UNLV 2011 signee Grandy Glaze requests release, will re-open recruitment

By Ryan Greene

Thursday, April 21, 2011 | 4:45 p.m.

While none of UNLV's current players are opting to leave the program following the hire of coach Dave Rice, the team's lone signee in the 2011 recruiting class will not be on campus this summer.

Canadian forward Grandy Glaze, who just completed his senior campaign at Notre Dame (Mass.) Prep, requested a release from his National Letter of Intent on Thursday morning, and plans to re-open his recruitment, according to AAU coach Mike George. The request will be granted by Rice.

"I think he just thought about it, regarding the coaches that recruited him originally, and he's pretty close to them and they left," George said. "The new coach hasn't had a chance to see him, so it might be better to move on, go through it all again. I think he just wants to open it up, make sure he's comfortable with the coaches in place."

George said that if UNLV still wants him, Glaze would consider the program once again, but all indications point to the 6-foot-6 power forward playing his college ball elsewhere.

As for other schools who will be after Glaze, George said it's too soon to know just who will be on that list, but, naturally, expect Oklahoma and former UNLV coach Lon Kruger to get involved.

Glaze originally committed to UNLV last March, picking the Rebels over the likes of Minnesota, West Virginia, South Florida, St. Joseph's and Xavier.

The Toronto native will likely be a hot commodity for programs with room to add very late in the recruiting game. When he first committed, Glaze was ranked as the No. 14 power forward and No. 83 overall prospect in the 2011 class by Rivals.com, but not long after that, he was dropped to No. 138 overall.

UNLV's original tie to Glaze was between former assistant coach Greg Grensing and George. Glaze took a liking to Grensing after working with him closely at a UNLV elite camp, and that now makes Oklahoma a serious player for Glaze, as Grensing has since accepted a staff position under Kruger.

Kruger left UNLV on April 1 following seven seasons at the helm to accept the same position at OU, signing a 7-year, $16 million deal. However, he inherited a roster filled with holes and in need of some immediate depth and patching.

The split between Glaze and UNLV appears to be mutual, as Rice is still working to fill the final three open spots on his staff. Those pieces are expected to begin falling into place starting early next week.

This also leaves the Rebels with two open scholarships heading into the 2011-12 season. It's likely that one of those will be filled this summer.

The top target remains USC transfer Bryce Jones, a 6-foot-5 freshman guard who is likely to make a decision between UNLV, San Diego State and Gonzaga next week following this weekend's official visit to Spokane, Wash. Two other potential transfer targets for UNLV are Utah freshman swingman J.J. O'Brien and Kansas freshman guard Royce Woolridge.

It's also a strong possibility that one scholarship will be rolled over into the 2012 recruiting class, which will be a very important one for Rice and his staff. That would give the Rebels five scholarships to grant following next season, with several targets being high-profile local players such as Bishop Gorman's Shabazz Muhammad, Rosco Allen, Ben Carter and Demetris Morant along with Findlay Prep's Anthony Bennett and Winston Shepard.