Instant Analysis: Menzies got most out of this UNLV team; time to turn the page

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | 6:25 p.m.

In a UNLV basketball season of few wins, the final game followed a similar script: The Rebels’ players fought to the best of their ability, they produced some moments of solid play that convinced us they could win, and then they became overwhelmed in losing. Again. And for the 21st time in this hard-to-stomach season.

They built a double-digit halftime lead against rival San Diego State to grab our interest and give us hope. Within nine minutes of the second half, when many fans scrambled to find a way to follow the game, the lead was erased to start the countdown to end the season.

At least it’s over, finally.

A 62-52 overtime defeat in the first round of the Mountain West tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center closed the books on the worst season in program history. It seemed only fitting that nemesis San Diego State, which UNLV has lost to 11 straight times, delivered the final knockout.

And deliver it in humbling fashion.

UNLV led by 18 points at halftime — yep, 18 points. Christian Jones had a chance to win the game at the free throw line with less than 10 seconds remaining, but only made 1 of 2 shots to bring overtime. In overtime, the Rebels’ only points came on a Zion Morgan layup at the buzzer. We sensed the results wouldn’t be favorable in this transition season. But we never imagined they’d be this bad — a last-place finish in the league and just 11 wins. Thankfully, it’s time to turn the page.

Marvin Menzies, who was hired so late in the process last year that he had few options in building a roster where he was spotted with just three returning players, will get a full offseason to implement change. He’ll no longer be behind schedule.

If we learned anything today, it's that changing the program’s fortunes won’t be easy.

As painful as it is to write — I’m a UNLV grad and Las Vegas native — the mistakes that dragged the program to this point could take years to overcome. This isn’t an overreaction because the Rebels blew what appeared to be a comfortable halftime lead. It's something I wrote at the beginning of the game.

Fans stopped attending home games because of the team’s struggles and the department has lost millions of dollars as a result.

The roster won’t easily be transformed because many of the younger players Menzies settled for late in the recruiting process have multiple years of eligibility remaining. Jovan Mooring, Troy Baxter and Cheickna Dembele combine to form a good nucleus moving forward, but the program desperately needs an influx of talent.

There is some reason for optimism, especially when looking at tonight.

Menzies had his team ready to compete and they played with confidence — two traits not common with an 11-win team. Like most games this season, the kids gave a valiant effort.

The narrative about how Menzies was the university’s seventh or so pick to lead the program has become old. Menzies was able to keep the players motivated in what everyone knew was a lost season. Imagine how he can get a group of talented players to perform.

I didn’t expect the Rebels to win today. But I did expect them to put up a fight, which they did because of their leader, Menzies.

We’ll have plenty of time to dissect the future of the program moving forward. But if the players compete as hard as they did this season in future seasons, a UNLV turnaround will eventually happen. It just won’t be immediate.