Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Rebels quick hits:

Class of 2013 guard will make official visit to UNLV on Thursday

While the Rebels welcome Kendall Smith to campus, they will play against Chicago State without junior forward Mike Moser

UNLV vs. North Carolina in Chapel Hill

Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun

UNLV head coach Dave Rice talks to his team during a timeout in their game against North Carolina on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2012, at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C. North Carolina won the game 79-73.

UNLV will have a special guest in the Thomas & Mack Center stands Thursday night against Chicago State, as three-star senior guard Kendall Smith will be on campus for an official visit.

Smith has enjoyed a nice rise in recruiting circles his senior season, cutting his list recently to UNLV, UCLA and UConn. Listed at about 6-foot-2 and 165 pounds, Smith is a point guard who can score. He scored 48 in a one-point victory earlier this season and averages 22.9 points per game for Deer Valley High in Antioch, Calif., which is about 45 miles northeast of San Francisco.

Smith recently tweeted that he’s looking forward to making his decision and ending the recruiting process. Coming into the year he projected as a mid-major prospect but his performances both in the summer and fall have brought plenty of attention.

Smith plays AAU ball for the Oakland Soldiers, which is the same team as class of 2014 UNLV target Stanley Johnson, a five-star wing from Mater Dei High. If UNLV got a commitment from Smith, it would likely be a bonus for Johnson, who’s also familiar with Mater Dei alum and Rebels freshman Katin Reinhardt.

In other recruiting-related news, UNLV is officially out of the picture for UCLA transfer guard Tyler Lamb. Also a Mater Dei grad, Lamb will have one year of eligibility after sitting out a season wherever he winds up.

Moser won’t play against Chicago State

Turning from the future to the present, UNLV will be without junior forward Mike Moser when it takes the court Thursday at 7 on VegasTV.

Moser didn’t suffer a setback after playing 12 minutes against North Carolina and he participated, and played well in, both open practices since then. He’s still medically cleared to go, but UNLV coach Dave Rice said he wanted to give Moser more time to recover.

“I want Mike to be more like the Mike that we know before we play him in a game,” Rice said.

Moser dislocated his right elbow on Dec. 9 at Cal. He blew away a four-week diagnosis by returning less than three weeks later, but he was clearly hampered against the Tar Heels.

After the Chicago State game, the Rebels have a quick turnaround as they host Cal State Bakersfield on Saturday. Moser could return for that game, though it’s more likely he would come back for the conference opener on Jan. 9 at New Mexico.

“We’ll take it on a game-by-game basis,” Rice said.

Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.

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