David Muoka embracing mean streak, bolstering UNLV frontcourt

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022 | 2 a.m.

After UNLV’s inspired win at Colorado State last week, Kevin Kruger entered the raucous visiting locker room, waited for the celebration to quiet down, and addressed his very excited team. First, Kruger commended senior guard Bryce Hamilton for scoring 42 points in the victory. The room exploded in cheers.

The next name Kruger mentioned was that of David Muoka, and the team erupted again, just as loud as they had for Hamilton.

It was a significant moment for Muoka. The junior center transferred to UNLV in the offseason from Lamar and arrived with a fair amount of expectations after winning Southwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2020-21. Transitioning to the Mountain West took some time, however.

Through his first 19 games, Muoka averaged 1.1 points and 3.0 rebounds in 9.3 minutes of action and didn’t look like much of a difference maker in a frontcourt that could have used all the help it could get. Against Colorado State, however, he was a completely different player, posting a line of 11 points and six rebounds in a season-high 25 minutes. He'll look to continue the strong play at 3 p.m. today against when UNLV plays at Utah State. (The game is on CBS Sports Network).

The numbers weren’t what earned him such high billing in the postgame festivities—it was his aggressive style of play. At 6-foot-10, 210 pounds, Muoka possesses the size and athleticism to physically overwhelm opponents, but until recently Kruger and the coaching staff have had a hard time bringing it out of him.

The issue? Muoka is just too nice.

“The biggest thing we’ve talked to him about is going out and being a bully,” Kruger said. “He’s such a nice guy that a lot of times he’s not maybe as physical as he needs to be, or he’s not as assertive as he needs to be. He’s a strong kid. When he gets out there and slides his feet and throws his weight around, he can have a big impact on the game.”

That’s what Muoka did against Colorado State, and his teammates and coaches recognized it.

Muoka followed it up with another strong performance in UNLV’s win over UNR on Tuesday. Though he didn’t score a single point in his 11 minutes, Muoka still made his presence felt by grabbing five rebounds and blocking a season-high three shots.

Once again, Muoka made a difference by being physical and, well, mean.

Muoka credited that change in attitude for the recent uptick in his play.

“Being able to turn that switch on as soon as I step on the court, having that ‘No friends’ kind of mindset on the court, even in practice, that’s been helping,” Muoka said.

Now the task will be keeping Muoka tapped into that inner anger for the rest of the season. Like Kruger said, the Hong Kong native is naturally predisposed to niceness, but a gentle giant is not what this team needs.

So Kruger is doing whatever it takes to provoke his young big man. At practice it’s not unusual to see Muoka singled out for mistakes, as the coaches generally challenge him as hard or harder than anyone else on the roster.

In Kruger’s eyes, an irritated Muoka is an effective Muoka, so the coach isn’t above pushing his buttons to provoke a reaction.

“I push a few,” Kruger said with a grin. “You know, as coaches, when you find a little bit of a hot-button topic you can poke at it a little bit. With David it’s just that. It’s saying, ‘Hey, David, this is just too soft.’ And it might not even be, but you want to see if he can go a little harder and be a little more physical, and 10 times out of 10 he responds.”

Muoka is no dummy; he knows when he’s being manipulated into a blind rage, but he accepts it because he believes Kruger is doing it for the right reasons.

“Me and him, we have a good relationship,” Muoka said. “We’re always cracking jokes with each other. He’s always trying to mess with me, get in my head or whatever, but it’s all love.”

Early in the season Muoka’s play was so raw that the coaching staff had internal discussions about redshirting him. It’s taken a few months, but the staff has chipped away at his genial nature to unleash the beast within.

An elbow here, a shove there, and all of a sudden Muoka is playing as big as his size.

“To go from [almost redshirting] and then being as efficient and effective as he was in the Colorado State game, it just shows his growth,” Kruger said.

Muoka understands what is expected of him. He’s not going to score 42 points, but if he sets a physical tone, protects the rim and wins the rebounding battles, his team will recognize his contributions.

“It’s up to me to step my own game up on the offensive and defensive end,” Muoka said. “Rebounding, just hustle plays, little things I can do to help my team win.”

And then he can smile.

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