All about D.J.: UNLV basketball roster projection 1.0

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Wednesday, April 10, 2024 | 2 a.m.

The 2023-24 college basketball season concluded onMonday with UConn’s victory over Purdue in the national championship game, but it already feels like the offseason has been going on forever.

UNLV coaches especially want to fast-forward to 2024-’25, for a few reasons. First, it would keep the momentum going after the Scarlet and Gray's run to the quarterfinals of the NIT, the first postseason action for the program since 2013. And foremost, it would give other schools less time to try to poach UNLV’s best players.

Yes, it’s prime portal season, and it’s cutting both ways. UNLV has had one player leave the program: Junior point guard Jackie Johnson exited last week in search of greener pastures. Now, all attention turns to freshman guard D.J. Thomas.

A cheer would go up across blue-blood campuses nationwide if Thomas were to enter the portal. He took to Twitter on Saturday and posted several photos of himself in his UNLV jersey, seemingly reaffirming his commitment to the Scarlet and Gray, but fans know better than to put much stock in anything said while the portal is open. On Tuesday, the UNLV basketball account posted more Thomas photos with the caption, "Runnin' it back," so the team itself seems confident in his return.

This will be the first of four roster projections throughout the offseason. I’ll follow up with the next one after the portal action has ceased and the roster is locked in, then hit you with version 3.0 after I’ve had a chance to assess the newcomers in my annual summer video-scouting series. The final update will come toward the end of preseason practice as we approach the 2024-’25 opener.

That’s a long way off, and things are sure to change a lot between now and the beginning of the 2024-’25 season, but we’ve got to start somewhere. Let’s dive in to roster projection 1.0:

STARTING LINEUP

Guard: D.J. Thomas, sophomore

This is where it begins and ends, from UNLV’s perspective. Thomas should enter 2024-’25 as a leading candidate for Mountain West Player of the Year, but first coach Kevin Kruger and his staff will have to fight off suitors from other programs who badly want Thomas to transfer and be their point guard next season. Thomas has an NIL deal at UNLV that paid him more than six figures last year, but other schools can offer more money — and guaranteed NCAA Tournament runs. On the other hand, Thomas and his family have deep ties in Las Vegas, and he seemed happy during his first year in Scarlet and Gray. If UNLV can retain its best player for at least one more year, this offseason will be a win no matter what happens.

Guard: Open

The graduation of Luis Rodriguez and Keylan Boone leaves two guard/wing spots unaccounted for in the starting five. Internal options are iffy: Brooklyn Hicks may not be ready for such a leap, and Shane Nowell has been up and down in his two years at UNLV. There’s also a fit issue, as this spot would ideally be filled by someone who has the ballhandling ability of a lead guard, to take some of that pressure off of Thomas. That type of player is not on the roster, making it likely that Kruger gets this starter out of the transfer portal.

Wing: Open

An athletic, lengthy wing is a necessity here, and once again that player is probably not on the current roster unless Kruger wants to gamble on Nowell or incoming freshman James Evans. Heading into his fourth year without an NCAA Tournament appearance, Kruger probably doesn’t want to take that chance. He’ll try to get a long, defensive-minded player to man this spot, and if he can shoot 3’s, that’s a bonus.

Forward: Jalen Hill, senior

It’s risky to pencil in Hill just 10 months after the ACL injury that ended his 2023-24 campaign. But if he’s back to full strength by the time practice begins, he’s certainly capable of regaining his starting job. Defensive versatility is his forte.

Center: Rob Whaley, senior

Whaley was on an upward trajectory throughout the 2023-24 season, going from DNPs to the rotation to the starting lineup and then to starting center after Kalib Boone was injured late in the year. Though he’s listed at 6-foot-7, Whaley’s strength and quick leaping ability allow him to man the middle effectively. Kruger may want a more traditional pivot to protect the rim, but no matter what position he ends up playing, Whaley should be in store for a good senior season.

SIXTH MAN

Guard: Brooklyn Hicks, sophomore

This might be a little ambitious for Hicks, whose playing time fluctuated as a true freshman, but he flashed enough speed and scoring ability to give him a chance as a lead guard off the bench next year. It felt like Kruger was grooming him to have the green light in 2024-’25.

BENCH (rotation)

Forward: Shane Nowell, senior

Nowell was one of UNLV’s most impressive players in preseason practice last year and appeared poised for big year until a knee injury sidelined him. It took him a long time to get back onto the court, and even though he ended up in the starting lineup after Rodriguez left the team, it still didn’t seem like Nowell was back to full speed. He would be a solid seventh or eighth man, assuming Kruger can fill the holes ahead of him on the depth chart.

Forward: Jeremiah Cherry, junior

Cherry is a bit of a mystery man at this point, but he was super productive at New Mexico Junior College, posting 12.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks last year. The 6-foot-11 big man is rated the No. 2 prospect at the juco level by jucorecruiting.com; juco rankings can be wonky, but UNLV just had big success last year with Whaley. If Cherry works out as well as Whaley did, all of a sudden the frontcourt is looking pretty deep.

BENCH (depth)

Guard: James Evans, freshman

Evans is rated the No. 19 high school player in California by 247Sports, and by all accounts he is a smooth offensive threat on the wing. With Kruger’s portal predilections, true freshmen will have a hard time cracking the rotation at UNLV (unless their name is D.J. Thomas), so don’t expect Evans to be a key contributor right away. He could play a similar role to Hicks last year, getting his feet wet in anticipation of a leap in playing time in 2025-’26.

Forward: Jacob Bannarbie, freshman

Bannarbie was an afterthought in last year’s recruiting class, but the 6-foot-9 forward looked good in practice during his redshirt year. Now, that doesn’t always translate to games, but Bannarbie is at least a depth piece next season.

Center: Pape N’Diaye, freshman

A true 7-footer with intriguing movement skills, N’Diaye is rated the No. 127 player in the Class of 2024 and No. 21 among centers. He’ll need some seasoning before he’s ready for Mountain West competition.

Center: Isaiah Cottrell, senior

Cottrell has produced little in his two years at UNLV, and, judging by the projected depth in the frontcourt, he has no realistic path to significant playing time next year. Does he come back to UNLV for his fifth year, or grad-transfer to a lower level where he can play more? He’s a name to watch as portal season progresses.

OPEN SCHOLARSHIPS (3)

As of now, UNLV has 10 players on scholarship and three openings for the 2024-’25 season.

Going by this projected depth chart, the Scarlet and Gray need to land at least two starters out of the transfer portal — a wing who can defend and a backcourt player who can dribble (preferably one or both will also be able to shoot). A true center would also do wonders for the projected lineup, allowing Whaley to move to power forward and shifting Hill to a supersub role.

The good news for UNLV is, Kruger has proved he can find productive guards and wings in the portal. Donovan Williams, E.J. Harkless, Luis Rodriguez and Keylan Boone were all good players here, so there should be a high level of confidence that Kruger and his staff will be able to convince a couple power-conference guys to drop down a level and flank D.J. Thomas for a run at the NCAA Tournament.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.