Keefe focused solely on winning

The games are dwindling to a precious few. And with his college career nearing its end, Brian Keefe is interested in only one thing.

Winning.

The 6-foot-4 senior guard who graduated in December has six games left at UNLV. To ensure there is more to come next month after the WAC tournament, the Rebels need to maintain their winning ways that have produced 10 victories in the last 11 games headed into Saturday's Mountain Division rematch at Rice.

So Keefe has changed things up in an attempt to help the cause. He's working harder on his man-to-man defense. He's not worried about reaching a certain quota of perimeter jump shots but is looking to take the ball to the basket. He's putting an emphasis on passing, screening and rebounding.

And as a senior and co-captain, he has accepted the responsibility of making sure his teammates' heads don't get swelled with the recent success. Keefe knows the Rebels haven't won anything yet. Nor have they secured an NCAA Tournament berth with their 14-7 record.

From his perspective, he's more valuable to the team doing that than draining 3-pointers.

"What I really want to do is win this league," Keefe said. "If you play team sports, the bottom line is winning. You do whatever it takes. I don't mind getting fewer minutes or fewer shots if it means winning.

"I think the guys are pretty committed to winning. We're finding ways to win even when we're not on top of our game. To me, that's a sign of a good team. But it's time to step it up."

If the Rebels are to finish strong, they're going to need Keefe to continue to rebound, defend and pass, as well as knock down open shots. He had 48 rebounds last year and has 29 through 21 games this season. He already has exceeded his total for assists from a year ago with 23 after finishing with 19 last season.

And instead of just pooching on the 3-point line and launching jumpers, Keefe's putting the ball on the floor and either dishing off to an open teammate or finishing strong with a layup.

He's the team's fourth-leading scorer at just under eight points a game, which is where he was a year ago. And even though he's not focusing on threes, he remains UNLV's top gun from long distance, hitting just under 40 percent of his tries (39 of 98).

"I'm trying to be a little more aggressive," he said. "I think people just expect me to stand out on the line and shoot, so I'm trying to change things up a little."

Rebels coach Bill Bayno has been encouraging Keefe to do just that.

"Brian can help us in other areas and he's been doing that," he said. "He has stepped up his defense and his being able to find guys with his passing has helped.

"He really stepped up big against Air Force. He ran the floor well. He defended (Tyron) Wright well. He made some nice passes. And his leadership's going to be important for our young guys down the stretch."

Keefe knows this is his time. His ultimate replacement, talented but inexperienced freshman Desmond Herod, will have to wait his turn. But Keefe also knows that Herod can help the Rebels in certain situations and that's why he won't mind sitting out for a prolonged period if Herod can deliver.

"I think we've all learned to accept our role," Keefe said.

archive