Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun
Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014 | 2 a.m.
The Rebel Room
Life After Hauck
With coach Bobby Hauck done at UNLV, Las Vegas Sun sports writers Ray Brewer and Taylor Bern discuss his tenure and what's next for the Rebels.
It’s hard to find an official record of such thing, but if there were a list of programs with the most former players currently on other Division I rosters, then UNLV would certainly be at or near the top.
There have been eight transfers out of UNLV during coach Dave Rice’s first three full seasons, which is high but not entirely unique. That’s happening at a lot of programs these days.
What is unique is that all eight of them are, or soon will be, playing for other Division I teams this season. The Rebels already saw one of them, Karam Mashour, in the season-opening win against Morehead State and they’ll see another Wednesday at the end of Arizona State’s bench as sophomore Savon Goodman awaits eligibility in a couple of weeks.
It's rare for so many guys to all be eligible elsewhere, as five players present at the team’s first practice last year left during or shortly after the season. Bryce Dejean-Jones used the grad transfer exception while the NCAA granted both Demetris Morant and Deville Smith immediate eligibility. Goodman and Jamal Aytes left before the second semester, so they’re both eligible in mid-December.
Here’s a look at how those eight former Rebels are doing in their current situations:
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Bryce Dejean-Jones, Iowa State
Dejean-Jones’ time at UNLV was punctuated by a suspension and a fight with a teammate, which is actually similar to his time at USC, where Dejean-Jones broke a teammate's jaw.
For a struggling player with some skill, there’s probably no better place to transfer right now than Iowa State. Coach Fred Hoiberg has several recent success stories with players looking for a second (or third) chance, including DeAndre Kane and Royce White.
Dejean-Jones is benefiting from a new environment in the Midwest — including experiencing his first snow — and seems to be assimilating into a talented roster pretty well. The Cyclones (3-1) are ranked No. 20.
Current season
GP-GS Min Pts 2FG% 3FG% FT% Rbs Ast TO
4-4 31.8 14.8 51.5 30 88.9 7.3 2.8 2.5
Career at UNLV
Yr GP-GS Min Pts 2FG% 3FG% FT% Rbs Ast TO
13-14 31-26 27.4 13.6 46.7 32.3 64.3 3.7 3 1.7
Yr GP-GS Min Pts 2FG% 3FG% FT% Rbs Ast TO
12-13 35-29 26 10.3 45.5 34.7 72.8 4.4 2.3 2.3
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Deville Smith, UT-Martin
Smith had some bright spots, most notably a couple of games at the Orleans Arena, and he was the starting point guard the majority of the season. Near the end of the year, though, it was clear the Rebels had other plans at the position moving forward.
Former UNLV assistant Heath Schroyer was the main guy who brought Smith into the program, so it wasn’t a surprise that Smith followed Schroyer to UT-Martin. Smith has had a solid start to the season for the Skyhawks (3-2) although he hasn’t found his 3-point shot.
Current season
GP-GS Min Pts 2FG% 3FG% FT% Rbs Ast TO
5-4 31.4 9.6 47 25 91.7 3.6 5.2 2.2
Career at UNLV
Yr GP-GS Min Pts 2FG% 3FG% FT% Rbs Ast TO
13-14 32-18 25.3 9.7 52 33.8 68.2 1.7 2.7 2
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Demetris Morant, Florida Gulf Coast
Morant, who played for Rice’s brother, Grant, at Bishop Gorman High, caused a few ripples this offseason when he made a comment about UNLV’s practice habits. On the court, though, Morant isn’t making as much noise.
Morant’s blocks are coming along, which is something he could eventually be great at, but the offense hasn’t followed yet. With two years of eligibility remaining after this season there’s still plenty of time for Morant to develop.
Current season
GP-GS Min Pts 2FG% 3FG% FT% Rbs Ast TO
7-6 17.6 3.7 40 0 60 4.1 0.3 1.1
Career at UNLV
Yr GP-GS Min Pts 2FG% 3FG% FT% Rbs Ast TO
13-14 13-0 3.8 0.6 66.7 0 0 0.5 0.2 0.2
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Jamal Aytes, BYU
From commitment to departure, Aytes must have one of the shortest UNLV careers in program history.
Aytes picked UNLV just as classes were starting in August and by December he was at BYU, his other finalist. The Cougars (5-2) remained in contact with Aytes’ inner circle and when he didn’t get immediate playing time his Rebels career ended six games in.
Aytes becomes eligible Dec. 20 for BYU’s home game against Stanford.
Career at UNLV
Yr GP-GS Min Pts 2FG% 3FG% FT% Rbs Ast TO
13-14 4-0 9.3 2.8 62.5 0 20 0.8 0 0.8
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Katin Reinhardt, USC
New Mexico fans didn’t get to enjoy the result — USC (4-3) won at the Pit on Sunday — but they got the kind of game they wanted out of Reinhardt, who was always a target of Mountain West fans.
Reinhardt went 0-for-8 with three turnovers in the Trojans’ 12-point win as a nine-point underdog. Who knows if Reinhardt will ever be able to buy in and work within a system, but he’s certainly better than that stat line.
Current season
GP-GS Min Pts 2FG% 3FG% FT% Rbs Ast TO
7-7 28.9 9.4 51.5 31.3 87.5 2.6 1.7 2.3
Career at UNLV
Yr GP-GS Min Pts 2FG% 3FG% FT% Rbs Ast TO
12-13 35-34 29.2 10.1 36.7 35.1 89.2 2 2.5 1.9
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Savon Goodman, Arizona State
Goodman is just an observer for Wednesday’s game at Wells Fargo Arena. He becomes eligible at the end of the first semester for the Sun Devils’ trip to Marquette on Dec. 16.
As long as he doesn’t take himself off the floor with more off-court issues, Goodman can add a rebounder and a scrappy inside player to Arizona State’s lineup. He can be a productive college player.
Career at UNLV
Yr GP-GS Min Pts 2FG% 3FG% FT% Rbs Ast TO
12-13 27-0 9.1 3.6 48.7 0 61.5 2.4 0.3 0.8
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Reggie Smith, Eastern Illinois
Smith has done well for himself with some freedom in coach Jay Spoonhour’s system, averaging 13.1 points per game last season.
This is Smith’s final year of a career that started at Marquette.
Current season
GP-GS Min Pts 2FG% 3FG% FT% Rbs Ast TO
7-5 24 7.9 42.3 22.7 75 2.1 1.4 1.7
Career at UNLV
Yr GP-GS Min Pts 2FG% 3FG% FT% Rbs Ast TO
11-12 20-0 6.1 2.5 35 47.1 45.8 2 0.9 0.6
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Karam Mashour, Morehead State
Rebels fans saw up close how Mashour has developed when UNLV opened the season with a one-point victory against Morehead State. Mashour finished with seven points and eight rebounds in that game, although he was limited by a leg injury in the second half. Mashour and Smith are the last two scholarship players remaining from Rice’s first team at UNLV.
Current season
GP-GS Min Pts 2FG% 3FG% FT% Rbs Ast TO
8-8 18.3 8.1 57.6 36.8 54.5 5.3 0.9 1
Career at UNLV
Yr GP-GS Min Pts 2FG% 3FG% FT% Rbs Ast TO
11-12 13-0 3.2 1.5 33.3 50 50 1.2 0.3 0.6
Yr GP-GS Min Pts 2FG% 3FG% FT% Rbs Ast TO
10-11 12-0 7.4 2.3 70 50 30 0.4 0.3 0.6
Taylor Bern can be reached at 948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Taylor on Twitter at twitter.com/taylorbern.
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