UNLV basketball adds two transfers, loses top recruit

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Monday, April 18, 2022 | 3:27 p.m.

Monday was a whirlwind of activity for UNLV basketball as the program welcomed two transfers, announced the hiring of a new assistant coach, and saw its top incoming recruit de-commit, all in the span of a few hours.

The biggest news was the loss of Class of 2022 prospect KyeRon Lindsay, who posted on his Twitter account that he is reopening his recruitment. Lindsay is rated the No. 83 player in the country by 247Sports, and he had been committed to UNLV since September.

Complications developed after the season, however. Carlin Hartman, the lead recruiter for Lindsay, left UNLV to take an assistant job at Florida, bringing the Texas native’s commitment into question. Lindsay tried to put it to rest by going on the record and reaffirming his desire to play at UNLV, but just 15 days later, the 6-foot-8 forward apparently changed his mind.

It’s a tough blow for UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger. Lindsay was the only high-school recruit in the incoming class, and given the holes along the roster, there was a very good chance he would have played an important role as a true freshman.

Unlike some de-committed recruits who make it a point to mention that they are still considering their original school, Lindsay did not say whether UNLV is still an option for him.

While Lindsay slipped out the back door, Kruger welcomed a pair of veteran players to the program in former Colorado guard Elijah Parquet and former Oklahoma guard Elijah Harkless.

Harkless was considered one of the top transfers in the portal after averaging 10.0 points and 4.1 rebounds at Oklahoma in 2021-22. He started 40 of 49 games for the Sooners over the past two years and shot 42.3% from the field while making 32.2% of his 3-point attempts. Harkless, a 6-foot-3 guard, has one season of eligibility remaining.

Parquet is another 6-foot-3 guard who should bring a defensive edge to the Scarlet and Gray. He was named to the Pac-12 All-Defense team in 2020-21, and though injuries limited him to 18 games this season (17 starts), he still posted 6.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 29.5 minutes for the Buffaloes. Like Harkless, Parquet has one year of eligibility left.

Parquet and Harkless were both starters and bring a ton of power-conference experience to UNLV, as they started 57 and 65 games at their previous schools, respectively.

The Lindsay departure and the new transfers bring UNLV’s current scholarship count to 10; Kruger is set to bring back seven returners (that number doesn’t include Donovan Williams, who is testing the NBA Draft process) and three transfers in Parquet, Harkless and Duquesne guard Jackie Johnson.

If Williams returns, UNLV will have two scholarship spots to fill; if he leaves for the pros, Kruger will have to bring in an additional player to get to the NCAA allotment of 13 scholarships.

The busy day started with the news that Kruger had hired former SMU assistant John Cooper for one of the Scarlet and Gray’s vacant assistant positions. Cooper has eight years of experience as a head coach and spent the last three years as an assistant at SMU under Tim Jankovich.

Cooper began his coaching career at Fayetteville State from 1993 to 1995, then served stints at South Carolina (1995-2001), Oregon (2002-04) and Auburn (2004-09) before landing the head job at Tennessee State in 2009. He posted a 43-52 record with the Tigers but went 20-13 in 2011-12, after which he accepted the head coaching position at Miami (Ohio). Cooper went 59-100 with the RedHawks and failed to post a winning record in any of his five years there.

After Miami, Cooper took an assistant job at Oklahoma State from 2017-20, serving under head coach Mike Boynton. In 2020, Cooper became an assistant at SMU.

SMU’s best player, senior guard Kendric Davis, is currently in the transfer portal, adding an intriguing angle to Cooper’s hiring.

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