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March 18, 2024

3 transferring from UNLV hoops in offseason makeover

UNLV Battles Over WKU

L.E. Baskow

UNLV guard Jalen Poyser (5) drives the lane past WKU guard Junior Lomomba (5) during their game at the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016.

UNLV’s offseason remodeling began in a big way on Wednesday when it was announced that Jalen Poyser, Troy Baxter and Zion Morgan will transfer from the program.

Poyser, a sophomore, finished fourth on the team in scoring with 10.4 points per game in 2016-17, while Baxter and Morgan earned limited playing time as freshmen.

In a statement released by the school, head coach Marvin Menzies thanked the players for their time at UNLV.

“While these decisions are very difficult, the outcomes always represent the best interest of our student-athletes,” Menzies said. “The Runnin’ Rebel family is greatly appreciative of the commitment and contributions of each of these young men. We will support them in every way possible with their transition to pursue their athletic and academic goals.”

Wednesday’s announcement was not entirely unexpected. Poyser, a former top-100 recruit, saw his playing time dwindle over the course of the season amid a bad shooting slump (19.0 percent from 3-point range in conference play). Baxter, another top-100 prospect, struggled with injury and the defensive playbook and only played 11.0 minutes per game. Morgan, a freshman guard, didn’t show much offensive potential (3.7 points per game) and was always at risk of being recruited over.

The open scholarships now give Menzies more room to maneuver and reshape the roster as he continues to rebuild the program. In addition to three departing seniors, UNLV now has six open scholarship spots for next year. Four players are already committed as part of the incoming Class of 2017, so the Rebels will have at least two more scholarships to fill over the spring and summer.

UNLV's incoming class is already shaping up as a good one. High school big man Mbacke Diong is a headliner, and Tervell Beck is a talented wing scorer coming off a post-grad year, so he should be able to contribute right away. Prep guard Jay Green adds depth to the backcourt, and juco forward Anthony Smith scored 17.3 points per game in 2016-17.

One potential target in the coming months is Class of 2017 center Brandon McCoy, a top-10 recruit who has UNLV in his final five along with Oregon, Michigan State, Arizona and San Diego State. Point guard Jordan Goldwire is another 2017 option. Menzies is also recruiting several junior college players and could opt to fill out the roster that way in an effort to balance his recruiting classes.

What the transfers mean for the program:

Rebuilding pains

After posting a record of 11-21 this season, major roster moves were expected. That’s the good news. This isn’t a “mass exodus,” no one is “fleeing the program,” and UNLV wasn’t “blindsided” by these transfers.

This situation was set in motion a year ago, when Menzies was hired late in the offseason and had to work quickly to fill out a large recruiting class. Most of the players who came in last summer understood the circumstances — Menzies is a good recruiter, and eventually there was a good chance they would be “recruited over” once he had time to get his feet under him at UNLV.

Morgan, a 6-foot-4 defensive specialist, is a good example. As a fringe Division I prospect, he was available last summer when the Rebels needed to fill out the roster. He played hard, dedicated himself to his role and got better as the season went along, but the issue was his ceiling. His offensive limitations were clear, and Menzies can probably upgrade that spot with a player from the Class of 2017 or 2018.

Nudging players out of the program isn’t ideal, but that’s the reality in college basketball today. Morgan and other little-used freshmen like Ben Coupet and Djordjije Sljivancanin were potential transfers as soon as they signed on for this rebuilding process.

What couldn’t have been predicted before the season is that two of the Rebels’ more talented youngsters — Poyser and Baxter — would be among those departing. Both were former top-100 recruits and young enough to envision being building blocks for the Rebels’ next NCAA-qualifying team. Poyser contemplated transferring last offseason and had to be re-recruited by Menzies, but he struggled with his role on offense as the year went on, becoming tentative and losing playing time. Baxter was viewed as a recruiting coup when Menzies snagged him late in the summer after the high-flying forward de-committed from South Florida, but Baxter never figured out how to use his athleticism to his advantage on defense, and that cost him minutes. Both should find soft landing spots at other schools.

Scholarship situation

With six players now departing (three graduating seniors and the three transfers) and four incoming players already committed, the Rebels’ roster for next year is set to include three freshmen, three sophomores, three juniors and two seniors, with two scholarship spots open as of now.

Menzies could go in a couple different directions with the final two slots. McCoy is still the top target, but if he opts for another school, expect Menzies to pivot and focus on the junior college market. Adding two more freshmen to the incoming class would skew the 2017-18 roster a little too heavy on first-year players, while jucos present a little more roster flexibility.

Junior college transfers would ostensibly be more ready to contribute right away, and the short-term commitments (most jucos come in with two years of eligibility remaining) would give Menzies more roster space to work with when recruiting high school players in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.

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