Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Rebels Basketball:

UNLV is third program to host NBA personnel for combine event

2015 Runnin' Rebels First Practice

Steve Marcus

A view of the Rebels’ first basketball practice of the season at the Mendenhall Center on UNLV campus Monday, Oct. 5, 2015.

The Rebel Room

On to Fresno

The Rebels' comeback fell short in overtime against San Jose State but Las Vegas Sun sports editor Ray Brewer and reporters Case Keefer and Taylor Bern aren't feeling too down about UNLV's outlook as it prepares for the short week and a trip to Fresno State.

Kentucky coach John Calipari set a new standard for spectacle last season when he held a three-day combine that brought nearly 100 NBA scouts and front-office personnel to Kentucky’s campus for a televised event. While it won’t be on that level, UNLV this month will be the third program to do something similar.

“Our goal is to have a successful season on the court, but one of our goals also is to promote our guys and to make sure our guys have an opportunity to play at the next level,” UNLV coach Dave Rice said Tuesday during Mountain West media days at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel. “That’s one of the things that we promote in recruiting.”

The Wildcats had four players selected in the NBA Draft lottery last season and another quartet are projected first-rounders this year. Kentucky held its second version of this event Sunday and Monday, with parts of it once again airing on ESPNU. LSU, which has possible No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons and a couple of other prospects, streamed some of its own pro day Tuesday on the SEC Network.

Rice doesn’t expect UNLV’s version, which will be held Oct. 23-24 at the Mendenhall Center and will feature all of the measurements, agility drills and practices of the regular NBA combine, to be televised, and he’s not positive there will be representatives from all 30 NBA teams present. But with freshman Stephen Zimmerman Jr. a probable one-and-done player and others drawing interest, Rice sees only positives in what amounts to a dress rehearsal for the real NBA combine that some of them will go through.

“Anytime you can have guys go through something and have a little bit of extra pressure on them, I think it’s a good thing to see how guys react to pressure,” he said. “We’re fortunate to have some guys on our roster that have generated some interest, whether that’s after this year or two years from now or three years from now or whenever.”

NBA teams reached out to UNLV’s staff over the past year on sophomores Pat McCaw and Goodluck Okonoboh, and there’s pro potential elsewhere on the roster in guys such as redshirting senior Chris Obekpa and freshman Derrick Jones Jr. However, it’s no guarantee that Jones will be able to participate.

On Saturday the high-flying forward suffered a severe ankle sprain that has him sidelined indefinitely. He’s likely out of Thursday’s open scrimmage at the Thomas & Mack Center, and the presumptive favorite could also miss next week’s dunk contest at the Runnin’ Rebel Madness event downtown.

“There’s no fracture, but we’ll see,” Rice said. “It’s not a one-day ankle sprain.”

The scrimmage Thursday will be a light affair as the Rebels expect to be down both Jones and junior Daquan Cook, who is still recovering from a concussion. The Mack is still undergoing renovations, so while the event is open to the public, it’s mostly a chance for the new Rebels to get out, run around and get acclimated to their home arena.

The bigger fan event is Oct. 22, when the Rebels will take Jerry Tarkanian Court from the Mack and set it up outside at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center. It’s billed as a music festival type of atmosphere, with big introductions, fanfare and a dunk contest that should still be worthwhile even if Jones is sidelined.

The following day the Rebels will host their combine event, which is likely going to start popping up at even more programs in the future. Zimmerman will be at the center of this one, and Rice’s statement about the big man’s Preseason Freshman of the Year honor reflects the staff’s general sentiment about their combine event too.

“You like it when guys get recognition,” he said, “but you really like it when they get recognition at the end of the year.”

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

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