Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Rebels basketball:

New UNLV signage inside Mendenhall Center greets USA Basketball camp

Anthony Davis Mendenhall

Taylor Bern

NBA forward Anthony Davis answers questions after USA Basketball practice on Tuesday, Aug. 11 in the Mendenhall Center. UNLV recently put up new signs and logos in Mendenhall, including the “Rebels” behind Davis.

Click to enlarge photo

NBA guard James Harden dribbles through a shooting line during USA Basketball practice on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2015, at the Mendenhall Center. UNLV recently put up new signs and logos in Mendenhall, including the "UNLV" in raised lettering behind Harden.

A lot of what happens in the Mendenhall Center, including this week’s USA Basketball minicamp, travels far beyond the building’s walls. Now the Rebels have made sure a piece of UNLV goes with it.

In an ongoing project that will wrap up near the end of next week, the Rebels worked with UNLV’s Planning and Construction department and marketing company Derse to create signage and branding around Mendenhall’s two full basketball courts. The result is that pretty much all two hours of NBATV’s live coverage and nearly every photo or video recorded at Tuesday’s practice had something UNLV in the background.

“It was very important for us from a branding standpoint, and not just for the men’s basketball program,” said coach Dave Rice. “Looking at USA Basketball, there’s marketing of the interviews and photos that will send these images everywhere.

“The UNLV name is going to be shown in so many countries throughout the world, and that’s good for the whole university.”

The gym now sports five UNLV logos with raised lettering and six mentions of Runnin’ Rebels painted on various walls. Add to that the two center court logos that were already there and it’s almost impossible to look anywhere without your eye catching something Rebel-ion.

“I had some people text me about how good it looked,” said Rich Hilliard, men’s basketball’s director of student-athlete development.

Hilliard was the main guy pulling this together for the Rebels, who wanted to make sure at least the gym pieces were in place by the time USA Basketball took over. That part was done two weeks ago, and by as early as next week there will be additional pictures, collages and paintings infusing some of the Rebels’ history installed on Mendenhall’s lobby walls.

The Rebels are happy that this will get their image out even more, and USA Basketball is just happy to be in the building. Previously the organization practiced at Cox Pavilion and also some at Valley High.

“Not that that wasn’t good, but this is a lot better,” said Duke and USA Basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski.

And no matter what’s on the walls, Mendenhall is a special place for reigning champion and NBA MVP Stephen Curry.

“For me, this gym signifies where it all started last year and we’re back here getting ready for next year,” Curry said.

There aren’t many places where Division I players could so often find themselves shooting on the same court as the best players in the world. Hilliard, who’s entering his 12th year with the program, and the Rebels would like to make sure everyone knows that.

“We have so many opportunities, with this, Summer League, different coaching clinics, Clippers training camp, to get our name out there for recruiting and showing ourselves as the mecca of basketball,” Hilliard said.

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

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