2020-21 Runnin’ Rebels, Raiders’ stadium, dog parks and more reader questions

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Tuesday, May 5, 2020 | 2 a.m.

There are no games going on right now, but the readers still have tons of questions about the state of Las Vegas sports. Let's jump right into our first coronavirus mailbag: 

@isaac_is_fish

What is your way too early prediction of UNLV basketball next season? Conference tournament win? Dancing? 0-21?

@MikeGrimala

It’s not easy to make a prediction for the Rebels because the team is going to be made up almost entirely of newcomers. Marvin Coleman and Bryce Hamilton will return as starters and Mbacke Diong will see his share of minutes, but the rest of the playing time will go to guys who didn’t suit up for UNLV last year.

Some of those players are going to be really good, like junior shooting guard David Jenkins, but many of them are unknowns. That means your confidence in the 2020-21 Rebels probably correlates directly with your confidence in coach T.J. Otzelberger.

Considering what Otzelberger got out of last year’s team — UNLV went 12-6 in the Mountain West and was playing the best basketball in the conference at the end of the season — I think it’s fair to assume he’ll put the role players in a position to succeed. And with top-end talent like Hamilton and Jenkins, that could be enough to contend in the league.

It’s also difficult to know what the rest of the Mountain West will look like. San Diego State will take a step back, but not necessarily that far back, and a lot of people like what Boise State has added via the transfer market. The way I look at it, however, is if you give Otzelberger two All-MWC guards like Hamilton and Jenkins and a roster full of players who fit his system, a trip to the conference championship game is a reasonable goal.

@rebelredbird2

What do you know about coach Otz being stranded in Australia? I know his wife has family there but how is he dealing with being there and running the team and when does he think he might get back?

@MikeGrimala

From what I understand, Otzelberger took a personal trip to Australia earlier in the offseason but is already safely back in Las Vegas. The schedule of the trip was affected by the coronavirus outbreak but Otzelberger was not “stranded” overseas.

Even if he were stuck in another country, I don’t see how it would impact his ability to run the program. Everything is being done remotely these days anyway, so the difference between coaching from Australia and coaching from his sofa is negligible.

@Jerry_8675309

I heard the Rebels were going on a basketball road trip this offseason. With so many newcomers, that seemed like good timing. How many wins does it cost us now that we can't do that?

@MikeGrimala

You might be jumping the gun here. The NCAA allows teams to take a foreign preseason exhibition tour every four years, and UNLV was indeed set to head to Canada later this summer for a series of games to help get ready for the 2020-21 campaign — and that is still the plan.

Athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois said there will likely be significant budget cuts in the near future, including a reduction in travel expenses, but one source told me the basketball team’s trip to Canada is funded by donations and is safe from that standpoint. The team is determined to make it happen for the reason you mentioned — it will give all the newcomers a chance to acclimate.

The biggest threat to the exhibition trip being canceled are COVID-19 travel restrictions. If the virus is still going strong by then and travel is still being curtailed, there will be bigger things to worry about than a few preseason games because the actual season will be in jeopardy at that point.

@HouseVGK

What are your tips for proper dog park etiquette?

@MikeGrimala

Speaking as an elite dog owner, there are many offenses that can get you ostracized at the finer dog parks in Henderson. Paying more attention to your phone than your dog, talking politics at the other humans, bringing people food … all jerk moves, and the list goes on. But there are three particular crimes for which I will absolutely judge other owners at the park:

1. Unleash your dog before you enter the park. Like most animals, dogs have a fight-or-flight mentality; 99 percent of all skirmishes (my statistics) are caused when leashed dogs get overwhelmed by curious dogs inside the entrance. Let your guy run free.

2. Clean up after your dog. That’s self-explanatory; shirk this responsibility and become a park outcast.

3. Make sure your dog has access to water. Again, this shouldn’t have to be said, but you’d be surprised how many dogs are huffing and puffing out there. It gets hot in the summer. Bring a bowl and a gallon of cold water.

Do those three things and you’re on your way to the dog park Hall of Fame.

@Rebelworks

You think the Raiders are going to throw UNLV a bone and give them the Arizona State game in Allegiant?

@MikeGrimala

I don’t think the Raiders are going to throw UNLV a bone, ever. Anything UNLV gets out of that stadium will have been fought for and written in plain lettering in the joint-use contract — and even then, the Raiders will spend the next three decades looking for favorable loopholes. That includes the Arizona State game set for Sept. 12. I’ve heard some optimism from UNLV’s side that the game will be held at Allegiant, but the Raiders aren’t going to make it easy for them.

@Foxhole26

What’s the starting 5 and top 2-3 guys off the bench for Coach TJ this season?

@MikeGrimala

Coleman, Hamilton and Jenkins have starting roles pretty much locked up, I’d say. Diong has an inside track at the center position, but if Otzelberger wants to put his best offensive unit on the floor it will probably included the more highly skilled Edoardo Del Cadia.

The power forward position is the murkiest. Moses Wood can shoot, but is he ready to be a full-time contributor? Nick Blake is a superior talent, and at 6-foot-6 he might have the size to make a four-guard lineup work. Then there are the other freshmen to consider (I’ve heard good things about freshman forward Devin Tillis, so don’t overlook him in the frontcourt). That’s eight names for you.

@VegasRebelDrew

Talk about if you think UNLV football will open its season playing in front of fans. Bonus points if you talk about if more than one UNLV game will be played at Sam Boyd this season.

@MikeGrimala

Smart as I am, I’m not a scientist or a doctor, so no matter how unsafe a stadium full of fans may seem right now, I don’t know what the COVID-19 situation will look like in September.

As for the second part: Let’s just say that if I were UNLV, I would try to keep Sam Boyd around as long as possible — just in case. NFL teams (and the league as a whole) are not known for their generosity or their willingness to share. Just the opposite. I’d guess that this is just the beginning of the “Sam Boyd as an emergency backup venue” era.

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