Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Noah Robotham staying at UNLV as walk-on for final season

2017 Scarlet & Gray Showcase

Steve Marcus

Noah Robotham, right, during the UNLV basketball Scarlet & Gray Showcase at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017.

When UNLV signed four incoming freshmen for the 2018-19 season, it led to something of a roster crunch, and senior point guard Noah Robotham appeared to be the odd man out.

Head coach Marvin Menzies put that issue to rest, however, confirming this week that Robotham will remain with the Runnin’ Rebels this year as a walk-on.

“Noah could have easily transferred and gotten a scholarship somewhere else,” Menzies said. “But he’s bought in here and he wants to finish his career as a Rebel.”

Robotham, a Las Vegas native, played his first three years at Akron before transferring to UNLV last season. He spent last year as a nonscholarship redshirt, and the expectation was that he would be put on scholarship for his final season of eligibility. But the Rebels brought in four newcomers, and only four players from last year’s team left the program, leaving no extra open scholarships.

Menzies said he wanted to finagle a scholarship for Robotham, but the numbers just didn’t work out.

“With a full complement of scholarships being issued, if someone would have decided to transfer, obviously Noah would have received a scholarship this year,” Menzies said. “But that didn’t happen, so he had a choice to make when he had other opportunities.”

Robotham is projected to play a big role for the Rebels this season, potentially starting at point guard as he did all three years at Akron. Robotham averaged 9.4 points and 3.3 assists over 88 games with the Zips, and, more important, he knocked down an efficient 38.5 percent of his 3-point attempts.

Had Robotham decided to leave UNLV this offseason, he would have been eligible to transfer to another team and play right away. But Menzies said Robotham didn’t seriously consider that option.

“He’s been all-in since Day 1,” Menzies said. “He’s got a great attitude. One of the most positive people I’ve been around and definitely one of the most talented leaders I’ve had at that position in quite some time.”

According to the UNLV website, in-state tuition for Nevada residents is $3,336 per semester.

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

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