Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Analysis:

Bern’s-Eye View: What to expect from each player in UNLV’s rotation

Scarlet and Gray Showcase

L.E. Baskow

UNLV basketball players gather for the scarlet and gray exhibition, which is the Rebels’ version of midnight madness, at the Thomas & Mack Center on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2014.

The Rebel Room

The One Where Brewer Gets Fired Up

After taking over beat writer duties for a week, Las Vegas Sun sports editor Ray Brewer has some ideas what's wrong with UNLV football. But first sports writer Case Keefer and Taylor Bern extol the greatness of Kenpom.

They come from all across the country — Northeast, Midwest, South and West all represented — and share two primary factors in common: they’re mostly young and together they make up UNLV’s rotation for the 2014-15 season.

Only three of the Rebels’ 10 eligible scholarship players are of legal drinking age, and one of those (Dantley Walker) has yet to play a collegiate basketball game. But experienced or not, this is the group tasked with getting UNLV toward the top of the conference and back into the NCAA Tournament.

Three players, juniors Daquan Cook and Ben Carter and senior Jerome Seagears, are redshirting this season. Walk-ons Barry Cheaney and Charles Rushman are available at the end of the bench but it’s this group of 10 — two seniors, two sophomores and six freshmen — that will handle the heavy lifting.

We’re less than a week away from UNLV’s home exhibition on Wednesday against Florida National and a little more than two weeks from the season opener on Friday, Nov. 14, against Morehead State. As we inch closer to the opening tip, here’s a snapshot of what to expect this season from each of those 10:

Note: Players ordered by who I expect to play the most minutes this year, starting with the most.

    • Rashad Vaughn, G, Fr

      • Listed at 6-foot-6, 210 pounds

      • Minneapolis native transferred to Findlay Prep for senior season and committed to UNLV over Iowa State and North Carolina in February

      • Ranked No. 8 by Rivals, he’s the second top-10 Rebels commit out of Findlay Prep

      The odds-on favorite to lead UNLV in scoring this year, Vaughn is going to be featured in a variety of ways on offense. His outside shot is the key, because if he’s making 3s at a good rate the driving/passing lanes should open up. Better jumper than anyone on last year’s roster.

    • Cody Doolin, G, Sr

      • Listed at 6-foot-3, 180 pounds

      • Started all 103 games of his career at San Francisco, averaging 9.8 points and 4.4 assists in 32.1 minutes per game

      • NCAA granted him immediate eligibility after Doolin left San Francisco early last season following an alleged forced confrontation in practice

      Is there too much hype around Doolin? In pockets across the country he’s being hailed as exactly what the Rebels need before ever playing a game for them. I think he’s a good fit and might in fact be that guy — I picked him as the league's preseason Newcomer of the Year — but the growing pains with these underclassmen are going to take longer than many anticipate.

    • Dwayne Morgan, F, Fr

      • Listed at 6-foot-8, 205 pounds

      • Baltimore native, ranked No. 15 by Rivals, committed in March 2013, picking UNLV over Maryland and Georgetown

      • Mom, Tabitha Chambers, played one season of basketball at Clemson

      The first of this heralded class to commit, Morgan is going to play predominantly power forward this season. His primary goal should be rebounding as well as fellow Baltimorean Roscoe Smith did last season, because UNLV really needs it. Shot selection, particularly mid-range jumpers, could be an issue.

    • Christian Wood, F, Soph

      • Listed at 6-foot-11, 220 pounds

      • Averaged 4.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.97 blocks in 13 minutes per game, including two starts, for UNLV last season

      • Palmdale, Calif., native committed to UNLV in 2011 after transferring to Findlay Prep for his junior season

      Does he make the leap this season? Wood is oozing with potential and there will undoubtedly be streaks of greatness this year. The question is how consistent Wood can be as he works to combine shot-swatting defense — foul trouble is a concern this season — with a potentially dominant offensive arsenal, so long as he focuses less on 3-point attempts.

    • Goodluck Okonoboh, F, Fr

      • Listed at 6-foot-10, 225 pounds

      • Boston native, ranked No. 31 by Rivals, committed in October 2013, picking UNLV over Ohio State, Indiana, Florida and Duke

      • Played against former Rebel Khem Birch when both were in prep school and Okonoboh was teammates with the Philadelphia 76ers’ Nerlens Noel

      For those who don’t know (or don’t remember) there’s quite the story behind Okonoboh’s first name. As for his first year of college basketball, it’s tough to pinpoint where he’ll end up. Foul trouble and a limited offensive game will likely lower the ceiling but a big rebounding tally and affecting some shots might be enough for the Rebels.

    • Kendall Smith, G, Soph

      • Listed at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds

      • Averaged 3.8 points and 1.3 assists in 14.4 minutes per game, including 13 starts, for UNLV last season

      • Changed number from 15 to 0 this season

      Remember how big a deal it was when Smith cramped up and couldn’t finish the game at Arizona? He was the Rebels’ best guard at the time, so what happened the rest of the way? Inconsistency and attitude. Smith struggled, didn’t handle it well and that made things worse. Now he’s older, wiser and as the backup point guard looking determined to deliver on some of last year’s flashes.

    • Patrick McCaw, G, Fr

      • Listed at 6-foot-6, 180 pounds

      • In April he committed to UNLV over Missouri and SMU

      • Originally from St. Louis, McCaw played senior season at Montrose Christian in Rockville, Md.

      His 3-point stroke could get McCaw into a lot of games so his defense needs to get close to that level, too. McCaw is sort of the forgotten guy in this class but he’s my pick as the dark horse (not Wood, Vaughn or Doolin) breakout player for the Rebels this year.

    • Jelan Kendrick, G, Sr

      • Listed at 6-foot-6, 210 pounds

      • Averaged 6.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in 20.8 minutes per game for UNLV last season

      • Previous stops include Memphis, Ole Miss and Indian Hills Community College

      It’s telling that UNLV’s top returning scorer is a guy who might get lost in the shuffle. Kendrick could get some good playing time as an interior presence and rebounder, but he could just as easily get squeezed out by younger players. I’d bet on a rather quiet final year for the former McDonald’s All-American.

    • Jordan Cornish, G, Fr

      • Listed at 6-foot-6, 220 pounds

      • New Orleans native signed with Tennessee in 2013, then last April was released from letter of intent after coach Cuonzo Martin left for Cal

      • Good friends with fellow incoming freshman Vaughn, whom Cornish had initially tried to recruit to Knoxville

      I’m not sure where Cornish’s skillset fits in. He has the body of a bruising guard but often stays away from the basket for jumpers that UNLV probably doesn’t need him to take. He’s undersized for a post player but that might be where he gets most of his minutes this season.

    • Dantley Walker, G, Fr (RS)

      • Listed at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds

      Committed to Lon Kruger in 2011 before serving a two-year LDS mission in the Pacific Northwest and redshirting last season

      • In Nevada prep history, Walker’s the all-time leader in points (3,304), assists (887) and made 3-pointers (475)

      A fan favorite, I hope Walker gets some run this year. His stroke is still there, so while Walker might be a defensive liability he can add something to the lineup in mop-up duty. Plus a Walker 3 for free tacos — assuming the in-game promotion returns this year — would shut down the Mack.

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

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