UNLV likely getting unofficial visit this week from Mater Dei’s Katin Reinhardt

By Ryan Greene

Monday, Aug. 1, 2011 | 12:30 p.m.

Taking the annual summer trip to visit his grandparents in Las Vegas might be a bit more enticing this year for Katin Reinhardt.

They put a pool in their backyard in the past year, which is a nice bonus. But it will also allow the 6-foot-4 combo guard from Mater Dei (Calif.) High to take an unofficial visit to the UNLV campus.

Reinhardt told the Sun on Monday morning that his father is in the process of finalizing plans to drive the family to Vegas later this week, and if it happens, he said the UNLV visit will certainly happen.

UNLV is one of several schools still in the mix for Reinhardt, who Rivals.com ranks as the No. 43 overall prospect in the 2012 class. Asked who also has his ear right now, Reinhardt listed, in no particular order, Texas, St. John's, West Virginia, Syracuse and Washington State.

St. John's and West Virginia were the latest to offer Reinhardt following his performance at the Fab 48 two weeks ago in Las Vegas.

After that, he played with Belmont Shore in two games at a tournament in Long Beach, and is now trying to unwind. His day on Monday includes a run out to the beach to watch the 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing.

"It's nice to just get a few weeks off," he said. "I'm still working out, but not doing much else."

What adds a level of intrigue to the potential visit to UNLV is that Reinhardt said he could commit at any point during of his upcoming visits. None is scheduled, but he said he hopes to take as many as possible.

"I plan on going just to see all the places and everything, find out what the school has to offer right now, but if I go and absolutely love the school and don't want to wait any longer, I think I'll commit," he said. "If I know what the school is about and absolutely love the campus, there's no point in going to visit another school."

Reinhardt's list may look pretty spread out, but he said no major California school is still pursuing him. Following his de-commitment from USC in May, he said the Trojans broke off ties. UCLA was recruiting him before he committed to USC, but hasn't jumped back in since he put himself back on the market.

Regarding UNLV, Reinhardt has been nothing but impressed so far.

He showed at the Fab 48 that he's more effective with the ball in his hands, working more as a point guard who can hurt an opponent with his quick handles and smooth outside jumper, rather than off of the ball as simply a spot-up shooter. UNLV coach Dave Rice and his staff are recruiting Reinhardt as a point guard, and the exact type of point guard they see him as has helped them stick out in his recruitment.

"He compared me to Jimmer Fredette a lot," Reinhardt said at the Fab 48 of his conversations with Rice. "How he let him play is how he'll let me play. That freedom, being able to do that stuff, that's what I look at. Look where Jimmer got. He went to the NBA as a lottery pick. So if you could get that kind of coach to be behind you 100 percent, that's everything you could ask for."

This is a crucial week in terms of recruiting for UNLV, as multiple official visits could happen. The Sun confirmed on Friday that 6-foot-5 wing Demarquise Johnson will be in town early this week. There could be more, too.

Reinhardt said he likes the fact that Rice and his staff are showing no hesitation in setting their sights high on the recruiting trail.

"They're going after great guys, and I think that when a school is trying to get back to the top where they used to be, with (coach Jerry) Tarkanian and all of that, I think it's great. I love how they've recruited me, and we have good conversations every time we talk."

UNLV currently has four open scholarships remaining for the 2012 recruiting class. The first commitment came on July 21 from Baltimore point guard Daquan Cook.

For more on this story as it develops throughout the week, stay tuned to lasvegassun.com/rebels.