Biggest offseason questions for UNLV basketball

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Monday, March 15, 2021 | 2 a.m.

As soon as the clock struck zeroes in Thursday’s Mountain West tournament loss to Utah State, a crucial offseason began for UNLV.

Here we go again.

That must sound repetitive to fans, as the last six (or so) offseasons have been labeled as “make or break” for the program due a variety of reasons, be it a coaching search, roster turnover or some other crisis. But it’s true this year, and what happens over the next several months will go a long way toward determining the success of UNLV basketball in the near future.

Let’s take a look at the biggest questions that have to be answered this offseason:

Is Otzelberger staying?

The first thing UNLV has to settle is the fate of its coach. T.J. Otzelberger has had mixed results in his two years at the helm, with some recruiting misfires hindering his progress this season, but he is a good young coach and will eventually draw the interest of power conference programs. UNLV knew that when it hired him. No one expected it to happen so fast, however, and especially not after a season in which his team went 9-14 against Division I opponents.

Reports have surfaced in recent weeks linking Otzelberger to the soon-to-be-open Iowa State job, with some going as far as to report that he will be a favorite to land the position. Otzelberger gave a “no comment” when asked about his interest in the job before the Mountain West tournament, but he’s had two separate stints as an assistant at ISU and maintains a good relationship with the athletic director.

If the stars align and Otzelberger is offered the job, he is very unlikely to turn it down. If that happens, finding his replacement obviously becomes the biggest priority for UNLV this offseason. And if he doesn’t end up getting the job, it’s still important to sort out the situation as soon as possible so Otzelberger and his staff can focus on the many issues at hand for UNLV.

UNLV will hope to get an answer soon. If this is still lingering a month from now, the uncertainty will start to have a negative impact on UNLV’s offseason goals whether Otzelberger stays or goes.

Bryce Hamilton’s future?

If you’re starting to piece together UNLV’s roster for next season, it would be good to be able to start with a building block like Bryce Hamilton. The 6-foot-4 guard has led the team in scoring in each of the past two seasons, and while his shooting percentages dropped across the board this year, he is still one of the toughest covers in the Mountain West and a player you want on your team.

UNLV will have to wait on his status, however, and probably won’t get an answer until May, as Hamilton could decide test the waters for the NBA draft.

His stock is not at its highest right now. Hamilton struggled through most of the 2020-21 season when UNLV tried to use him in an expanded role, and he clearly was not comfortable operating as a primary ball-handler/facilitator. But if he gets some good feedback during the pre-draft process he might choose to take his chances in the pro game.

If Hamilton goes, that will affect UNLV’s roster-building in a big way. A lot of shots will become available for prospective transfers who want to be a No. 1 scorer, and UNLV will have to find someone to fill that role.

Is David Jenkins coming back?

David Jenkins had a tough year. The shooting guard was expected to help propel UNLV back to the NCAA Tournament, but he struggled to find his shot early in the season and proved to be a sub-par defender in the backcourt. He probably would have performed better if the team had a true point guard, but they didn’t and Jenkins had to step out of his natural role and assume more ball-handling duties, which put him in a position to fail.

Though his shot came around and he ended up leading the team by hitting 40.9 percent of his 3-pointers, Jenkins also had trouble on an intangible level, as Otzelberger openly questioned his leadership and benched him for a couple weeks midseason.

Jenkins has two years of eligibility remaining and would still be a coveted recruit due to his elite outside shooting. Otzelberger said the plan is for his players to take this week off for spring break, then return to Las Vegas to begin individual player/coach meetings on March 22. Expect news on Jenkins’ situation to emerge around then.

Who is the point guard?

If Otzelberger learned a lesson from this season, it’s always have a point guard. When Coleman went down, the scarlet and gray were caught unprepared and the lack of a primary ball-handler doomed them to three months of off-ball players like Jenkins, Caleb Grill and Nick Blake bringing the ball up court. It didn’t work.

There simply weren’t enough players on the team who could dribble and make plays against set defenses. Hamilton was the only guy with any off-the-dribble skills to speak of, but that was dampened by his inability to pass or create for his teammates. As a whole, UNLV became really easy to defend.

UNLV had the perfect solution to this problem, as Otzelberger landed a commitment from the best point guard in the Class of 2021 (in his opinion), but that blew up in the program’s face when Zaon Collins was arrested (but ultimately not charged) for a fatal DUI.

Instead of turning the team over to Collins on day one, UNLV now has to forge ahead and find a new point guard to run things in 2021-22. The answer will likely come from the transfer market, where a number of intriguing options have already been reported to have entered the portal.

Another option that emerged over the weekend is Class of 2021 point guard TyTy Washington, a 5-star prospect who recently decommitted from Creighton after Bluejays coach Greg McDermott got in trouble for using racially insensitive language while addressing his team. UNLV is reportedly recruiting Washington now, and as the No. 30 player in the country he could probably come in and have an instant impact. Competition will be stiff, however, as Duke, Kansas and Kentucky are also courting him now.

Does Diong extend his stay?

Due to COVID-19 rules passed by the NCAA, senior center Mbacke Diong is eligible for an extra year of eligibility if he wants to exercise it. But he already has his degree and has already played four largely fruitless seasons (in terms of team success) at UNLV. Does he want to stick it out and try, try, try, try, try again in 2021-22? If the current coaching staff is here, they would almost certainly want Diong to stick around.

Speaking on the RebZone show on KVVU-TV, Diong said he will take this week off for spring break before considering his options.

UNLV should be looking to upgrade at the center position even if Diong returns; if he leaves, it becomes doubly important to find a transfer big man who can come in and do the dirty work right away.

Diong has started 71 games over the last three years, and this season he averaged 8.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.0 block in 28.1 minutes per contest.

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