UNLV wants David Muoka to get aggressive versus Boise State

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023 | 2 a.m.

With seven minutes left in Saturday’s game at New Mexico, UNLV needed a bucket.

The Lobos had just scored a dunk and layup back-to-back to trim UNLV’s lead to 65-62, and the crowd was going wild. In response, E.J. Harkless threw a bounce pass to David Muoka in the post. Most expected Muoka to survey the court and kick it back out to Harkless or Keshon Gilbert and let one of the guards make something happen.

Instead, Muoka got a look in his eyes. He backed down his man with authority, turned over his left shoulder and elevated for a short jump hook. He knocked it down and UNLV extended its lead to five points.

UNLV only made four more field goals the rest of the way, but managed to hold on for a crucial 84-77 victory.

Muoka played a huge role in securing the win, finishing with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting to go along with his usual strong defense (seven rebounds, two blocks). UNLV outscored New Mexico by five points in his 24 minutes.

It was just the second time this season Muoka has scored in double digits against a Division-I opponent.

Though the box score showed Muoka attempting only a half-dozen shots, head coach Kevin Kruger liked the way his senior center picked his spots and got aggressive.

“Something kind of changed in him in Albuquerque,” Kruger said. “He was mad at something — me, the crowd, the other team, I don’t know what it was — but we need to find it again.”

That has been an ongoing pursuit for Kruger since Muoka arrived on campus last year as a transfer from Lamar. While the 6-foot-10 big man has always been comfortable blocking shots, elevating for rebounds and throwing down alley-oop dunks, the coaching staff is always trying to prod him to play with more of an edge.

Instead of shying away from 1-on-1 situations, Kruger would like to see Muoka get that look in his eye more often because it would augment the team’s heavily perimeter-reliant offense.

“It becomes another weapon,” Kruger said. “Being able to throw the ball down there with a lot of confidence that you’re going to get a good shot, potentially draw fouls, play inside-out. You get a paint touch when you throw it down there. A lot of people look at the ball when it gets down there. So being able to throw it down there and have a lot of confidence in a good result would be huge for this group.”

Muoka is averaging just 5.5 points per game this season, but he is converting at 57.1% from the field.

After his clutch basket at New Mexico, Muoka is confident in his ability to score on plays other than spoon-fed dunks.

“I work on that every day, multiple times a day,” he said. “I’m just letting that work translate into the game. It was a great game to have against New Mexico, building confidence on the offensive end and hoping that carries over. I’m doing the best I can to make sure it does carry over each and every game.”

Some post offense could be useful when UNLV hosts Boise State on Wednesday (8 p.m., CBS Sports Network). The Broncos feature an elite defense (No. 14 in KenPom’s adjusted defense, the best mark in the Mountain West), but it’s a lineup that lacks size.

Muoka doesn’t want to flip the switch anymore — he said his intention is to be aggressive from the opening tip.

“That happens without me even thinking,” Muoka said. “It’s like a natural instinct. When I tap into that mode I get mean, or whatever you want to call it. [I’m] more aggressive and assertive, especially on the offensive end. I feel like I can do that from the get go. So just implementing that from the start of every game.”

Kruger knows a mean Muoka will give the Scarlet and Gray their best chance to beating Boise State.

“There’s no question that he’s a much better player this year than he was last year,” Kruger said. “He’s a much better player right now than he was at the beginning of the year. He’s incredibly impactful not just blocking shots, but guarding on the perimeter, guarding in the post. We ask him to do a lot of things.

“I think his best basketball is still in front of him.”

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