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March 28, 2024

REBELS BASKETBALL:

When and where to see UNLV’s top 2012 recruiting targets this weekend in Las Vegas

Dave Rice and staff will be tracking 15 2012 prospects in particular as several AAU tournaments come to town

Bishop Gorman v. Western Basketball

Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun

Bishop Gorman’s Shabazz Muhammad looks to pass against Western during a Jan. 4 game at Gorman. Muhammad is one of several 2012 prospects the UNLV coaching staff will be tailing this weekend when a handful of major AAU tournaments will all take place in Las Vegas. Muhammad and his Dream Vision squad will participate in the adidas Super 64 at Rancho High.

Updated Thursday, July 21, 2011 | 11:52 a.m.

It's that time of year: The annual mid-summer weekend when thousands of prep basketball players with NCAA Division-I dreams and hundreds of college coaches descend upon Las Vegas for around-the-clock hoops.

Headlined by the adidas Super 64 based out of Rancho High and the Fab 48 at Bishop Gorman, games at gyms across town begin early Friday morning and will go through the weekend. It's still a non-contact period between coaches and prospects through the end of the month, but it's a crucial evaluating period for many staffs, including UNLV's.

The Rebels currently hold four vacant scholarships for their 2012 recruiting class, and at the moment, Dave Rice and his assistants have 17 seniors-to-be targeted. They began the month with 18 on the radar, and so far, the only one to drop off is combo guard Gabe York, who earlier this month committed to Arizona.

One prospect who was supposed to play in Vegas this weekend was Daquan Cook. The 6-foot-1 point guard out of Baltimore, Md., was set to play with D.C. Assault in the Super 64, but UNLV fans will take the trade-off of him not showing with his commitment to UNLV that came on Thursday morning.

The only two remaining on that list who won't be in Las Vegas this weekend are Findlay Prep's Anthony Bennett and Southport (Ind.) High sharpshooter Michael Ramey. They're instead on the road with their respective AAU clubs in Orlando.

If you're on a mission to catch each — or at least some — of the remaining 15 in action, here's where to find them during the pool play sessions of their tournaments. Each event will feature bracket play for at least a day to wrap up the weekend, but here is where you can be sure to at least catch a glimpse of some potential future Rebels.

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Bishop Gorman's Demetris Morant.

Prospects: Shabazz Muhammad, Winston Shepard, Demetris Morant, Robert Upshaw, Xavier Johnson

Team: Dream Vision

Tournament: Super 64

When/Where To See Them: Friday - 10:20 a.m., Rancho High Main Gym vs. Atlanta Celtics; 5 p.m., Rancho High Auxiliary Gym vs. Indiana Elite; Saturday - 1 p.m., Rancho High North Gym vs. Double Pump Elite (Calif.).

The Skinny: Expect a big crowd every time Dream Vision takes the floor this weekend. Not only is this team in a loaded four-team pool, but Muhammad is doing nothing so far this summer to give anyone a valid argument against him being the top overall prospect in the 2012 class. Plenty of UNLV targets here, and a member of the staff will likely be in attendance for each of their games. For those wanting to see Muhammad have a big effort, your best bet is likely the Friday evening showdown with Indiana Elite. In a meeting between the two teams earlier this month in Indianapolis, Muhammad dropped 40 points.

Prospects: Ben Carter, Rosco Allen

Team: Las Vegas Lakers

Tournament: Fab 48

When/Where To See Them: Friday - 11:45 a.m., Bishop Gorman Court 3 vs. Branch West Elite (Calif.); 8:30 p.m., Bishop Gorman Court 1 vs. Wisconsin Swing; Saturday - 9:45 p.m., Bishop Gorman Court 2 vs. Team Jones Oregon.

The Skinny: This is a team you will enjoy watching this time of year, and not just because of the presence of two future Division-I forwards in Carter and Allen. Coached by Carter's father, Mike, it's a disciplined group that plays a great brand of team ball. Rice and his staff highly covet Carter, whose recruitment is wide open. Rice was the first to ever offer Carter a scholarship while still at BYU two years ago, and that's something the versatile 6-foot-7 wing hasn't forgotten. The Rebels are also paying close attention to Allen, but don't expect them to try and land both.

Prospect: Dominic Artis

Team: Oakland Soldiers

Tournament: Fab 48

When/Where To See Him: Friday - 4:45 p.m., Bishop Gorman Court 1 vs. Team Breakdown (Fla.); Saturday - 11:45 a.m., Bishop Gorman Court 2 vs. Juice All-Stars (NY); 6 p.m., Bishop Gorman Court 3 vs. Belmont Shore (CA).

