UNLV Basketball:

Rebels’ first game on the Strip adds another local venue to their history

Las Vegas Sun

UCLA takes on Arizona State during their Pac-12 Basketball Tournament game Thursday, March 14, 2013, at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

By Taylor Bern

Friday, Dec. 19, 2014 | 2 a.m.

That it took this long is a story all to itself, but on Saturday two Las Vegas institutions will finally meet when UNLV basketball plays its first-ever game on the Strip.

The Rebels (7-2) are taking on No. 14 Utah (7-2) in the nightcap of the MGM Grand Showcase, a doubleheader benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer that starts at 6 p.m. with No. 15 Oklahoma (7-2) takes on No. 16 Washington (9-0). UNLV’s game is expected to tip at about 8:30 p.m. and will air on ESPN2. The first game is on ESPNU.

The MGM Grand Garden Arena will be the seventh local venue to host a Rebels game since the program first tipped off in 1958. As UNLV breaks new ground with this event, here’s a look at the other local spots to host the Rebels, whether it was for one game or 31 years:

L.E. Baskow
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Dula Memorial Center

• Rebels home from 1958-60

• All-time record: 14-10

Nevada Southern University barely had a campus when it started, so the basketball team had to look for some other options for its home games. Enter the gym located at Bonanza Road and Las Vegas Boulevard North.

The tiny gym, which is still open as one of the city of Las Vegas’ parks and facilities, serves as a reminder of just how far the Rebels’ program has come over the years.
Justin M. Bowen

Nellis Air Force Base

• Played one game on Jan. 14, 1959

In an example of a game you would never see again, the Rebels picked up the first victory in program history, 52-47, at Nellis Air Force Base. Who were they playing? Nellis Air Force Base.

That entire schedule feels like an artifact — UNLV played Long Beach Navy three times and Dixie Junior College and Southern Utah State four times each — but it’s the short trip north that stands out. With the 60th anniversary of that first season coming up in a few years, perhaps it’s time the Rebels bring in a nonconference opponent, clear out some hangar space and return to their NSU roots.
Christopher DeVargas

NSU Gym

• Rebels home from 1960-66

• Capacity: 2,000

• All-time record: 76-15

For their third season, the Rebels moved into their first on-campus home, known simply as the Gym. During their time there the Rebels compiled their first-ever 20-win season and underwent their first coaching change, from Michael “Chub” Drakulich, who was also the athletic director, to Ed Gregory.

During Gregory’s two seasons at NSU, the Rebels started migrating from the Gym to the next place they would call home. Eventually the Gym was transformed into the Marjorie Barrick Museum and the original court is still there as the floor of the art gallery (above).
Lee Zaichick / Sun File Photo

Las Vegas Convention Center

• Rebels home from 1966-83

• Capacity: 6,380

• All-time record: 236-39

This is the building where UNLV became UNLV. In 1969 the institution changed its name from NSU to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and in 1973 the fifth coach in program history stepped in and changed everything.

Jerry Tarkanian made UNLV matter in the basketball world, and soon its prestige and demand outgrew the team’s venue. It was time to build something new, something they could more accurately call home.
Thomas & Mack Center

• Rebels home from 1983-present

• Capacity: 18,500

• All-time record: 412-97

The Mack is many things to many people, but for most in the area it is first and foremost the home of the Runnin’ Rebels. It’s in the process of another facelift after turning 30 last year and it’s expected to remain the Rebels’ palace for the foreseeable future.

As good as the Rebels have been in their building, though, they haven’t won the Mountain West tournament there since 2008. League coaches love taking jabs about UNLV’s advantage playing at home but unless the Rebels start playing that tournament like they do regular season games at the Mack their remarks feel a little hollow.
Sam Morris

Orleans Arena

• First appearance: Dec. 8, 2007

• All-time record: 10-1

National Finals Rodeo is such a big event that it kicks the Rebels out of the Mack for a two-week stretch. Luckily, UNLV has found out it shoots the lights out in the Orleans Arena.

During the Rodeo Road Trip the Rebels usually play one or two road games plus one game at the Orleans. They have also played in a couple of early-season tournaments there, including the memorable victory against No. 1 North Carolina in 2011 (above).