Redshirt decision looming for UNLV’s Victor Iwuakor

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021 | 2 a.m.

Victor Iwuakor’s UNLV debut was glorious. He checked in against Seattle last week and posted zero points in five minutes, but the 6-foot-7 forward wreaked havoc on the defensive end, coming up with a steal and forcing another turnover that didn’t show up in the stat sheet. During his time on the floor UNLV didn’t allow a single point.

In that short stint, the junior transfer from Oklahoma showed that he’s just the kind of versatile frontcourt piece this UNLV team could really use.

It may not happen this year, however.

Those five minutes against Seattle represent the only court time Iwuakor has logged this season. He missed the first nine games due to a shoulder injury, then reaggravated it late in the first half against Seattle. He didn’t play after halftime of that game and has missed UNLV’s last two contests.

It’s getting to the point where UNLV and Iwuakor will soon have a decision to make: Continue to rehab and try to make it back later this season, or shut it down and make this a medical redshirt year.

It’s not an easy call. The injury itself is unusual for a basketball player and has made divining a timetable a difficult task.

“He’s progressing, but it’s tough,” UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger said. “It’s one of those things where it’s tough because it’s not necessarily like an ankle [injury] where you see a hundred of them and you can say it’s four weeks, six weeks, and they’re usually pretty close to right.”

Due to the nature of the injury, UNLV has resisted putting a return date on Iwuakor from the beginning, instead calling it a "day-to-day" situation.

Iwuakor came to UNLV with two years of eligibility remaining, plus an additional COVID year. If he were to redshirt, he'd still have all three of those years remaining.

In order to qualify for a medical redshirt, a player must appear in less than 25 percent of his team’s games, with none of those appearances coming after the halfway point of the schedule. UNLV has played 12 of its 31 games, so a decision will have to be made following the team’s 15th game (Jan. 5 at San Jose State). If Iwuakor plays after Jan. 5 he will no longer qualify for the redshirt and will burn this season of eligibility.

Kruger said he has broached the idea of redshirting with Iwuakor.

“We have,” Kruger said. “We’ve discussed all possibilities. With the COVID year that Vic has and the medical redshirt option, it’s unique because he would then potentially have both his COVID year and the medical redshirt year. That’s something that’s been discussed. There’s a due date coming up on it, so we are talking about it. But nothing has to be decided today. We’re still kind of in that mode of ‘What’s best for Vic?’”

In his two years at Oklahoma Iwuakor averaged 2.7 points and 2.5 rebounds in 9.7 minutes, but his defensive prowess made him a top target in the transfer portal. If healthy, he would undoubtedly be playing a big role for the scarlet and gray.

In Iwuakor’s absence UNLV has had to turn to smaller lineups, some of which feature 190-pound wing Donovan Williams at center and 6-foot-4 guard Bryce Hamilton at power forward.

Missing out on his first opportunity for big playing time has been a challenge for Iwuakor.

“He’s been frustrated,” Kruger said. “In his role at Oklahoma he didn’t play a lot consistently. Then he was here and he had a good summer and he had a good fall and his spirits were great. He was working his tail off. And then to unfortunately have an injury in a closed-door scrimmage, he’s been frustrated.”

For now, Iwuakor will continue to rehab and do his best to get back on the court. He has been participating in some non-contact portions of practices, but the quick reaggravation was a step in the wrong direction.

Though the hope is that Iwuakor’s shoulder will heal sometime in the next two weeks, it seems the program is bracing for less-than-ideal news from the medical staff.

“He wants to be playing, I know that much,” Kruger said. “I think Vic is in a place right now where he trusts the doctors, he trusts the staff that we want to do what’s best for Vic. He’s mature enough to understand. I think he’s mentally prepared to not necessarily get the news he wants, if it comes to that.”

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