been groomed for the brunt of his prep career down the road at prestigious Findlay Prep. Also, as he said, he was far from ready to take the floor in a significant role for the Rebels.

Mashour only played a portion of last season with his club team in Israel, and the prospect of missing game action for the better part of two seasons was not too appealing. He suited up Emek Izrael in an under-18 league, averaging 21.6 points, six rebounds, 2.1 assists and one block per game. That was followed by a stint on the 18-and-under Israeli national team. In the 2009 European Championships, he averaged 5.8 points and 7.5 rebounds, playing 16.8 minutes a game in six contests.

He also turned 19 in August, and Mashour agreed that the idea of starting next season as a 20-year-old freshman was influential on him.

He's made great strides in just a couple of months in breaking down the language barrier he faced when first coming to campus, and is gradually picking up the American game.

Though Mashour still has some ground to make up on the defensive end, he is an instinctive, naturally skilled, well-rounded scorer already, who can contribute there and as a rebounder. Already adept at slashing to the bucket for finishes, he's made strong efforts to refine his outside shot, both by taking more attempts in team practice drills and staying after with teammates and assistant coaches to get up extra looks.

There's no question that a redshirt year would do wonders for his game, and Kruger said following Friday's game that if Mashour were his own son, he'd encourage the youngster to take the year as a member of the scout team in practice.

He totaled 14 points and nine rebounds in the team's two exhibition games, and will now have to fight for minutes by starting at the back end of UNLV's crowded perimeter rotation starting on the practice floor.

Kruger added that Mashour's desire to battle with the team's veterans for minutes, though, was encouraging and could, in turn, help those around him.

"He's a mature, very sharp guy," he said. "He understands. But he wants so much to be a part of this group and be motivated every day to compete for time this year, which I totally understand. He'll make progress and earn time. It's not like he's not going to play. He's a good player, and he'll earn time."

Special visitors

Attending practice on Monday at the Thomas & Mack Center was a special group of youngsters.

The event, sponsored by the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation and Nieman Marcus, brought a handful of children fighting illnesses to meet the UNLV players and coaches. They had an opportunity to get autographs from the team, then play on the floor and shoot hoops after practice.

UNLV taking part in Shots from the Heart

Kruger and assistant coach Greg Grensing will be participating in "Shots from the Heart." It's a free throw shooting tournament to help create awareness for heart disease.

Coaches from around the country are competing against one another in the project coordinated by CollegeInsider.com. It will benefit the American Heart Association and pay tribute to former Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser, who passed away on July 26, 2007, following a heart attack.

Two 64-coach brackets have been set up, with one for head coaches and one for assistants. It begins on Nov. 15, with the next round taking place in December. The final free throw contest will be at the 2011 Final Four in Houston in April.

Kruger's first-round matchup is against Davidson's Bob McKillop, and will take place Nov. 22-30. Grensing faces St. Mary's aide Rick Croy, Nov. 15-21.

To follow the season-long event, visit http://www.collegeinsider.com/shots/.

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