UNLV basketball could look different if senior guard Parquet misses time

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022 | 2 a.m.

UNLV basketball is 10-0, but the team may be about to face adversity for the first time this season.

Senior guard Eli Parquet exited the court in the opening minutes of Saturday’s 74-70 win over Washington State and did not return. After the game, head coach Kevin Kruger offered no update on Parquet’s status.

If he is going to miss time, the Scarlet and Gray are going to have to adjust to playing without their most trusted on-ball defender.

Kruger has tasked Parquet with pestering the opposition’s lead ballhandler this season, and through the first 10 games the Colorado transfer had done a masterly job of it. As a team, UNLV allows 0.86 points per possession, which ranks 19^th in the nation; when Parquet is on the floor that number drops to 0.83 points per possession, which would slot them at No. 9.

Kruger said Parquet’s ability to harass point guards has a trickle-down effect on the rest of the defense.

“That’s probably one of E.P.’s biggest strengths,” Kruger said. “He doesn’t let teams run multiple plays consecutively clean. He makes it very difficult on the ballhandler.”

When Parquet went out against Washington State, senior guard Justin Webster was first off the bench to replace him. Kruger also tabbed Webster to start the second half in place of Parquet, and Webster ended up logging a season-high 31 minutes. So in the event of an extended absence, Webster would probably be in line for the majority of Parquet’s minutes.

UNLV’s overall strategy would look a bit different with Webster stepping in.

Webster’s hot shooting from 3-point range (52.0%) gives the team an added dimension on offense that doesn’t exist with Parquet (18.2%). As a team, UNLV averages 1.02 points per possession, which ranks No. 123 nationally; when Webster is on the court without Parquet, that jumps to 1.06 points per possession, which would be 64th in the country.

The defense does suffer in the exchange, as UNLV allows 0.92 points per possession with Webster (and no Parquet), but Kruger said he liked what he saw from Webster and fellow reserves Jordan McCabe and Jackie Johnson against Washington State.

“I thought Web, Jordan, Jackie, they did a really good job coming in, not letting the ballhandler be comfortable,” Kruger said.

UNLV’s next game is Saturday, when the Rebels host San Francisco at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Overall, UNLV has been almost as effective with Webster in the backcourt. For the season, Parquet boasts an individual plus/minus rating of +12.6 per 40 minutes; when Webster in on the floor without Parquet, he is at +12.0 per 40.

One intangible the numbers can’t measure is Parquet’s impact as a leader. Sophomore guard Keshon Gilbert credited the team’s transfer class — including Parquet — for raising the intensity level of the entire program in the offseason, and the team certainly seems to take his lead on the defensive end.

Kruger has been quick to praise Parquet for setting the tone and creating a winning atmosphere.

“He is unique,” Kruger said. “The only thing he cares about is being bothersome on the ball, being a good teammate, making good plays and winning games. He’s one of those guys that doesn’t score a lot, but if you look in the plus/minus at the end of games he’s +10, +12, +18, whatever it may be. His impact on the game is a big one for us.”

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