UNLV basketball notebook: Squad gearing up for official practices

By Rob Miech

Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008 | 2 a.m.

The first one was underhanded. It sailed behind DeShawn Mitchell as he sliced in for a potential alley-oop dunk from the right side in the Cox Pavilion practice gym.

Tre’Von Willis’s second pass to Mitchell at Monday’s practice caromed hard off the backboard when those two had the edge on a fastbreak. The ball didn’t come close to Mitchell.

On the third one, Willis reached deep into his bag of tricks. Leading another fastbreak, just as he zeroed in on the rim on the left side, he instead bounced the ball hard between his legs behind him.

Didn’t come close to the high-flying Mitchell.

“Jackasses!” one of Willis’s teammates yelled from the other side of the court.

Come Oct. 17, the official start of practice for the 2008-09 season, look for passes like those from Willis to be whittled from his repertoire.

“Summer-time pick-up games are different from what they look like in October, hopefully,” said Rebels coach Lon Kruger, laughing. “Still, it’s good conditioning.”

Willis said they were just goofing around.

“That’s why I’m working on it now, why I’m getting with my guys who can jump,” he said. “I try to put it where it needs to be. If they don’t catch it, I’m in the air because I know coach wouldn’t like it if it doesn’t get completed.

“I told ’em, you make me look bad if you don’t get it, so I’m not throwing it to you again.”

Don’t expect the Willis-to-Mitchell connection to disappear, though. This squad promises to produce a few more SportsCenter thrills than any of Kruger’s previous four versions.

Even senior Rene Rougeau vowed to get into the act. Monday, he flew in from the right wing and nearly executed a Jordan-like slam dunk.

Maybe it was more like Kobe Bryant or LeBron James, Rougeau said sheepishly.

“I’ve got to get some highlights this year,” he said. “It makes the crowd happy, seeing you finish. I’ll take over for Corey Bailey and get some tip jams. I’ll try to live above the rim more this season, for sure.”

The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Willis, UNLV’s new point guard, isn’t all about fun and games. He’s had serious discussions with Kruger and assistant coach Steve Henson about ball control.

Two seasons ago, with Kevin Kruger directing the Rebels, they were seventh in the nation in turning the ball over a paltry 11.1 times a game.

Last season, with Curtis Terry running the show, they improved that to 10.8 turnovers a game, the sixth-lowest figure in the country.

“Taking care of the ball is a responsibility of mine,” Willis said, “and I’ll take that responsibility on my shoulders.”

After Wednesday’s practice, the third-year sophomore transfer from Memphis sported fresh red cuts on his right cheek and neck.

“Got some battle scars today,” he said. “But it’s fun. Comes with the game.”

Schedule tidbits

A series with UCLA might loom in the near future, which would be an intriguing matchup.

UNLV has 57 victories over the past two seasons. Only UCLA, with 65, has more wins in that stretch among programs west of the Mississippi. Three consecutive Final Fours also bolster the Bruins’ prestige.

Kruger confirmed that there has been a brief mention or two with UCLA officials, but nothing of length. Senior associate athletic director Jerry Koloskie schedules the brunt of UNLV’s basketball and football games.

“We wouldn’t mind that,” Kruger said. “We’d love it.”

The Rebels are 0-4 lifetime against UCLA.

They last played in December 1998 at Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, a 72-67 victory for UCLA that caused then-UNLV coach Bill Bayno to stare at the stars outside a Marina del Rey deli as his players ate inside.

Add schedule

Don’t make plans for Hawaii or New York anytime soon.

The Maui Invitational and Preseason NIT, whose semifinal and final are played at Madison Square Garden, are two prestigious preseason tournaments that won’t include the Rebels for the foreseeable future.

They are staged during Thanksgiving week, which is a prime time for UNLV to play in the Thomas & Mack Center because of the annual early-December rodeo.

When the cowboys land in Las Vegas, they use the arena for 18 or 19 days. UNLV would lose a good chunk of dough if it didn’t occupy its building two or three times around Thanksgiving.

College basketball teams are allowed to play in tournaments like Maui once every four years. Instead, look for Kruger to have the Rebels pack their passports and continue to tour other lands.

They went to Canada his first year, and Kruger took them to Australia in June.

Free throws

Derrick Jasper continues to strengthen his left knee, which required microfracture surgery in the summer of 2007, and Kruger said he expects the 6-6 guard to practice by December. Jasper left Kentucky and will redshirt in 2008-09. “There’s no need to rush,” Kruger said. “That’s the luxury of redshirting.” … It might be premature, but Willis, Rougeau, Wink Adams, Joe Darger and Darris Santee have spent an abundance of time together in recent practices. Is that a preview of this season’s starting five? … Kruger will be honored Friday, Oct. 3, at the seventh Epicurean Charitable Foundation fundraiser at Mandalay Bay Beach. A cocktail reception and silent auction begins at 7:30 p.m., and a wide range of food will be served by 25 of the city’s finest chefs. Singer Sara Bareilles, who has appeared atop the Billboard Top 100 chart, will perform. Tickets range from $500 a seat to $50,000 for a table for 10. “They do so much good for a lot of young students,” Kruger said. “(Epicurean founder) Rino Armeni does a remarkable job providing opportunities for kids who otherwise wouldn’t have had opportunities.”