5 things to watch for as Rebels open exhibition play

By Jesse Granger

Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016 | 2 a.m.

The Runnin’ Rebels tip off the season at 7 p.m. today in an exhibition game against Dakota Wesleyan at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Dakota Wesleyan finished in third place of the Great Plains Athletic Conference of the NAIA Division II with a 23-11 record in 2015-16.

The team is led by senior point guard Tate Martin, who led the NAIA in assists last year with 6.67 per game. Trae Vandeberg will likely be the Tigers’ go-to scorer, averaging 11 points per game last season.

As for UNLV, a lot of new faces will be suiting up in the scarlet and gray, so here are five key things to watch for during tonight’s contest.

Who plays where

UNLV’s roster is riddled with players who don’t have a true position or can play multiple positions. There are nine players between 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-8, giving first-year coach Marvin Menzies numerous lineup options.

Junior transfer Jovan Mooring will likely compete for time at both guard positions, along with returning sophomore Jalen Poyser and Larry Bush.

“I’ve played a lot (of point) but it hasn’t been this type of point guard play, like getting guys to spots and telling guys what to do,” Mooring said. “Growing up, it was me bringing the ball up and about being a good ball-handler — it wasn’t me actually running a team. But now I get a chance to run a team and put guys in spots.”

With Cheickna Dembele and freshman Djordjije Sljivancanin the only players on the roster over 6-foot-8, there will be a traffic jam at the forward position early in the season among Dwayne Morgan, Christian Jones, Tyrell Green, Ben Coupet Jr. and Troy Baxter Jr.

Marvin Menzies' style

While Menzies does rock a nice suit and tie combination, this is more about the new coach’s on-court style. For years Rebels fans have been promised high-scoring, up-and-down teams by Dave Rice, but he never delivered.

In the past three seasons, UNLV has ranked 164th, 153rd and 52nd in points per game — a far cry from the dynamic offense Rice promised.

Menzies enters the program with a far different approach. In his time at New Mexico State, Menzies won with defense. The Aggies finished last year 10th in the country in points allowed, and 21st in the nation the year before.

Menzies has stated that he wants to push the ball up the court, and the team averaged 95.7 points per game during their trip to the Bahamas this summer, so they likely won’t be quite as defensive as Menzies’ New Mexico State squads.

While every UNLV fan yearns for the high-scoring days of Jerry Tarkanian’s teams, what they want more is wins. We will see if Menzies’ defensive style can bring them.

Wait and see

UNLV will be without two of its biggest pieces (literally and figuratively) tonight, as Dwayne Morgan and Cheickna Dembele sit out.

Dembele, the 6-foot-11 freshman from Mali, Africa, will likely miss both exhibition games with a bruised right heel, but is expected to be ready for the Nov. 11 season opener.

Morgan is still recovering from offseason hip surgery and has said there is no timetable for his return. Menzies doesn’t want to rush Morgan back to the court, and he hasn’t even been cleared for all practice drills yet.

Maturation of Jalen Poyser

As a true freshman, Poyser played in all 33 games but started only one.

The 6-foot-4 guard is one of only three returning scholarship players and will see a much larger role this year right out of the gates.

Poyser averaged 5.4 points and just more than one assist per game in only 16 minutes of action in 2015-16. He was 21-of-59 from behind the arc for 65.6 percent (second on the team behind Pat McCaw).

Poyser will likely start the season at point guard but could easily play shooting guard with his scoring ability if there is a better option at point, like Jovan Mooring.

Jovan Mooring’s potential

The Rebels have suffered from a lack of individual scoring in the last couple of seasons, and junior college transfer Mooring could be the answer.

Mooring was the junior college Division II Player of the Year last season at South Suburban College in Illinois, averaging 26.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.0 steals per game.

The Rebels expected immediate production out of the 6-foot-2 junior, but he broke the ring finger on his left hand during a scrimmage in the Bahamas in August.

That has set Mooring back slightly, as he didn’t resume practice with the team until last week.

“The challenge comes more off the court, because I think that’s where it starts,” Mooring said. “On the court, once you realize how a guy plays it’s easy to play with him. But I think getting to know each other off the court makes it a lot easier to play together once you’re on the court.”

Mooring will likely come off the bench tonight but will be fighting for a starting job at one of the guard spots in the Nov. 11 regular-season opener against South Alabama.

“We have about 12 new guys, only a few guys returning from last year, and those guys also are fighting for position, so it’s fun because it makes practice a lot more competitive,” Mooring said.