The Skinny: Artis is gaining plenty of steam so far this summer, and UNLV has made a strong play so far for the Findlay Prep-bound point guard. However, it still appears that UCLA is out in front in the race for his services.

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Mater Dei's Katin Reinhardt.

Prospect: Katin Reinhardt

Team: Belmont Shore

Tournament: Fab 48

When/Where To See Him: Friday - 3:30 p.m., Bishop Gorman Court 1 vs. Juice All-Stars (N.Y.); Saturday - 10:30 a.m., Bishop Gorman Court 2 vs. Team Breakdown (Fla.); 6 p.m., Bishop Gorman Court 3 vs. Oakland Soldiers.

The Skinny: It's now confirmed that Reinhardt will play with Belmont Shore in the Fab 48, which gives him an opportunity to play against some elite competition in a loaded pool on Friday and Saturday. This is a kid to definitely try and catch, as he's the Rebels' prime target in the market for a solid shooter. Reinhardt, a former USC commit, has proven so far this summer that there's much more to his game than just a pure outside shot, and UNLV appears to be high on his list right now.

Prospect: Tyrone Wallace

Team: Double Pump Elite

Tournament: Super 64

When/Where To See Him: Friday - 10:20 a.m., Rancho High Auxiliary Gym vs. Indiana Elite; 5 p.m., Rancho High North Gym vs. Atlanta Celtics; Saturday - 1 p.m., Rancho High North Gym vs. Dream Vision.

The Skinny: Wallace is another target for UNLV in its search for a point guard in the 2012 class. Their strong connection to the Bakersfield, Calif., product is that he's from the same hometown and high school that produced new Rebels assistant coach Justin Hutson. UNLV has a strong chance with Wallace, who is a defensive nuisance and makes up an entertaining backcourt for Double Pump with Findlay Prep junior-to-be and former UNLV commit Nigel Williams-Goss. Their game against Dream Vision on Saturday should include plenty of friendly fire on the court.

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Westwind Prep's Demarquise Johnson.

Prospect: Demarquise Johnson

Team: Team Eleate

Tournament: Fab 48

When/Where To See Him: Friday - 2:15 p.m., Sierra Vista High Court 2 vs. Iowa Barnstormers Black; Saturday - 8 a.m., Sierra Vista High Court 3 vs. Arizona Dream Team; 8:30 p.m., Sierra Vista High Court 1 vs. Groundup Darkside (Calif.).

The Skinny: Like Muhammad, Johnson is a bouncy wing who would be an ideal fit in UNLV's uptempo system. Expect him to take an unofficial visit to UNLV in the first week of August.

Prospect: Matt Willms

Team: Detroit Stars

Tournament: Fab 48

When/Where To See Him: Friday - 1 p.m., Bishop Gorman Court 2 vs. Milwaukee Running Rebels; Saturday - 9:15 a.m., Bishop Gorman Court 3 vs. Play Hard-Play Smart Elite (CA); 8:30 p.m., Bishop Gorman Court 1 vs. Upstate New York.

The Skinny: UNLV hasn't yet offered a scholarship to Willms, and the Rebels are still very much in the evaluation period with the big lefty. But they love the way he can run the court for a guy his size, and so far this summer, the staff likes what it's seen.

Prospect: Calaen Robinson

Team: The Magic

Tournament: Fab 48

When/Where To See Him: Friday - 2:15 p.m., Sierra Vista High Court 1 vs. Florida Assault Showtime Ballers; Saturday - 8 a.m., Sierra Vista High Court 2 vs. Team Superstar 17 (Calif.); 8:30 p.m., Sierra Vista High Court 3 vs. Positive Direction Royals 17 (N.Y.).

The Skinny: Another backcourt prospect the Rebels like, the staff also appears to be still in the evaluation period here.

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Ardmore (Okla.) High's Nino Jackson.

Prospect: Nino Jackson

Team: TBD

Tournament: TBD

When/Where To See HIm: TBD

The Skinny: It's still up in the air as to who Jackson will play with in Vegas this weekend. So far this summer, he's run with the Compton Magic, which seemed like an odd situation for a kid from Oklahoma, but rumor has it that he'll be running with a team based out of Texas this weekend if he plays at all. UNLV is still after him, even though Jackson has indicated recently that despite rumors of a possible transfer to Durango High, he'll be staying in Oklahoma for his final season of high school ball.

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