Zimm City: Bishop Gorman big man picks UNLV

By Taylor Bern

Published Thursday, April 16, 2015 | 8:44 p.m.

Updated Thursday, April 16, 2015 | 9:44 p.m.

After four years of fielding offers from every notable program in the country, Bishop Gorman High big man Stephen Zimmerman is going with the first one he ever received.

UNLV coach Dave Rice offered Zimmerman a scholarship before the nearly 7-footer had ever played a varsity game and all of the leg work over the years paid off as Zimmerman tonight tweeted that he’s going to stay in Las Vegas to attend UNLV.

“Thx 2 all the programs & fans that supported me. This is MY decision & I’ve decided 2 stay home & attend #UNLV #LetsRun #Vegas” Zimmerman tweeted from Brooklyn, where he's preparing for Friday's Jordan Brand Classic in the Barclays Center. The game will air at 5 p.m. Las Vegas time on ESPN2.

The Rebels beat out Kentucky, Arizona, Kansas and UCLA, plus seemingly every other top program in the country that at least gauged the big man’s interest. In the end it was another head-to-head victory for UNLV against programs operating with at least three times the Rebels’ budget.

Ranked top 10 in nearly every recruiting list, Zimmerman has been considered one of the Rebels’ top targets for several years. The Rebels were always included in his lists but things seemed to ramp up for UNLV last offseason when assistant coach Ryan Miller joined the staff.

Miller created a close relationship with the family and pushed the Rebels over the finish line, helping them land the fourth five-star player since Rice took over in 2011. That includes Pittsburgh transfer Khem Birch (2011) plus Findlay Prep products Anthony Bennett (2012) and Rashad Vaughn (2014), both of whom left after one season.

Zimmerman won four state championships at Gorman playing for Dave Rice’s younger brother, Grant Rice, and though his stay in college could be short — he’s maintained that one-and-done is a possibility — the versatile big man should help the Rebels bounce back from a seventh place finish in the Mountain West.

While he’s not going to sign a letter of intent, Zimmerman will sign a scholarship agreement and UNLV will take him at his word that he’ll honor this verbal commitment. The difference is a letter of intent requires a player to request to be released from it while a scholarship agreement doesn't lock them in to attending the school. Zimmerman was sought after enough that most programs agreed to keep pursuing him even without the letter of intent, which coaches prefer in part so they have some more control on the situation.

Combined with forward Derrick Jones and guard Jalen Poyser, the Rebels have at least a top-10 recruiting class for the second straight year and third of the last four.

There’s room for more, too, as transfer guards Nigel Williams-Goss (Washington) and Ike Nwamu (Mercer) are taking official visits to campus this weekend. Depending on sophomore forward Christian Wood’s decision, Zimmerman’s commit leaves UNLV with two or three more available scholarships.

Zimmerman took an official visit to UNLV early last season — his host was point guard Jerome Seagears — but he and his family have been to dozens of games over the years, sitting adjacent to the Rebellion. Part of his search for the right fit has always been about finding a program that can help him prepare for the next level while also having success in college.

If the Rebels had gone ahead with a coaching change after last season this commitment almost assuredly wouldn’t have happened. So while some in the community viewed the poor record as an indictment of the coaching staff, Zimmerman wasn’t scared away.

Zimmerman, who’s listed at 6-foot-11 and 214 pounds, has great footwork and passing skills for a player his size. Though he’s not the first choice to handle the ball, Zimmerman has put extra focus in the past year on his ball-handling so that he can grab a rebound and run the fast break without needing to dish it off.

Depending on Wood’s decision — he has until 8:59 p.m. Las Vegas time on Sunday, April 26 to declare for the draft — UNLV’s front court will include Zimmerman, Jones, sophomores Goodluck Okonoboh and Dwayne Morgan, and junior Ben Carter, a fellow Gael who sat out last season after transferring back from Oregon. There's also still the possibility that class of 2016 commit Justin Jackson could reclassify to 2015.

Morgan and Jones will likely spend most of their time at small forward but UNLV’s roster should offer plenty of opportunities to play without a true center and put players measuring at least 6-6 in at least four positions.

Dave Rice has proved very adept at assembling talent, something tonight only further proved. Once again, the focus will be on getting all of these various pieces to coalesce into a team that can at least compete for the Mountain West title and get back to the NCAA Tournament.

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