UNLV basketball scouring transfer portal for impact additions

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Tuesday, March 30, 2021 | 2 a.m.

Kevin Kruger may not know exactly which UNLV players are going to return next year or what his staff of assistants is going to look like or when the NCAA will allow team workouts to begin, but he does know that more talent must be added for the 2021-22 season.

To that end, Kruger has hit the recruiting trail hard since taking over as head coach two weeks ago, and as expected his focus has been on the transfer portal. With the NCAA likely to greenlight immediate eligibility for all transfers this offseason and UNLV dealing with six current players (at least) leaving the program, it’s logical for Kruger to load up on veteran college players who could step in right away and contribute next season.

Among the players UNLV has reportedly contacted, most are backcourt players, which makes sense considering how much the program struggled without a primary ball-handler last season.

A look at some of the players UNLV is pursuing:

Jordan McCabe, West Virginia

A former 4-star recruit at point guard, McCabe has yet to make a splash in his three seasons at West Virginia. His playing time has actually decreased each year, bottoming out at 11.0 minutes per game this season, and he has made just 28.3% of his 3-pointers at the collegiate level (just 31.7% from the floor overall).

This would be a reclamation project for UNLV, with Kruger trying to extract some of that untapped potential that scouts saw when McCabe was rated the No. 113 player in the Class of 2018.

Tyree Ihenacho, North Dakota

Ihenacho is on the opposite end of the spectrum from McCabe: an under-recruited point guard who ended up at a small school and out-performed all expectations. Now Ihenacho is looking to move to a bigger pond after posting 8.7 points and 4.1 assists per game in his first year at North Dakota, earning him Summit League Freshman of the Year honors.

Ihenacho has size (6-foot-4), can shoot it (35.4% on 3-pointers), can get to the basket (63.5% of his shots came around the rim) and plays defense (1.6 steals per game). Kruger reached out to Ihenacho shortly after being named head coach, so it appears UNLV has real interest. Pacific, Northern Iowa, Western Michigan and St. John’s have also contacted him.

Jaelen House, Arizona State

UNLV was terrible at defending the dribble last season, so it makes complete sense that they’d reach out to House, who profiles as an excellent 3-and-D player on the wing.

House, a 6-foot-1 guard, racked up a steal rate of 4.5% in his two years at Arizona State and earned a reputation for locking down his man. He only logged 18.8 minutes per game in 2020-21 but showed some scoring potential by making 23-of-59 from beyond the arc (39.0%).

With two more years of eligibility remaining (three if he exercises his COVID-19 year), House is an attractive option for a coach like Kruger who wants to instill a defensive-minded culture.

Jamari Wheeler, Penn State

Continuing the lock-down theme, Wheeler might be the most attractive instant-impact backcourt defender in the transfer portal. The 6-foot-1 point guard earned a spot on the Big Ten’s All-Defense Team after recording 1.8 steals per game in 2020-21, and his career defensive rating of 99.4 is more than solid.

On the offensive end, Wheeler is dependable. He has started 84 games in his college career with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.9-to-1, and he has improved as a shooter, knocking down 36.7% of his 3-pointers over the last two years.

The drawback to pursuing Wheeler is that he only has one year of eligibility remaining.

Mike Saunders, Cincinnati

Yet another point guard being pursued by UNLV (can you tell which position Kruger is prioritizing yet?), Saunders played in 22 games as a freshman and started 10 of the last 12 for the Bearcats, posting 3.5 points and 1.4 assists in 15.5 minutes.

Saunders is fast and could infuse some end-to-end speed if Kruger is looking to turn up the tempo. Saunders is also being pursued by BYU, Utah State, Georgia, Xavier, Loyola Chicago and others.

Cam Martin, Missouri Southern

The first portal big man linked to UNLV, Martin is an intriguing case. He has been a monster at the Division-II level for the past three years, averaging 23.7 points for his career and earning All-America status each of the past two seasons.

At 6-foot-9, Martin averaged 25.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in 2020-21, and he showed the ability to step outside and make shots, connecting on 44.5% from 3-point range. If that production translates to the Division I level at even a fractional rate, Martin would be a terrific addition for a UNLV squad that needs talent.

Martin is the first player to publicly reciprocate UNLV’s interest, as he has the scarlet and gray listed in his final six along with Creighton, Georgetown, Stetson, Texas and Colorado State.

Jalen Hill, Oklahoma

Though technically he’s not in the transfer portal yet, it’s fair to speculate about Hill’s future after Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger announced his retirement last week. Hill was one of the top Las Vegas players in the Class of 2019 and had UNLV listed as a finalist during his recruitment, but then-Oklahoma assistant Kevin Kruger was able to lure him to Norman.

Now that Kevin Kruger is the top man at UNLV and Lon Kruger seems set on helping his son rebuild the scarlet and gray, they would presumably roll out the red carpet if Hill were to enter the portal.

A 6-foot-7 forward, Hill has averaged 13.8 minutes in his two years at Oklahoma, posting 4.4 points and 2.9 rebounds.

Stanley Umude, South Dakota

An unranked prospect in the Class of 2017, Umude has developed into one of the most well-rounded scorers in college basketball. Last year as a senior he averaged 21.5 points while making 35.5% of his 3-pointers, 79.9% of his free-throws, 45.8% of his 2-point jumpers and 60.6% of his shots at the rim.

Due to the COVID rules he'll have one more year of eligibility remaining, and a lot of schools are interested in adding a three-level offensive threat like Umude; he has already received offers from UNLV, Alabama, Arkansas, USC, Kansas, Texas Tech, TCU and others.

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