Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Brandon McCoy ready to take on big role for Rebels

Rebels Basketball Practice With Brandon McCoy

Steve Marcus

Brandon McCoy takes a break during UNLV Runnin’ Rebels basketball practice at Mendenhall Center Monday, July 31, 2017.

Rebels Basketball Practice With Brandon McCoy

Brandon McCoy listens to a question before a UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball practice at Mendenhall Center Monday, July 31, 2017. Launch slideshow »

If Brandon McCoy has any qualms about stepping into the spotlight at UNLV, he’s not showing it.

The freshman center was poised and affable in his first meeting with the media on Monday, and after answering questions for about five minutes, he took the practice floor with the rest of the Rebels and showed the easy explosiveness that has some believing McCoy can lead an instant turnaround at UNLV.

McCoy said he’s comfortable having big expectations placed upon his shoulders, but that he’s not a one-man team.

“I do embrace that,” McCoy said, “but I know it’s not just me that’s going to win games. We as a team have to win games, and we’ve got a lot of players that you guys don’t even know about that are really good. So it’s going to be a fun year.”

McCoy won’t have to do it alone, but he will be tasked with carrying a heavy load for the Runnin’ Rebels. The 6-foot-11 bruiser was a top-10 recruit in his class and a McDonald’s All-American, and he’s expected to start on opening night and provide a physical presence at both ends of the court.

Though he’s just a freshman, McCoy seems ready for that kind of responsibility. Last month, he traveled to Egypt as a member of the USA Basketball U19 team and put up big numbers in the FIBA World Cup, averaging 11.0 points and 8.3 rebounds for a silver medal-winning squad loaded with talented college players.

That experience could serve as a springboard for McCoy. He said he gained confidence from playing with (and performing well against) top players in his age group, and he took the opportunity to learn from one of college basketball’s top minds, as Kentucky’s John Calipari guided the U.S. team.

“It was very valuable,” McCoy said. “[USA has] really good coaches. I tried to take in everything I could from them and just learn the game.”

During the portion of Monday’s summer practice that was open to the media, the Rebels mostly ran through open-court offensive drills. It’s hard to not look good in those situations, but McCoy especially stood out with his size, smooth movement and power.

At one point, he finished off a 2-on-1 fast break by throwing down a hard one-handed dunk, then let out a roar that drew whoops from his teammates.

UNLV head coach Marvin Menzies wants to see a lot of that during McCoy’s first (and possibly only) season in Las Vegas. So far, he said his prized big man has made a smooth transition to the college game, on and off the court.

“He’s one of the guys,” Menzies said. “He’s happy, he’s enjoying himself. I think he’s getting a grasp of the demands at this level in terms of time management. You have to start dealing with things from a more professional level, in terms of planning your days. He’s done a great job of doing that in the past — that’s how he developed. His whole support group has been very good. His transition has been good so far.”

Though the Rebels finished last in the Mountain West last year, the pieces are in place for a run at a championship this season. UNLV returns leading scorer Jovan Mooring, and he’ll be joined in the backcourt by accomplished senior point guard Jordan Johnson. And Menzies brought in junior power forward Shakur Juiston, the reigning Junior College National Player of the Year, to tag-team with McCoy in the frontcourt.

It may take some time for the team to figure things out, but when they do, McCoy could be the guy to put the Rebels over the top.

“We know that it’s going to be a tough season because we’re all new guys,” McCoy said. “We’re all just starting to play with each other this year. But we know if we get it together, we can be really good.”

Notes

UNLV did not have perfect attendance at Monday’s workout. Incoming junior Anthony Smith and sophomore Ben Coupet were not spotted at any point during the portion of practice that was open to the media.

Junior forward Dwayne Morgan also did not participate. Morgan was suspended indefinitely following an arrest in May, and Menzies said on Monday that the suspension is still in place, so Morgan is not taking part in any team activities.

There could be several reasons for Smith and Coupet’s absences. According to NCAA rules, programs are limited to eight hours of team workouts per week during the summer period, and only two of those hours can be spent on “skill instruction” with coaches present. Only players enrolled in summer classes can participate, so it’s possible that Smith and Coupet are not taking courses this semester.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy