UNLV’s offseason kicks into gear after Vaughn’s departure

By Taylor Bern

Thursday, April 9, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Three years ago Mike Moser decided to stay. Two years ago Anthony Bennett decided to leave. Last year it was Khem Birch and Roscoe Smith declaring themselves eligible for the NBA Draft while leaving some college eligibility, in their case one season each, on the table.

Like most programs, UNLV’s offseason schedule is consumed mostly by recruiting in both the high school and transfer markets. Like a smaller group of programs, the Rebels’ offseason is now annually kicked off by declaration season, the four to seven weeks from the end of the season until the NBA’s draft deadline that underclassmen have to decide whether to stay or go.

“We’ve recruited high-level players, so we have guys every spring who are in positions to make these decisions,” UNLV coach Dave Rice said.

One guy, freshman Rashad Vaughn, has made his decision, announcing Wednesday in a YouTube video that he’s entering the draft. Another guy, sophomore Christian Wood, is waiting for information from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee due back within the next week. It’s likely going to tell Wood that teams view him as a selection from the middle of the first round to early in the second.

Once Wood gets that info it will be up to him to decide, if he hasn’t already, if the projection is worth leaving or if he’d rather pursue a third season at UNLV. Like the Rebels before him, the decision is first and foremost a personal one, but a lot of it comes down to analyzing the risks and rewards of each side, keeping in mind that only first-round selections receive guaranteed money.

Rice has been through this several times already, and with what he sees in the development of how players on UNLV’s radar look at the college experience, the decisions aren’t going to diminish.

“There is a mindset now that these kids have the potential option to leave early, and so that’s always going to be a conversation,” Rice said.

Moser decided that being a fringe first-round prospect who would more likely go in the second round or fall undrafted wasn’t worth it, so he returned for a junior year marred by an elbow injury before transferring to Oregon for his final season. Bennett was a projected lottery pick who ended up going No. 1 overall, so while his NBA career hasn’t really gone well, the decision to leave still looks like a no-brainer.

Last season Smith and Birch both put their names in dreaming of hearing them called at least in the second round. When that didn’t happen, reality set in and both set out to work their way up, spending this season putting up solid numbers in the D-League while awaiting an invitation to the top.

Rice’s critics point to maneuvers like that, particularly Birch playing in Sioux Falls, S.D., instead of potentially competing in the Mountain West player of the year race, as indictments on the program. Like Birch, Vaughn is projected as an early to late second-round pick, and it’s entirely possible the Findlay Prep product could go undrafted.

If Vaughn doesn’t get picked, it will kick start another round of debates about UNLV’s abilities to develop players and whether those guys are better off in the D-League anyways. Not surprisingly, Rice believes Vaughn will hear his name called.

Before suffering a torn meniscus, Vaughn led the Rebels in scoring and, when healthy, he’s got a pro’s body type, listed at 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds. How Vaughn uses that frame, especially in isolation situations, is one thing Rice thinks pro scouts and general managers will cling to.

“One of the best things he does that will transfer with a 24-second shot clock is create his own shot at the end of the clock,” Rice said. “When it’s winding down, give him the ball and he can make something happen. It’s important.”

Also important, if the Rebels are going to keep being involved in declaration season, is making backup plans. UNLV entered the season knowing Wood and Vaughn could both leave, they could both stay or some combination in between.

Even if Wood stays, there would be at least three available scholarships, and the Rebels still have several lines in the water waiting to see what they bring to shore.

“It could be a high-level high school guy or a fifth-year transfer,” Rice said.

As Rice has learned from working with players who have legitimate pro potential, it’s always good to have options.

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